Malta's first 20 years in the igaming sector

Malta celebrated the first 20 years of the igaming industry, taking the opportunity to express interest in the present, but above all for the future of this sector.

It is now known that one of the main industry branches of the island that has contributed important to the economic growth of the entire country is that of the terrestrial casinos, to which over the years the online game sector has been joined. The latter, in turn, established itself by contributing to the expansion of the entire sector.

To celebrate the anniversary, but above all to debate possible future strategies in support of the development of igaming, as well as innovative policies for the sector, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry he organized, in collaboration with WH Partners, the event "20 Years of iGaming in Malta: are we at a crossroad"." As speakers of the event, they attended: Silvio Schembri, Minister of Economy, Funds and European territories; Pontus Lindwall, President and CEO of Betsson AB; Ivan Filletti, CEO of Gamingmalta Foundation.

The conference clearly emerged the need not to take the igaming sector for granted and the need to persist in its enhancement, paying attention to keeping the step with the sudden developments that configure it. The sector has matured over the years, but this does not mean that Malta intends to lay, on the contrary: the perspective is to aim even higher.

The conditions for further growth

The conditions, according to the results of the conference, are all there:

• a good regulatory system
• Malta's opening to Maltese companies operating with licenses from other EU Member States
• The competitive tax environment
• The growth prospect in B2B
• The attraction of Malta's B2C regulations for international markets

As regards incentives for technological companies, heated by the speakers of the event, the Recent inauguration of the Basecamp incubator, by Gaming Malta: it is a space that houses startups in the sector and where workshops aimed at raising gaming in public opinion are also organized and to guarantee greater communication and collaboration between industries and investors operating in the sector.

During the meeting it was, in fact, underlined the trust that several operators have placed in Malta, entrusting it with the legal and administrative basis of its activities operating also abroad with regular licenses, which configure it as an important digital gaming hub: Starvegas, STARCASINO, 888 Casino, to mention only some of the best known, among those that also legally operate in our country.

Positive signals are also received from the market: think of the Recent acquisition of Eplay24 ITA by the Spanish multinational Cursa, which is directly controlled by the largest company of alternative investments and finance giant, the American Blackstone Group. It is therefore more than evident that there is all the interest in continuing to make the industry prosper and to guarantee it the same success in the years to come.

It is no coincidence that Malta will host from 24 to 26 May, the CasinoBeats Summit 2024, on the occasion of which the Winning title in the Game Innovation Awards category: to decide what the most innovative slot game will be (also consult our selection) will be the combination of the votes of a jury and the public, with direct proclamation the same evening as the event. In addition to the award ceremony at the Intercontinental of St. Julian's, 160 experts will find themselves who will have the opportunity to confront each other on the predominant issues of the sector, such as technological developments, the new generations of slots and games for live casino, the opportunities of the emerging markets.