SiGMA Europe 2024 attendance sets record

Despite weather channels predicting a week of gloom for SiGMA Europe 2024, the sun came out just as doors opened, welcoming 27,000 delegates to the Mediterranean Maritime Hub.

Held on the eve of our 10 year anniversary celebrations, SiGMA´s Malta Week summit is undoubtedly our biggest yet and is the result of significant investment into the quality of the event – transforming 45,000 square metres into a hub of exhibition, conference, and networking in just three weeks. Warmed by the late autumn sun, outdoor spaces were transformed, with big brand booths such as Pin Up Global, Riddick, Melbet Partners, Barbara Bang, and Pragmatic Pay adding to the unique festival vibe.

The expo floor has seen a sizable increase to its footprint due to an unprecedented amount of new exhibitors clamouring for a spot. To cater for this we introduced a fourth shed, which offered an additional 15,000 sqm of much needed space to the venue, including new networking areas, a media lounge and meeting rooms.

Conferences: Exploring new frontiers in gaming

SiGMA Europe 2024 hosted a dynamic range of conferences covering critical topics, from the potential of e-sports to shape betting’s future to insights into the Brazilian regulatory landscape. Big industry names brought high value content to the stage, providing actionable strategies for navigating new markets and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. Top speakers included Joe Pisano, founder and CEO of Jade Entertainment and Gaming Technologies, Uri Poliavich, founder and CEO of Soft2Bet, Alex Tomic, Founder of Alea, Vitali Matsukevich, COO at Softswiss, and Charles Mizzi, CEO of the MGA.

A series of highly attended workshops on the 11th offered an immersive learning experience ahead of the main event. The sessions were so popular that many attendees had to make do with standing room only. XGENIA, an AI-powered leader in game development, claimed victory in the SiGMA Europe Startup Pitch, while Silo Team, specializing in training and compliance, earned top honours as the AIBC Pitch winner.

SiGMA Poker Tour launches new locations for 2025

The first day of Malta Week kicked off with a press conference for the official launch of the SiGMA Poker Tour. Operations Manager, Ivonne Montealgre, announced the launch of two official tour locations for 2025 – Brazil and Malta. The first-ever edition of the Hendon Mob Latam Championships (THMC Latam) will take place during the Brazil leg of the tour.

SiGMA Awards: Recognizing excellence in gaming

The first of two award ceremonies saw a spectacular turnout, welcoming just under 700 individuals from prestigious gaming and tech companies, with the gala evening also serving to officially kick off celebrations for our 10th anniversary. The night also acted as the perfect launchpad for a special announcement introducing our new destinations and dates for 2025: SiGMA Central Europe runs from the 23rd to 26th November in Milan and SiGMA Euro-Med, rebranding from SiGMA East Europe, moves to a September slot at the MMH in Malta.

Making an impact through charitable auctions

“Today we feel there is no SiGMA without the SiGMA Foundation,” remarked SiGMA Group founder Eman Pulis when thanking H.E the President of Malta following the on stage presentation of a donation to the MCCF on behalf of SiGMA. Since its launch in 2021, the SiGMA Foundation has gone from strength to strength, bringing its philanthropy to a number of global projects. Between 2023 and 2024, SiGMA raised just under a million Euros through its charity auctions. At this year’s B2B charitable auction, the highest bid item, “Bronze Lady” by Tommy Zegan, sold for €65,000 to SoftConstruct, a leading technology provider redefining the iGaming experience. The B2C auction, powered by VBET, saw “Ace Beyond Limits” by Veronika Bjurfjäll sell for €12,000 to Highbet, an established online sportsbook and casino operator.

Visits from government officials, sporting and diplomatic ambassadors

H.E the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, the Hon Robert Abela, Prime Minister of Malta, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Hon. Silvio Schembri, government officials and international ambassadors, including a delegation from Ghana received an official tour on the second day of the event.

In her keynote, the President of Malta lauded SiGMA’s commitment to philanthropy and its global impact, stating, “SiGMA exemplifies Malta’s leadership in the gaming sector and its dedication to meaningful progress.”

Meanwhile, football legend Ronaldinho caused a stir, making an appearance as an ambassador for Betify, while Boomerang was represented by AC Milan icons Massimo Ambrosini and Serginho, who also made their presence felt at the company’s booth. UFC champ Alex Pereira attended as a representative for Spribe.

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MGA cancels Winners Malta Operations Limited's license

The Malta Gaming Authority has decided to cancel the authorization awarded to Winners Malta Operations Limited, bearing reference number MGA/B2C/618/2018, effective as of 11 January 2024.

This is being done in terms of regulations 9 (1) (c), 9 (1) (d), 9 (1) (l) and 10 (1) (a) of the Gaming Compliance and Enforcement Regulations (S.L. 583.06) (the ‘Regulations’).

Pursuant to the foregoing decision, the Authorized Person is hereby being directed to:

- Settle all outstanding fees that are due to the Authority within a period of five (5) days from the effective date referred to above; - Refund all player monies to the legitimate players accordingly and in line with the Gaming Act (Chapter 583 of the Laws of Malta) (the ‘Act’) and the regulatory instruments issued thereunder; - Submit to the Authority a transaction report extracted from their back-end system together with the supporting bank statements, attesting that all player funds have been duly remitted to the registered players, within a period of seven (7) days from the effective date referred to above; - Provided that the Authority shall reserve the right to request the Authorized Person to provide the necessary facilities to the Authority in order for the latter to extract and make copies of the relevant data, including but not limited to, essential regulatory data as defined in the Gaming Definitions Regulations (S.L. 583.04). - Remove, with immediate effect, any reference to the Authority and the authorisations in accordance with article 51 of the Act.

This decision is subject to appeal in terms of article 43 (1) of the Act.

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Malta Gaming Authority suspends Rush Gaming license

The Malta Gaming Authority is suspending the authorisation awarded to Rush Gaming Ltd, holder of MGA license MGA/B2C/701/2019, effective as of 9 January 2024, in terms of reg. 8 (1) (f) of the Gaming Compliance and Enforcement Regulations (S.L. 583.06).

The Authorized Person is thus no longer authorized to carry out any gaming operations, but is required to retain and provide access to all registered players to their player accounts and to refund all funds standing to the credit of players in line with the applicable law.

This sanction is being imposed upon the Authorized Person in accordance with reg. 9 (1) (c) of the Regulations since the Authorized Person has failed to comply with one or more applicable obligations in terms of any regulatory instrument or any other applicable law of Malta. This decision may be subject to an appeal in terms of article 43 of the Gaming Act (Chapter 583 of the Laws of Malta).

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MGA publishes amendments to the player protection directive

The Malta Gaming Authority is hereby publishing the amendments to the Player Protection Directive (Directive 2 of 2018).

We believe that safe, sustainable, and responsible gaming is of paramount importance to the gaming sector. Following feedback received through the dedicated consultation process, the Authority is hereby publishing these amendments with the aim of strengthening and clarifying the current player protection framework.

This framework will support the Authority’s initiatives moving forward and will facilitate the Authority’s plans to continuously improve the player protection framework, including the eventual publication of detailed player protection guidelines for licensees. The Authority is in the process of conducting detailed research and garnering expert experience to serve as the foundation for the eventual publication of such guidelines.

The amendments delve into, inter alia, the licensees’ obligations regarding their responsible gaming policies and procedures, and the introduction of markers of harm that must be considered by licensees when determining effective measures and processes to detect and address problem gambling. Provisions relating to real-money reinforcement and staff training have also been addressed via the amendments.

The amendments are being proposed on the basis of a review of the key sections of the Directive carried out by an expert in the field, and on the basis of the Authority’s own research and experience garnered through the Responsible Gaming Unit’s audits and familiarisation visits.

Subject to the transitory provisions of the Directive, the amendments shall come into force on 12 January 2023.

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NetGaming opens Malta office

Creative casino games studio NetGaming has opened a new Malta office as it gears up for international growth. Spearheaded by CEO Pallavi Deshmukh, the company has moved into a state-of-the-art facility in Sliema where Deshmukh and her core team will be implementing its marketing, regulatory and commercial strategies.

NetGaming is expanding its central team with some of the industry’s most respected games producers as part of an ongoing recruitment drive.

Alongside the company’s development and support offices, the new space continues NetGaming’s impressive global expansion as it brings its multi-currency, multi-lingual portfolio to several markets including emerging markets such as Africa and CIS countries.

Pallavi Deshmukh said: “Opening an office in Malta signals our ambitious goals for global growth as the island is a critical jurisdiction within the industry.

“The move enables us to engage with a number of major operators in the region with a personal touch. In addition to the high-profile commercial deals we have already secured with the likes of Relax Gaming and Bet Construct, this is another milestone achieved! With a dynamic portfolio packed full of immersive original and branded content, we’re here to deliver.”

NetGaming will be showcasing at ICE London, between 4th-6th February and can be visited at Stand N1-413.

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Third round of Malta Poker Festival

Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes Casino are sending another online satellite tournament winner to an exotic location to play in a €500,000 GTD poker tournament. A third round of €500K Malta Poker Festival satellite tournaments starts today and continues until the Final 30 September. Contenders for the Maltese throne can win their way to the satellites Final in $3 Step 1 qualifiers held four times daily.

Tim O’Keefe won the first round of Malta satellite tournaments in August.

“Good luck to everyone playing this round!” he said. “Maybe I’ll see you in Malta!”

Malta has 7,000 years of fascinating history and a diverse culture. The food is great and the beaches and secluded swimming holes are bella.

“I’ve never been to Malta,” Tim told an Intertops support rep. “So I’m really excited for this trip and to spend almost a week on the island!”

The Malta Poker Festival is held at The Casino at Portomaso, right in the heart of Malta's vibrant night life. Players from around the world are flocking to the Mediterranean for the monster No Limit Hold'em Grand Event and its guaranteed €500,000 prize pool.

The $2,500 prize package covers the winner’s buy-in to the Malta Poker Festival Main Event, Day 1C. $500 toward travel expenses is included. The online champion will stay at the posh Hilton Hotel 2-7 November. The Intertops team will take them to an exclusive MPF VIP party.

Satellite tournament players can buy-in at the first level for $3 and win their way to the Final, or just buy-in at Step 2 or the Final table. Satellite registration is under the Tournaments tab in the poker room lobby.

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Malta Gaming Authority launches licensee relationship management system

During a press conference addressed by the Malta Gaming Authority's Executive Chairman, Joseph Cuschieri, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, Hon. Silvio Schembri, the MGA announced the launch of a New Licensee Relationship Management System accessible through a secure and dedicated web portal.

This project, which is the result of a collaboration between the MGA and Microsoft, will transform the way the MGA interacts with its current and prospective licensees through the simplification and digitization of its online and land-based processes.

The first phase of the project will see the MGA launching three main online services, which are:
Applications for Remote Gaming Licenses.
Dynamic Seal URL requests.
Submission of Players Liability and Gaming Tax Reports.
This new system will empower the gaming operators to electronically track the status of their applications and meet regulatory requirements more efficiently. This digitization process will enhance a two-way communication between the Authority and its customers.

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Casino Malta to host Cash Game Festival

Casino Malta by Olympic Casino hosted its Grand Opening Gala on Feb. 12 this year, and already in its first few months of operations it has established itself as a premium casino destination on the island.

We are very honored and proud to be able to host the second stop of Cash Game Festival 2016 from June 8-12. For players that would like to secure a seat to their favorite games, our registration is open.

The Cash Game Festival attracts players from all around Europe and of course a high amount of Malta based players due to the location, but we should not forget that Malta is a dream holiday destination for many, thus the amount of tourists or non-regular poker players is expected to be higher than normal.

As usual when it comes to Cash Game Festival, we aim to provide a wide variety of cash games at all different levels. Expect to see multi-stake NLH, PLO, DC (9 game) ROE, Sviten Special, 6-Plus hold'em and the increasingly more popular game Open Face Chinese.

"We have opened the doors to our casino just recently and still we have a steady stream of loyal customers as well as we see that we are a premium destination for an increasing amount of tourists," said Casino Malta Poker Manager Roman Gabriel. "Add to the mix that we have already hosted quite a few very successful poker events. I believe that Cash Game Festival has found a great location here in Malta at our casino and I am very excited to see the Maltese poker community show the rest of the world how this lovely game should be played."

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Dutch Gambling Authority to partner with Malta

Online gambling will be regulated in Holland until the middle of next year, but the Dutch have signed a letter of intent to partner with Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority, according to Poker News. 

The Dutch plan to work closely with their European counterparts once the online regulation is in place, the report said.

They propose to implement a tax rate of 20 percent for online gaming operators, according to Poker News.

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