‘Nothing can tell a better story than a great success story’

Gaming has a bright and exciting future in Malta as a significant pillar in the country’s strategy for the years to come. In fact, gaming is an important player in the Government’s recently announced EnVision2050 – the country’s long-term vision for improved quality of life and strengthened economic and social foundations.

During his keynote speech at the Next.io conference, GamingMalta CEO Ivan Filletti explained how GamingMalta was working to unleash the immense potential the sector commands.

“During the Next.io conference we had the opportunity to unveil some of the exciting plans we have to ensure that the gaming sector continues to flourish unhindered and continue to contribute to the nation’s economic growth for the years to come,” Mr Filletti said.

“Through our ‘Make It In Malta’ campaign, which we used prominently for SiGMA, ICE, and Next.io, we are promoting Malta as an international hub for gaming ventures, from around the globe. In the coming weeks, we shall be launching our specialised Gaming Manifesto which will provide more detail of what we have planned, and how we envision gaming to be a central pillar in Malta’s economy in the future. Furthermore, GamingMalta will also be taking part in the upcoming SBC Summit Malta, which is set to take place between the 10th and 12th June. The event brings together European companies and professionals under one roof, as they explore cutting-edge insights, gain transformative skills, and forge impactful connections with senior decision-makers.”

GamingMalta has been leading the gaming sector in Malta for a number of years, participating in world-leading events, as well as drawing interest from international players worldwide. Earlier this year, Malta-based operators and professional service providers alike left their mark convincingly during the iconic ICE Barcelona 2025 event, reaffirming Malta’s position as a leader in the global iGaming sector.

ICE Barcelona is one of the landmark international events of the sector attracting some 55,000 professionals from over 170 countries.

The event was a great opportunity to shine a light on Malta as a jurisdiction of excellence for the gaming industry. “Malta may be small in size, but our impact on the iGaming industry continues to be immense,” Mr Filletti said.

Several leading iGaming companies in the industry today, some of which are now publicly listed and operating from multiple locations around the globe, began as small startups in Malta.

“At ICE this year, we took the opportunity to emphasise our ‘Make It In Malta’ campaign which celebrates the incredible success stories that have emerged from our ecosystem over the past two decades. We believe that nothing can tell a better story than a great success story, so we just built the platform and let our proud players talk about their journeys of growth and success with us,” Mr Filletti noted.

Showcasing the success of Malta-based players is always a great opportunity to underline the endless possibilities that exist for businesses considering setting up shop on the island. Speaking at ‘Make It In Malta’, Pontus Lindwall, CEO at Betsson AB, described how it felt like love at first sight from the very first moment they set foot in Malta, no less than two decades ago.

“Malta has contributed a lot. We came there in 2004, got our first licence in 2005, and we decided on the very first day that it was going to be our operational hub, and it still is. We have great people from Malta working with us, it has been very good for us,” Mr Lindwall explained.

Equally flattering were the remarks by Michael Mandl, CGO at SBC who spoke about leveraging their Malta base further into their newly rebranded landmark event SBC Summit Malta. “We love Malta and the gaming community there. It’s a very important community from where we ran Casino Beats for a couple of years. At a certain point we realised that our positioning was more on the tech side of things. So, we decided to expand the positioning of the event and that is why we wanted to include Malta in the brand name.”

Malta’s own Eman Pulis also added his own rave review of the island’s impressive performance in the sector. When asked if SiGMA could have achieved the success it did without Malta his reply was a stark “Hell no!”

“We are eternally grateful to the MGA and GamingMalta who gave us the opportunity to be able to approach other players and attract them to SiGMA. We are only too pleased to note international players seriously considering Malta as their next home, after coming to one of our shows,” Mr Pulis added.

ICE Barcelona was also an excellent opportunity for GamingMalta for networking and building priceless connections with key industry players around the globe. By fostering strategic relationships, GamingMalta sought to draw new business to the island, while creating opportunities for Malta-based companies to enhance their visibility and strengthen their operations through important collaborations.

The ‘Make It In Malta’ campaign remained a focal point of these conversations with many interviewees sharing their experiences of how Malta’s business-friendly policies, robust regulatory framework, and skilled talent pool have played critical roles in their growth and success.

Beyond iGaming, GamingMalta also promotes Malta’s growing expertise in esports, video game development, and immersive technology. By positioning Malta as a hub for these emerging industries, the team continues to seek synergies between these complementary sectors and broaden the island’s appeal to businesses looking to innovate and expand.

For more information on setting up shop in Malta and for the very latest in the area, make sure to visit GamingMalta’s website, as well as GamingMalta’s LinkedIn page.