iGaming Council to be set up as link between sector and government

An iGaming Council will be set up under the auspices of Gaming Malta which will include key industry operators and will serve as a forum to encourage direct communication with government partners, with the aim of building a closer relationship between the government and the sector, Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri announced yesterday.

Schembri inaugurated the new offices of Gaming Malta which are part of a building that houses a number of government entities in Żejtun.

“This event not only signifies the inauguration of new offices but also clearly highlights the way we are intensifying our efforts to elevate the ecosystem of our country in the gaming sector, along with our commitment to continue to grow simultaneously as this industry continues to develop. Therefore, these new offices are a symbol of our ongoing ambition towards the strengthening of this industry and this commitment will continue to intensify through Gaming Malta, ultimately ensuring that this sector continues to grow,” Schembri said.

He also announced that in this context an iGaming Council will be set up, which will operate under the auspices of Gaming Malta.

“This will include key industry operators who will serve as a forum to encourage direct communication with government partners, with the aim of building a closer relationship between the government and the sector,” he said.

Schembri referred to a report made by the recruitment company Boston Link which showed that jobs in the iGaming sector in Malta are increasing, as clearly shown by the first quarter of 2021, with the number of jobs created remaining steadily on an upward trend, reaching a pre-pandemic level.

Moreover, the survey refers to Malta’s iGaming job market as resilient, with statistics finding a considerable increase of 6% year on year, a continued demand for skill sets and a greater focus on compliance and the regulatory aspect.

“As a government we will remain committed to introducing more initiatives that will further strengthen the video gaming sector and the ecosystem for esports start-ups. This is so widely recognised that in the next two months Malta will be hosting two important events; iGaming Next in October and Sigma in November, both of which will welcome major operators in this sector”, concluded the minister.