29 October, 2024

Preview: SiGMA Malta 2024

A place in the winter sun: SiGMA returns to the home of iGaming for the final major gaming summit of 2024

The year’s final quarter has snuck around again. However, before we turn the lights out on 2024, the final SiGMA show of the annual calendar heads to Malta. Affectionately known as the Land of Honey, Malta has – of course – proved to be exactly that for the online gaming industry over the last 25 years. Now, as it is every year, the SiGMA Europe Summit in Malta will be held in the nation’s eternally sun-bathed capital of Valletta at the Mediterranean Maritime Hub (MMH) facility.

Boasting an extensive space of 165,000 square metres – the MMH will, once again, play host to some 27,000 delegates from all four corners of the global gaming industry. Indeed, the event has certainly grown since its first iteration back in 2014, which saw an influx of around 1,000 attendees. Now, the summit’s 10th anniversary yields an entirely different scale and continues to grow year-on-year, with SiGMA reporting record demand for this year’s show.

Attendees will have access to two official SiGMA Malta parties, two cultural activities, five networking sports side-events and five official ‘chill out lounges.’ An expected 1,000+ sponsors and exhibitors will contribute towards the display, paired with a total of 550 speakers uncovering a range of the hottest topics across key areas of the industry. A total of 13,000 operators and affiliates are also expected to flood the island for the conference. Finally, luxury maritime enthusiasts will be fascinated to learn that, this year, SiGMA Malta includes four official mega yachts that have been turned into booths for delegates to explore.

Prior to the event, SiGMA will be running its affiliate retreat for 50 top affiliates and six operators in Marrakesh, with pre-registration and warm-up conferences being held on 11 November before the commencing of the first day of the event. 

Every year, the SiGMA Malta Summit seeks to reflect on the evolutionary efforts made by industry members all over the world; as well as the future outlook for the year(s) ahead. Subjects such as technology, responsible gaming, new global markets, licensing, regulation and more are all on the agenda as the event kicks off its first day on 12 November 2024.

The morning of day 1 on the SiGMA stage in Malta is entirely centred around talks regarding regulation and compliance. Panels on the Maltese and wider EU landscape will be followed by panels discussing regulation and compliance in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Conversation in the afternoon begins with talks surrounding tech innovation – which has come a staggering distance thanks to the continuous rise in AI this year, changing approaches form payments to personalisation industry-wide. Soft2Bet CEO Uri Poliavich is set to be the keynote speaker. 

Over on the AIBC Stage, the day kicks off with talks on crypto & digital asset trends. The evolution of crypto narratives through 2025/26 will start the conversation, with crypto legislation in the EU also on the agenda. Conversations around blockchain and the digital economy will be followed by talks from celebrity female entrepreneurs in gaming. Closing out the day on this side of the summit will be talks on sport tech and web3 gaming innovation.

Looking back at the first ever SiGMA Malta summit 10 years ago, 2014 saw Malta’s iGaming revenues climb, as the online gaming industry was beginning to truly flourish. The landscape was on the edge of a precipice – and the transformation it would take, both globally and within the cosy confines of Maltese borders, would be enormous. Indeed, online gambling in Malta has changed the very DNA of the archipelago, bringing jobs to communities and attracting foreign investment. However, the country has had to deal with a range of challenges, many of which have revolved around AML, that have stemmed from both land-based gambling and iGaming, too. 

Nevertheless, Malta remains something of an end-of-the-rainbow-like promised land for online gaming and in 2024 the industry now accommodates for around 12% of the country’s overall GDP. 

Moving on, then, to day 2 – which begins on the SiGMA stage with talks on everything casino – from land-based to online, and crypto to next-gen. This panel section concludes with a talk on blending online and offline gaming experiences, featuring Jade Group CEO Joe Pisano, Quantum Gaming CEO Oliver De Bono, Ulrik Bengtsson and more. 

This will be followed by discussions surrounding social dynamics and player engagement. The link between API governance and customer trust, as well as leveraging loyalty programmes and the impact of social media will all be explored during this panel section. 

During day 2, there will be a 20-minute segment on the main stage entitled, ‘Clash of Alliances: The Affiliate-Operator Showdown,’ a live quiz show in which selected affiliate and operator participants compete in two teams. Then, the rest of the afternoon on the SiGMA stage will revolve around influencer and affiliate market talks. Over on the AIBC stage, day 2 is dominated by talks, debates, panels and workshops all designated to the exploration of AI technologies and their applications within the gaming industry. 

Day 2 concludes with a jam-packed evening of post-panel options, including networking drinks, product, compliance and affiliate-operator iGatherings, followed by the Centurion MMA fight – and finally the 10 years of SiGMA party. The anniversary party will be held at the Sky Club near the Dragonara Casino and will run until 4am.

SiGMA Malta’s final day commences with panels on esports and sportsbooks on the SiGMA stage, with the keynote speaker – Co-Founder & COO of Altenar, Dinos Stranomitis – discussing the rise of microbetting. Previous speaker, Joe Pisano, will also host a panel exploring esports and sportsbook trends and predictions for 2025. A commitment to ESG & CSR panel with respect to navigating stakeholder expectations will be run around midday, followed by talks on payments and finally a future of iGaming section – featuring a women in gaming panel. 

The summit will conclude over on the AIBC stage, with the start-up pitch competition offering young, budding entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their new startup organisations and connect with investors, alongside VCs.

Hosted in November of every year, SiGMA Europe in Malta signifies the annual turn into the final straight, the Q4 conclusion that comes before the industry begins to shake itself up again for another busy year. However, it also provides us the opportunity to reflect on the busy year that now lies behind, and the progressive initiatives, mergers, takeovers, technological advancements and regulatory changes that have changed the global landscape. 2025 looms large with a few certainties ahead, the imminent regulation of the Brazilian market, despite being discussed to near exhaustion, remains one of the most exciting developments on the horizon. However, as is so often with the gaming industry, nobody can quite predict what waits around the corner. So what will we learn at SiGMA this year?