When did you decide to jump on the gaming bandwagon and in what ways did you intend to disrupt it?

I have been in the events industry for most of my life, starting off with cultural events, concerts and parties on campus. I organised events for university students for as long as I could, to the extent that I remained an active student and read for two Master’s degrees.

Then, when I started reading for a law degree, I realised that the situation was becoming ridiculous – moreover, the age gap between the students and I was widening, so I ventured off campus and tried to reinvent the business plan by organising conferences and expos.

After co-organising a boat show, I ventured into iGaming. There was a big opportunity in the sector which no one was taking advantage of – we had so many C-level executives based in Malta, but we didn’t have an expo or show to shed light on the industry.

So I took the plunge and put all my eggs in one basket – luckily, SiGMA took off.

After three editions of SiGMA, and a fourth in the coming days, how has the event evolved and grown?

My original aims, back in 2013, were to make SiGMA a national event, bringing together all stakeholders. Since then, the show has become a landmark worldwide event, attracting 3,000 delegates from all over the world.

What attractiveness does Malta hold for gaming companies?

The future of gaming in Malta seems secure because this country offers a lot of advantages. Years ago the gaming licensing and tax benefits used to be primary advantages. Today, however, gaming companies are relocating to Malta because the entire ecosystem is present here.

A quick comparison between the gaming industry and the events sector can shed more light on this.

In events, you have three main stakeholders: promoters that bring guests to the operator’s venue. The operator gets his supplies – such as drinks, sound system and lights – from the supplier. Bottom line is that the promoter, operator and supplier work well together.

In gaming you have a very similar situation. Promoters – more popularly referred to as affiliates – bring online traffic to website operators, mainly online casino and online sports betting sites. These operators obtain their supplies – slot games, betting odds and licences – from their suppliers. Thus, the collaboration involves affiliate, operator and supplier.

Malta ranks very high with operators and suppliers since these two require a licence to operate in several countries. From the beginning, our drive with SiGMA was to give the necessary importance also to the affiliates in order to complete the ecosystem and make Malta the natural home for gaming, offering a holistic business environment.

Initially, I was criticised for trying to open the scope of SiGMA too much, but I knew that the affiliates would attract a lot of operators, who in turn would attract a lot of suppliers.

These three distinct pillars are also coming increasingly closer. Today you have an affiliate trying to become an operator because the barriers to entry are much lower.

Three years down the line, this theory was proven right and today you have other world-class shows outside Malta merging into each other to reflect this trend.

While this was once a very young industry, characterised by very young CEOs, it is now led by more experienced C-level executives

How is Malta’s gaming sector developing and does it have room for further growth?

There is an important distinction to make here between games of chance, like bingo, slot games and sports betting, and games of skill, like daily fantasy sport and esport. The Malta Gaming Authority has done a great job staying ahead by regulating such new verticals. It also seems upbeat to provide a policy for gaming companies to embrace both blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

What makes this industry so special is its ability to embrace the changes fuelled by technology.

Would Malta have the necessary human resources to cater for such growth?

HR demands are putting pressure on the talent pool in Malta. I’m in touch with several gaming companies and understand that demand for developers is on the increase. If we’re not proactive, we’re going to lose these jobs to East European states. Mcast, the University of Malta and other private institutes based in Malta are not keeping up with the demand.

Jobs for, say, customer care support agents for Nordic markets need to be filled by expats. Such employees usually come to Malta for a number of years, then go back to their own countries. It is pertinent to note that these contribute to the economy with taxes as well as by spending most of their salary on rent, consumables and entertainment. They also make no or little use of State benefits like free healthcare, education or pensions.

The government over the past 15 years has already done a lot for the gaming industry to flourish. Moving forward, I would love to see a fast track visa scheme for startups, affiliates and developers, to truly support the entire gaming ecosystem.

We are doing our fair share to support the local industry with a careers convention. While SiGMA’s ultimate goal is to bring the entire gaming community together, from affiliates and operators to regulators and vendors, this year we also want to serve the purpose of recruitment in Malta. On November 24, the second day of SiGMA, between 2 and 6pm, we will be organising the Summit of iGaming in Malta – open to graduates and IT developers looking at a new career in iGaming.

What spill effect does the gaming sector have on other areas of the local economy?

Rental markets, restaurants and entertainment venues are enjoying a spillover from the gaming sector.

It’s also interesting to note that while this was once a very young industry, characterised by 20-something-year-old CEOs, it is now led by more experienced C-level executives who come to Malta with families. As a result, the trickle-down effect on the economy also changed. For instance, expats working in Malta are showing an increased interest in not just renting, but also buying property. Several came to Malta and decided to stay for much longer than originally planned.

Also, the notion that gaming jobs are predominantly for foreign workers couldn’t be further from the truth. True, if a company needs a customer care agent who can speaks Norwegian, who understands the culture and who can relate well with Norwegian players, that company is more likely to engage a native from that country. However, when it comes to everything else, from developers, legal, accounting, marketing to anti-fraud and other departments, Maltese recruits fill the vast majority of vacancies.

What will be the highlights of SiGMA 2017?

SiGMA this year has become a landmark show for the industry worldwide. We want affiliates, operators and vendors to network and grow their business.

This year, IMGL are officially endorsing this show for the very first time with two regulatory panel discussions: the GPI European Poker Conference shifted to Malta within SiGMA; and Gaming Malta partnered with SiGMA to launch the very first DFS conference.

We will also have conferences dedicated to blockchain, cryptocurrencies, bingo and live gaming, as well as a new, top-tier SEO masterclass for the very advanced.

KPMG has also strengthened its partnership with its e-Summits and new world-class investors have joined last year’s lot, including Simon Collins, Roger Walker and Julie Meyer.

The line-up of start-ups shot up from a humble eight last year to over 50 this year. The number of delegates shot up from 3,800 to a staggering 7,000 delegates and affiliates will amount to 2,600. The number of exhibitors has tripled and we will be hosting world class brands such as Bet365, Ladbrokes, PokerStars, Processing.com, Kindred, iGaming Platform, NetRefer, MyAffiliates, Twin, Casino Cruise, White Hat Gaming, Ikibu, Authentic Gaming, Blexr, Booming Games, Gambling Affiliation, Af2Af and many more first-time exhibitors.

SiGMA is not just a one-off event. We kept in close contact with all stakeholders with a series of lavish dinners called iGatherings. We also launched Affiliate Grand Slam in Tallinn, then Bucharest, flying 200 affiliates to each destination on an all-inclusive treat. Our publications grew bigger, while 1,000 top-level delegates benefitted from our VIP Programme. We purchased a thousand flight tickets to treat these executives and show them, not only SiGMA, but also the entire local ecosystem. The likelihood is that a few end up opening an office or even relocating their entire business to Malta.

“It was my first visit to Malta. I came for SiGMA in 2014. There I met so many relevant people that I soon realised we had to move the entire operation to Malta. Today we are on the path to enrol our 100th employee in Malta.”

Yoav Dotan, founder, Genesis

Eman Pulis is founder and CEO of SiGMA, the Summit of iGaming in Malta. Held from November 22-25 at the MFCC, Ta’ Qali, the show has become a world-renowned, must-attend calendar event.

www.maltaigamingsummit.com