Brandon Debattista on Monday (today) announced that he has stepped down as Deputy Chief Regulatory Officer at the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Dr Debattista first joined the authority as Legal Intern in January 2017, and since then he climbed up the corporate ladder, serving in a number of positions including Legal Counsel and Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.

In January 2023, he was appointed Deputy Chief Regulatory Officer, a position he held up until his departure from the MGA.

“The journey has been an incredible one, shaped by numerous challenges, milestones, and most importantly, incredible colleagues who I now consider to be a second family,” Dr Debattista said.

He remarked that he will be forever thankful for his experience at the authority, the people he has worked with, as well as having the privilege of leaving the legal and regulatory teams.

Dr Debattista specifically expressed gratitude to his mentors, namely former CEO Carl Brincat and former General Counsel Yanica Sant, together with former Chief Counsel of International Affairs and Policy Michele Magro and Chief Regulatory Officer Rebekah Duca.

He was also thankful for the rest of the MGA team, including the Executive Committee, CEO Charles Mizzi, Chairman Ryan Pace, as well as the rest of the Board of Governors for their “continuous support.”

“Thank you, everyone, it has been an absolute privilege to work with you all!” he added.

Dr Debattista said that he will now start his six-month gardening leave, during which he will have the chance to spend time with his newborn baby girl and “prepare for whatever comes next” in his professional career.

Dr Debattista graduated from University of Malta as a Lawyer in 2017 and was admitted to the bar in 2018. His main areas of work include providing advice on matters related to iGaming regulation, general legal and international affairs, and dispute resolution.

This announcement comes just a few days after Antonio Abdilla Zerafa, who had been working at the MGA for the past nine years, stepped down as Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) and Head of Financial Compliance.