Exclusive: From Data to Insight, From Insight to Action – Francois Piccione on the Evolution of Gaming Regulation

In this exclusive interview with iGaming News Today, Piccione discusses how those experiences have shaped his leadership philosophy and why building consensus can be just as important as the technology itself.

He also explores the MGA’s approach to artificial intelligence, including the use of AI internally and efforts around responsible AI adoption within gaming. For Piccione, AI should enhance human judgement rather than replace it, particularly where regulatory decisions can directly affect players.

At the centre of his approach is a recurring principle: innovation needs to move forward, but trust, fairness, transparency and player protection must remain central.

Q1. You’ve worked across government, digital innovation, and now gaming regulation. How has that journey shaped the way you approach technology leadership today?

Francois Piccione:

My journey has come full circle. I actually started in the gaming industry back in 2014, working within the Responsible Gaming function at the Malta Gaming Authority. That early experience taught me that behind every technology solution there are real people, real businesses, and real consumers who can be impacted by the decisions we make.

I later moved into government, working as a policy consultant within the Ministry responsible for the digital portfolio. During that time, I had the opportunity to work on some of Malta’s most significant digital reforms, including the implementation of the Virtual Financial Assets Act, the Malta Digital Innovation Authority Act and the Innovative Technology Arrangements and Services Act. Many people thought the challenge was the technology, but that was not the case. The challenge was building consensus. We spent countless hours meeting industry representatives, lawyers, technologists, regulators and other stakeholders. By the time the legislation reached Parliament, many of the difficult conversations had already taken place. That experience taught me that innovation moves much faster when people feel they have been part of shaping the solution.

That experience shaped my leadership philosophy. Earlier in my career, I probably felt I needed to have all the answers. Over time I’ve realised that leadership is often about asking the right questions rather than giving the right answers. Some of the best decisions I’ve been involved in came from somebody around the table challenging my thinking. I’ve also learned the importance of delegation. As leaders, if we try to make every decision ourselves, we become the bottleneck. My role today is to empower teams, remove obstacles, and create an environment where talented people can thrive.

Returning to the MGA a year ago felt like coming home. It gave me an opportunity to combine my experience in gaming, technology policy, and Unclassified digital innovation to help the industry navigate the next generation of technological change.

Q2. Technology is evolving faster than ever. From a regulator’s perspective, what are the biggest opportunities and challenges this creates for the gaming industry?

Francois Piccione:

I am naturally optimistic about technology. History has shown us that innovation can create enormous benefits for operators, players, and society. The gaming industry is a perfect example of that, having evolved into one of the most technologically advanced sectors globally.

The opportunities are significant. AI, advanced analytics, blockchain technologies, automation, and digital identity solutions all have the potential to improve customer experiences, strengthen fraud detection, enhance player protection measures, and increase operational efficiency.

The challenge is ensuring that innovation develops within the right framework. Technology itself is neutral. What matters is how it is designed, deployed, and governed. As regulators, we need to create environments where innovation can flourish while ensuring player protection, fairness, transparency, and trust.

I don’t believe regulators should be seen as barriers to innovation. Our role is to provide certainty and confidence so that businesses can innovate responsibly, invest for the long term, and contribute to a sustainable gaming ecosystem.

Q3. AI is becoming part of almost every business. How do you see AI supporting regulators while ensuring fairness, transparency, and player protection?

Francois Piccione:

One thing I always tell people is that if regulators want to understand AI, they need to use AI themselves. At the MGA we have been exploring how to use Unclassified AI internally. We have developed agents that help our people access relevant data and information more efficiently and make better-informed decisions. These tools are not about replacing human judgement. They are about enhancing it.

We are also exploring Proofs of Concept aimed at automating certain manual checks within our regulatory processes. That allows our people to spend more time focusing on analysis, oversight, and higher-value regulatory work.

At the same time, we recognise that AI raises important questions around transparency, fairness, explainability, accountability, and player protection. That is why Kinga Warda, Chief Officer of Policy, Research and Insight, and I have been actively driving the AI Gaming Charter initiative. The objective is not simply to encourage AI adoption, but to help ensure that innovation takes place responsibly and in a way that aligns with emerging European frameworks such as the EU AI Act.

Ultimately, I see AI as a powerful enabler, but human oversight must remain at the centre of important decisions, especially those that have an impact on players.

Q4. Blockchain and digital assets continue to evolve. What role do you think these technologies could play in the future of regulated gaming?

Francois Piccione:

I believe blockchain and digital assets still have significant potential, although perhaps not always in the ways people initially imagined.

Today, one of the most interesting developments is the growth of prediction markets and platforms that leverage smart contracts. In many cases, distributed ledger technology acts as the backbone that enables transparency, automation, and trust within these ecosystems.

One of the things I have always admired about the MGA is its willingness to engage with emerging technologies early. The DLT Sandbox initiative Unclassified demonstrated that regulators do not need to wait for technologies to become mainstream before seeking to understand them. The MGA’s adoption of a DLT framework and policy reflected that forward-looking mindset.

The lesson for me is simple. Regulators should not fear new technologies. We should seek to understand them, test them, and where appropriate create frameworks that allow innovation to develop safely, responsibly, and with the necessary safeguards in place.

Q5. As gaming platforms become increasingly digital, cybersecurity is more important than ever. What should operators prioritise to strengthen resilience against emerging threats?

Francois Piccione:

As gaming platforms become increasingly digital and interconnected, cybersecurity has to be treated as a core business priority rather than simply an IT responsibility.

For operators, this means maintaining strong security measures, regularly assessing risks and vulnerabilities, and ensuring that systems and processes continue to evolve alongside the threat landscape. It also means fostering a strong security culture across the organisation, where people understand their responsibilities and cybersecurity considerations are embedded into day-to-day decision-making.

No organisation can eliminate cyber risk entirely. What organisations can do is remain vigilant, continue to invest in their resilience and adapt as technologies, threats and dependencies evolve.

This is also why cybersecurity requires attention at the highest levels of an organisation. Ultimately, it is about good governance: understanding the risks, allocating the right resources and ensuring that cybersecurity remains an ongoing organisational priority. Unclassified

Q6. Compliance is sometimes viewed as a business challenge. How can technology help make compliance more efficient for both regulators and operators?

Francois Piccione:

I’ve encountered inefficient and heavily manual compliance processes throughout my career, both in government and in regulatory environments. In many cases, the issue isn’t the technology. The issue is whether organisations are willing to change the way they work. Technology is often the easier part; organisational change is usually the bigger challenge.

One thing I’ve always appreciated about the MGA is the willingness to embrace change and continuously look at how we can improve the way we operate.

Technology can help automate repetitive tasks, improve reporting, strengthen audit trails, identify risks earlier, and support a more risk-based and data-driven approach to supervision.

Historically, regulators often adopted broadly similar supervisory approaches across industry. The real opportunity today lies in using data and analytics to identify trends, monitor emerging risks, and direct regulatory resources where they can have the greatest impact. At the MGA, we have invested significantly in our data capabilities. We developed dashboards and analytics tools that bring together information from multiple regulatory systems, including financial reporting, player funds reporting, incidents, compliance information and due diligence data. This allows supervisory teams to identify trends, monitor risk indicators and focus resources where they can have the greatest impact.

For me, this is what modern regulation looks like. It is not about collecting more data. It is about transforming data into insight, and insight into action. Risk-based regulation allows us to be more proportionate, more efficient, and Unclassified ultimately more effective in protecting players and safeguarding the integrity of the sector.

Q7. Looking toward 2027 and beyond, what technologies do you believe will have the greatest impact on gaming regulation and digital governance?

Francois Piccione:

Without question, AI will be one of the most transformative technologies we will see over the coming years. We are only beginning to understand its full potential across areas such as player protection, fraud detection, supervision, compliance, and decision support.

Beyond AI, I am particularly excited by developments in quantum computing. Quantum may still seem further away for many organisations, but its potential impact is enormous, particularly in areas such as cryptography, optimisation, and computational problem-solving.

I also believe distributed ledger technology will continue to evolve and mature. The hype cycle around DLT may have changed over the years, but the underlying concepts – transparency, traceability, digital ownership, and programmable transactions – remain extremely powerful.

What excites me most, though, is not any one technology in isolation, but what happens when these technologies begin to converge. AI, quantum computing, advanced cybersecurity capabilities, and DLT will increasingly intersect in ways that could create opportunities we can barely imagine today. As regulators, our responsibility is to keep pace with that innovation while ensuring that trust, player protection, fairness, and market integrity remain at the centre. If we get that balance right, technology can strengthen not only the sector itself, but the way we regulate it.

About Malta Gaming Authority 

Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is Malta’s gaming regulator, responsible for regulating the gaming sectors falling within its remit while focusing on fairness, transparency, crime prevention and the protection of minor and vulnerable players.

The Authority also positions technology and innovation as important parts of modern gaming regulation. Its work includes regulatory frameworks covering areas such as player protection, compliance, technical infrastructure and distributed ledger technology.