The importance of Malta to the iGaming industry can never be underestimated. That was illustrated again in May when Malta’s Spring iGaming Week was held. This included the CasinoBeats Summit held at the InterContinental in St Julian’s.
It was a conference that saw a strong selection of speakers attend and the chance to hand out some awards too.
The iGaming industry is one that is continually undergoing great change. Holding the conference presented an ideal opportunity to look at the key issues that are affecting the industry at present and in what looks to be an exciting future.
Malta is sure to play its part in that future as technology makes further advancements. The increasing influence of the metaverse will be experienced by many companies who are based on the island. Regulation is another subject that was discussed at the conference and that’s always something that the industry must be wary of.
The situation of regulation is one that is not causing too much concern for companies based in Malta. That’s compared to other countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and Ireland, informed betting review portal Offers.Bet.
Future changes and stricter regulation there plus possibly higher taxation will keep companies flocking to the better situation in Malta. The Malta Gaming Authority certainly has plenty of experience. The island was one of the first to legislate in favour of online gaming and that took place 22 years ago.
Being granted a licence by the Malta Gaming Authority is important for those who are based on the island. It’s also good news for those who gamble with the sites given a licence by them. This is because of the high degree of protection that is given to customers by the Malta Gaming Authority.
The conference was like a who’s who of the top officials in the industry. Whether it be Entain, Bally’s Corporation, Casumo or Merkur Gaming, they were all represented.
Speakers such as Gabriela Novello (Business Development Manager for Altenar) spoke in glowing terms about the importance of Malta to the iGaming industry. Novello said Altenar see Malta as, “A key player for our global operations.” She added the “beautiful architecture” is one of the many reasons why “the industry gravitates to the island.”
There is some beautiful architecture but that’s not quite the reason why the island is home to so many betting companies. Will this continue to be the case though? The cost of living in Malta is on the increase and that might get some companies thinking they might move elsewhere or not to Malta in the first place. However, it’s proving more expensive to live in many countries at present with more possible problems in the future.
Companies do still seem content with opening offices in Malta and as time goes by and the pandemic becomes a bad memory the numbers working at home may decrease. Malta looks like continuing to be right at the centre of the iGaming industry.
Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk.