Tag: Malta

SOFTSWISS, a technology company that provides software and solutions for the iGaming industry, joins the highly anticipated event – iGaming NEXT Valletta 2023. The event will take place on 21–22 June in the beautiful city of Valletta, Malta.

SOFTSWISS is excited to return to Malta, where the company made a lasting impression on the iGaming industry and local community last year. During SiGMA Europe 2022, SOFTSWISS left its mark by launching a hot ‘chilli pepper’ promotional campaign, which created buzz among attendees and islanders. 

The activities conducted in Malta last year demonstrated SOFTSWISS’ desire to shine brightly and uniquely in the region, and as a result, the industry leader created ‘Bringing the Heat’ promotional campaign,  which helped build knowledge about the company and increase brand awareness among key stakeholders.

At iGaming NEXT Valletta, Valentina Bagniya, Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS, will be a speaker in an engaging panel discussion. With professionals from tech and other companies, Valentina will discuss different approaches on working with negative perceptions and adapting to the ever-changing landscape of regulatory requirements, as well as providing effective ways to work with negative public sentiment.

The event attendees will have a unique opportunity to learn more about SOFTSWISS and its cutting-edge products and solutions.  Meeting the company’s experts, visitors will explore iGaming’s hot trends, learn more about the company’s innovative solutions and discover the unique service that SOFTSWISS is recognised for.

Max Trafimovich, Chief Commercial Officer at SOFTSWISS, comments: “We are thrilled to join iGaming NEXT Valletta’23! This event is an excellent platform to engage with industry peers and share our extensive expertise. We look forward to contributing to the expert discussions and showcasing our solutions to an incredibly diverse and refined audience.”

SOFTSWISS invites all attendees to book a meeting at booth A4 to explore the company’s range of products, engage with the team, and discover how SOFTSWISS can help drive success in the dynamic and ever-evolving iGaming industry.

About SOFTSWISS 

SOFTSWISS is an international iGaming company supplying certified software solutions for managing gambling operations. The expert team, which counts 1,400 employees, is based in Malta, Poland, Georgia, and Belarus.  SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides one-stop-shop iGaming software solutions. The company has a vast product portfolio, including the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with thousands of casino games, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution.

SBC celebrates the resounding success of its 5th edition of the CasinoBeats Summit, which has shattered all previous records.

Witnessing an exceptional 50% surge in attendee participation, attracting over 3,000 registered delegates, this casino-focused event held from 23rd to 25th May at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta, also doubled the number of sponsors and exhibitors eager to showcase their brands and offerings.

Uniting the industry’s crème de la crème, the event presented a highly engaging conference agenda centred around product and market-focused discussions. The summit featured an exceptional lineup of over 200 distinguished speakers who delved into a wide range of topics, spanning from leadership, affiliation and market regulations to game mechanics and player psychology.

Among the notable speakers were Andrew Rhodes (CEO, UKGC), Silvia Hoppe (Group CMO, Wunderino & Mybet), Alexander Martin (CEO, SKS365), Dainis Niedra (CEO, Enlabs, Entain), Elena Shaterova (CCO, 7777 Gaming), Andrew Rushgrove (Managing Director – Gaming, Sky Betting & Gaming) and many other esteemed individuals.

“What stood out to me was the selection of topics and the variety, as well as the depth to which they were explored. I’ve noticed that other conferences often cover generic ideas, whereas here we delve into deep and specific subjects. We have people who actually work on sites, people who work constantly with regulatory commissions, so that was really a nice addition,” said Mariya Sayapina, Head of Performance at Game Lounge.

In addition, the Summit provided attendees with a dynamic show floor, featuring a diverse ensemble of 50 exhibitors. Notably, game providers were presented with the opportunity to showcase their work at the newly-introduced Game Innovation Stage, unveiling and pitching their latest titles and innovations to event attendees. Furthermore, attendees had the chance to deepen their engagement by visiting the presenting game studios in the dedicated Game Innovation Zone.

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC, “This year’s CasinoBeats Summit has surpassed all expectations, emerging as our largest and most successful edition to date. We embarked on a journey to reinvent the concept, striving to create a more engaging and immersive experience for the casino industry. Introducing game presentations, streamer sessions on the exhibition floor, six dedicated workshops, and roundtable discussions proved to be game-changers.

“Witnessing a bustling exhibition floor and packed conference rooms was truly incredible, as attendees fully embraced the myriad of business and educational opportunities offered by the event.”

This year’s CasinoBeats Summit also offered an extensive array of daytime and evening networking events, maximising opportunities for attendees to optimise their experience. The event lineup featured multiple gatherings and parties including the IMGL Breakfast Meetup, the Women in Gaming Breakfast, the Affiliate Lunchtime Meetup, the pre-registration and networking reception at SKYBeach, InterContinental, the official CasinoBeats Summit Networking Party at The Edge, Radisson and the CasinoBeats Closing Party at Infinity by Hugo’s.

“I found the networking elements to be extremely valuable, and what is truly amazing is that you provide the opportunity for all delegates to attend all the networking parties, which is crucial in this industry. I made numerous contacts and engaged in insightful conversations with many industry leaders. The entire experience was powerful,” said Dorota Gruszka, Marketing Manager at Booming Games.

Additionally, exclusive affairs such as the Affiliate Leaders VIP Dinner and the SBC Leaders & C-level VIP Dinner provided a perfect ambience for like-minded individuals to engage in meaningful conversations in a formal yet relaxed environment.

The Game Developer Awards marked the grand finale of the event, with Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva and returning host Trudy Kerr taking the stage. A total of 23 awards were presented, recognising outstanding achievements in the industry and honouring the best companies, casino titles, and individuals. Notable winners included Relax Gaming, BGaming, Brian Christopher, Barbara Bang and AvatarUX, among many other deserving recipients.

“We are extremely fortunate to have such a high calibre of game developer studios attending our event. This night presented a great opportunity to celebrate their work and contribute to further elevating the profiles of these studios,” Sojmark added.

Following the momentous success, the highly anticipated CasinoBeats Summit is set to make its return on 21 – 23 May 2024, once again taking place at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/Authority) is publishing its Annual Report and audited Financial Statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2022. In addition to outlining the performance of the Maltese gaming business in 2022, the report gives a broad summary of the Authority’s accomplishments during the year under review and offers a medium-term outlook for the future. A thorough report outlining key statistics for the land-based and online gaming industries is then presented.

Supervisory Activities

• 28 compliance audits were conducted and 228 desktop reviews were carried out during 2022, accompanied by additional AML/CFT compliance examinations that are carried out by the FIAU, or by the MGA on its behalf. Following information which emerged from compliance audits, compliance reviews and formal investigations, the Authority issued 10 warnings and cancelled six (6) licences. In addition, the MGA issued a total of 16 administrative penalties as well as three (3) regulatory settlements, with a collective total financial penalty of €179,150.

• A total of 25 licensees were subject to remediation and/or administrative measures by the FIAU, ranging from written reprimands to administrative penalties, based on the breaches identified during examinations carried out in previous years, including by the MGA. In total, these amounted to just over €738,000.

• Six (6) individuals and companies were deemed by the Fit & Proper Committee to not be up to the Authority’s probity standards due to various factors, including due to the risks of money laundering or funding of terrorism.

• Forty-one (41) gaming licence applications were received during 2022. Thirty-one (31) licences were issued, while twenty-one (21) were unsuccessful.

• Over 1,500 criminal probity screening checks were undertaken on individuals, shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners, key persons and other employees, and companies from both the land-based and online gaming sectors.

• The Authority conducted 48 interviews with prospective MLROs and key persons carrying out the AML/CFT function to determine the knowledge and suitability of each candidate.

• The Commercial Communication Committee of the MGA issued a total of nine (9) Letters of Breach following breaches of the Commercial Communications Regulations (S.L. 583.09).

• In its efforts to protect players and encourage responsible gambling, the Authority supported a total of 5,280 players who requested assistance, covering most of the cases received during 2022 and the spill-over from 2021.

• The MGA conducted 85 responsible gaming-themed website checks, through which 38 URLs were found to have misleading information. This led to 17 notices being published on the MGA website, and 30 observation letters that were sent out reflecting responsible gaming issues.

Improvements in Efficiency and Effectiveness

• The Authority commissioned a sectorial skills strategy to address the gaming industry’s challenges with respect to the ongoing demand for qualified and skilled human capital, which increased significantly as the economy grew and diversified into numerous sectors.

• Consultation exercises were conducted with industry stakeholders regarding the bets offered by licensees – with a focus on sports integrity and player protection considerations – on the proposed amendments to the Player Protection Directive (Directive 2 of 2018), and on the proposed policy on the use of Innovative Technology Arrangements (ITAs) and the acceptance of Virtual Financial Assets (VFAs) and Virtual Tokens, which led to amendments and a finalised Policy, respectively.

• The Authority streamlined the approval process of appointing an MLRO in collaboration with the FIAU while, at the same time, ensuring that the industry is kept updated on any changes affecting this process and on any best practices that are intrinsic to the role of the MLRO.

• The concept of Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUPs) Reports was introduced, covering player funds and Gaming Revenue. Audit firms are drawing up these reports in compliance with the ‘International Standard on Related Services (ISRS) 4400 (Revised) Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements’.

• The MGA kickstarted a process for possibly implementing a voluntary Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Code of Good Practice for the industry to showcase and increase the positive social and environmental impacts of the gambling sector.

National and International Cooperation

• Throughout 2022, the Authority issued 43 news items on its website and 26 external communications, providing a synopsis of various updates and developments at the Authority and across the industry.

• A total of 224 alerts were sent to the industry, 167 of which were also sent to the appropriate Sports Governing Bodies.

• A total of 44 requests for information specifically relating to the manipulation of sports competitions or breaches in sports rules were submitted by enforcement agencies, sport governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory bodies. As a result of such requests, data was exchanged in 25 instances. Additionally, a total of 475 suspicious betting reports from licensees and other concerned parties were received.

• During the period under review, the Authority was a direct participant in 15 different investigations across the globe relating to the manipulation of sports competitions or breaches in sports rules, as well as an indirect participant in 3 such investigations.

• The Authority received a total of 83 international cooperation requests from other regulators and sent 97 such requests, with the majority referring to requests for background checks as part of an authorisation process.

• A total of 177 official replies were issued providing feedback on the regulatory good standing of our licensed operators to the relevant authorities asking for this information.

• The MGA works together with other local regulating authorities and governing bodies. This is reflected through responses furnished by the MGA to requests for information made by the Asset Recovery Bureau (ARB), the FIAU, as well as the MPF on the gaming sector. Additionally, the relevant information is provided to the Sanctions Monitoring Board (SMB) to assist in issuing penalties in instances of non-compliance with sanctions screening obligations.

In publishing this report, the CEO, Dr Carl Brincat said: “This report is testament to our collective efforts in promoting a fair and sustainable gaming ecosystem. Through proactive measures and leaner regulation processes, we strive to ensure a level playing field that nurtures innovation while safeguarding against any potential risks.

“As the global gaming landscape evolves, our role becomes even more critical. We embrace this responsibility with utmost determination, working tirelessly to stay ahead of emerging trends, technologies, and challenges.  We remain steadfast in our pursuit of robust frameworks that inspire confidence, protect vulnerable individuals and render Malta the home for gaming operators of good will.”