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A daily podcast delving into the biggest stories of the day throughout the sports betting and igaming sector.
Charlie Horner (00:01.088)
Malta has firmly established itself as one of iGaming's biggest hubs across the last two decades. Home to some of the biggest operators and suppliers in the industry, the island attracts plenty of talent and investors despite being such a small nation. And Gaming Malta has been one of the driving forces behind the growth of Malta as a home of gaming excellence. And today on iGaming Daily, supported by Optimove, the creator of positionless marketing and the number one player engagement solution,
For sports betting and iGaming operators, we are joined by the organization's CEO, Ivan Filetti, to discuss why Malta continues to be one of the industry's biggest hubs and how it can evolve to fend off new competition. Ivan, thank you ever so much for joining me. How are you?
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (00:46.606)
It's a pleasure being here. It's always nice speaking to you guys. I'm talking about Malta also, why not?
Charlie Horner (00:52.408)
Yeah, brilliant. Well, I'm sure, yeah, you'd love to talk all about Malta and, you know, talking of Malta, you will be opening up SBC Summit Malta next week with a session at 10.30 on Wednesday the 29th of April in conference room one. That session's gonna be called Malta, the global powerhouse of gaming. Perhaps we could start off by giving our listeners an idea of what that session is all about and maybe a little bit of a sneak peek.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (01:22.188)
Yeah, really, it's it's we pride ourselves, Charlie, on being the Silicon Valley for iGaming. Right. And this is something which we've built over the last number of years. When Mota joined the EU in 2004, we were the first jurisdiction to regulate the gambling industry, essentially, right, European jurisdiction to regulate the gambling industry. And since then, you know, the the strength of the ecosystem, Manchester has gone from strength to strength, I would say.
And our keynote or our presentation during the event will basically hone in on our make it in Malta message that you come here and you set up and you succeed. And we have, you know, an interesting, you know, various interesting case studies around that. Essentially, we've got more than 300 gaming operators on the island that accounts for 7 % of the gross value added.
of the country, essentially. it's right, it's right, you know, it's an economic pillar for the jurisdiction. And make it in more than the presentation will be more on how we have brought all this together and how we're also taking it to the future, essentially, linking up very much on the government's vision 2050, which has been recently launched also.
And through that, what we'll be doing is we'll be showing case studies and real life situations, why make it important and the government's vision 2050 are aligned in a such in consolidating what we have already and how we want to continue evolving this. we'll talk about many.
initiatives which we do, which essentially, and probably we'll touch upon later in the podcast also, of how we coordinate with other government entities, essentially. Because this isn't just a gaming mall ambition, right? So it's a jurisdiction ambition. And it's a sector which enjoys cross-political support on the political parties, also in taking this forward.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (03:41.622)
So yes, so it will be very much make it a mortar celebrating that and how we're actively doing this within also the government vision 2050.
Charlie Horner (03:50.873)
Well, it sounds like a jam packed session. So I'm sure our audience will be very excited to come and attend that session. You mentioned there that Malta is sort of the Silicon Valley of iGaming and iGaming is an economic pillar of the Maltese economy, essentially. But that sounds like it's a lot of work to make happen, right? So what makes Malta such an ideal hub, not just for iGaming, but
there are other forms of technology companies who reside there as well. So just give us a sense of how the island has positioned itself in that way.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (04:29.816)
Look, predominantly, the fact that we're small helps because it makes us very nimble and helping us to adjust, right? We've had experiences in building up the financial services sector, you know, and host of other sectors also. So I would say the approach is relentless, Charlie. And I think this is also part I'll be touching up also during the presentation.
We can't be happy with what we have the minute we're comfortable that that's when you know the problems start to arise. We have we always have to be ahead of the curve in consolidating what we have and being ahead of the curve. And I think that's what makes us also at you know a different jurisdiction. But also how we've built that is by constantly working for the ecosystem. So when we talk about the ecosystem we shouldn't underestimate that.
So we're constantly in touch with the ecosystem. We support the ecosystem. We communicate with the ecosystem from all different parts of it being B2B, B2C, the affiliate sectors, et cetera. So there's one constant and one movement around that. And the approach is pretty much relentless, which I would like to say. It's never-ending.
I know it sounds as a cliche, but the only constant in life is change. And we have to continue, you know, in adapting to that and adapting to, you know, to all the various scenarios. So really, there isn't a silver bullet. It's the sum of all the parts in reaching that and making sure that we continue to evolve. For example, we work very much with our residency agency, you know, Identita.
which basically we help many different companies in looking through their migration policies and how we can be more efficient in helping them also to recruit international talent and bringing them over to the island. We work very strongly with the banking sector. A case example is Bank of Valletta, know, most of largest bank.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (06:55.374)
in essentially helping gaming companies looking at financing and the respective banking needs. education is a key part of that. So we've got the University of Malta, we've got MCAS, our vocational college, which has specific educational programs on the iGaming sector, which you won't find in other...
in other jurisdictions. We've got student placement programs whereby students can work as intern within the iGaming companies, subsidized by Gaming Malta, essentially. So this is what I mean when I say it's a sum of all the parts and it won't be one silver bullet, but it's all different entities and different, I would say, different mechanics working all together.
you know, in, you know, continue to revving up the engine essentially.
Charlie Horner (07:57.069)
Yeah, absolutely. And it is a huge ecosystem and all those different parts have to work to make this all come together and be a success. And you mentioned that the education side of things for local and domestic talent, but the island has also cemented a position as a place where people relocate for their careers, where leaders move to, where companies open offices and HQs. Just give us a sense of how...
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (08:01.678)
We're out of here.
Charlie Horner (08:25.814)
the island, Helmhalter, managed to carve out that niche for itself over the last couple of decades.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (08:32.728)
Look, would say, know, top of mind, the mission which comes to mind is the lifestyle here. You know, it's the sun, the sea, and, you know, the friendly environment around the island, although water has seen, you know, changes in the way we've also evolved as an island, essentially. We're very cosmopolitan, you know, multinational, I would say, on the ground.
So English is also spoken very freely, educational colleges are at top-notch level, I would say, both private schools and government schools also. So it makes it a welcoming environment, I would say, on the island. And that's something that we should continue working on and not lose that, essentially.
Charlie Horner (09:29.356)
Yeah, and earlier in the conversation we said that, you know, it's an ecosystem and lots of different organizations have to come together to make this work. I'm sure gaming Malta has a...
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (09:38.222)
Yes, mean, if I have to say, we work very closely with the iGaming European Network, headed by Enrico, brother, mentor. So, you know, we nearly give, you know, monthly briefings to them, what you're doing. I, myself, I chair the iGaming Council on behalf of government. So around the table, I've got six, you know, seven percent of Mota's GVA, essentially.
Charlie Horner (09:45.08)
Mm-hmm.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (10:03.886)
There's, you know, which is also attended by the Minister of the Economy, where he also briefs the key leadership within these iGaming organizations of what's going on, even from a macro perspective on the economy. You know, it's not just about iGaming, but you know, where the country is heading, where ambitions are, and maybe also where challenges lie. Why not? Why not? We're not a perfect jurisdiction. Nobody can be perfect, but you know, there is the...
There is the energy and there is the motivation to make sure that we continue to improve and listen to the ecosystem's needs. So these elements all make us very unique, right? And you need to continue working on the ecosystem. can never stop, essentially.
Charlie Horner (10:50.328)
Well, Ivan, we'll take a short break and then after that we'll come back and talk about some of those challenges that you might have to evolve with.
Welcome back to iGaming Daily. I'm joined by Ivan Filetti, CEO of Gaming Malta. Before the break, Ivan, we were talking about some of the opportunities and the good work that Malta has done over the last couple of decades to really cement itself as a hub of global iGaming. Now, I'm sure there's lots of other jurisdictions around Europe and around the world that want to replicate some of that success and be the next Malta. So...
I'm sure that spurs you on to keep Malta in the position that it is. How can you continue to reinvent the island and innovate to ensure that it is a global iGaming hub for years to come?
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (11:44.76)
So primarily it's as well as I mentioned before is the government's vision 2050 also, whereby iGaming is entrenched, it's embedded within that vision. Okay, so the KPI is to continue consolidating the industry, what we have, and also to grow that. essentially there's an old star, everybody knows where we're right? And everybody is on that bandwagon.
to reach that. I like to call that the power of one of different entities working together and different organizations on the private sector and the sector itself working together to make that happen. What will keep us ahead is remaining humble, remaining working hard essentially for the ecosystem, but also looking at new markets. So back in 2019,
We launched the strategy and the vision on looking at the broader church of gaming. So today we're in video game development. So where I'm sitting today as gaming mortar, we actually run a 750 square meter incubator space for video game development studios and e-sports. We also are working very hard on immersive tech. And within actually our base camp, we have studios from different nationalities.
you know, from different countries, be it Israel, be it Germany, be it the UK, you know, being the US and Malta itself also, where you've got this community of startups and community of innovators, you know, working within these sectors. Esports. Esports has been low-hanging fruit for us. We've started off on the Esports world back in 2000.
and 19, 2020 just prior to COVID essentially. And we had our first multi-year agreement with ESL, the ESL FACIL group essentially, where we've launched the pro league seasons on the island, which effectively it launched us to the world that we're open for business here. Today, we have one of the major tournament organizations, BLAST, being based on the island. They've got
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (14:05.358)
a top-notch state-of-the-art, 1,000 square meter broadcasting studio transmitting Tier 1 esports tournaments from the island, essentially. And that shouldn't be underestimated, Charlie. I the numbers that we get there are quite big. You know, get 60 million online viewers, you know, 800,000 viewers concurrent, so at any one time, essentially.
You know, so that's bringing us also, you know, showing the world, hey, from a little island of this, let us be, you know, the stage for your global ambitions, I would say. We've got esports players now living on the island. We've got esports teams relocating, you know, we've got four of you from Brazil. And, you know, there's more that we're going to be announced also, you know, in the next couple of weeks, essentially. you know, we're doing all this.
And it's non-stop. The next stop is, as probably you've read in the news also, we're looking at the predictive markets. And where the MGA already has a framework, the Motor Gaming Authority, has already has a framework for that sector. But the predictive market is an opportunity for us. And we already have the knowledge of the gambling sector, so why not? And we have the knowledge also of the finance sector. So why not?
Charlie Horner (15:27.512)
Mm.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (15:29.432)
Bring that together, essentially.
Charlie Horner (15:31.129)
Could you just take us into the strategy or the conversations that you have about developing new strategies for gaming, such as prediction markets or such as e-sports, which we know is becoming a big betting opportunity for operators as well? What does that look like when you're trying to execute new products and verticals like that?
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (15:59.308)
Look, it's never easy, right? Especially when we're punching a bit above our weight also, as an island. But let me just give you an example on e-sports. e-sports was or rather low-hanging fruit for us. Why? Because a lot of young people come to Malta already to study, to learn English, etc. So why don't they come here and...
play eSports also and watch eSports tournaments. Then you've got our historical sites, which for eSports is important. Why? Because players build content, teams build that content. So there's a lot of story around that. And that's what we want to continue building on. And then it's forming the talent and nurturing the talent. And that, think, is one of the major challenges which a small...
country like our small nation like that will continue to have essentially. So we always need to somehow import and you know import talent. What's interesting what we're doing with BLAST, we're actually doing shadowing programs where you know local talent who are interested in joining the eSports industry could actually shadow, have shadowing opportunities on key.
production areas within the BLAST tournaments, for example. And also growing our grassroots. Charlie, for Esports, that's very important. know, we're the grassroots and how are we going to help the local teams in arriving there? And we work on that very much so, be it on funding, being on mentoring, being on networking and bringing all that together, essentially.
But one idea which we have, which we're working on, is called AIM, for example, Charlie, Academy of Interactive Media, where we get guru-led master classes, essentially by gurus within the industry to teach in a 50 to 20 room classroom or whatever where you're nearly getting personalized attention, but it will help you to upskill in all of that. So we need to be mindful.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (18:20.266)
about all of that. Really, it's non-stop. It's non-stop.
Charlie Horner (18:25.4)
It certainly sounds like it's non-stop. Look, Malta has been in the news recently and there's been updates as soon as last week about an ongoing EU court case with regards to jurisdictions like Germany and Austria. And it all, you know, it's circled around Bill 55 in Malta. Obviously, you might not be able to comment too much, but...
Can you comment at all on those developments and could you talk a little bit about the risks and the threats that these issues have impacted on Malta?
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (19:03.5)
Charlie, mean, we brief through the MGA, the Motor Gaming Authority, is a regulator with a quality benchmark and a quality kitemark, essentially within the industry. And the industry is continuously briefed by them. I think the examples, and I won't go on to the regulatory aspect. I leave that for my colleagues at the MGA, essentially, to handle that. But.
What it shows is that Malt as a jurisdiction sticks its neck out for the industry. And that shouldn't be underestimated. Sticks its neck out for the industry because not many other jurisdictions do that. Why? Because the industry is, you know, we're in the entertainment industry. And nobody, you know, there's
And there are many researchers who do not appreciate that we are in the entertainment industry. In fact, one initiative we have is called RESPECT. Respect for the industry. So, RESPECT stands for Responsible Gaming Enhanced Entertainment Speed Product Enhanced Diligence Consistency and Talent. Because the industry, we need to showcase the industry that the industry deserves to be respected. You know, today with all the responsible gaming measures, etc.
You know, it's a very tightly controlled industry also. And it's a form of entertainment. Why am I saying this? Because what I'm saying is, it's when a government is supporting, like you mentioned before, Bill 55, et cetera, when government is supporting that, and we're a small nation, sometimes we also get, you know, we get kicked, essentially, because we're doing...
We're doing too much for the industry, but we stand our ground. Essentially, we stand our ground and we'll continue working closely with the industry and together with the regulators spearheading that in finding solutions. But we need to continue ensuring that, and this is where our USP then will continue to come in on the ecosystem front, right? Because it's the ecosystem which will always remain there and that will remain constant essentially. So we need to continue.
Charlie Horner (21:23.724)
Mm-hmm.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (21:25.644)
nurturing that, harnessing that and protecting that and ultimately also growing that.
Charlie Horner (21:31.523)
Well, Ivan, we're coming close to the end of our time together, and I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to chat. But before we leave things, could you just take us inside what the future looks like for gaming, Malta, and the industry? You talk about having that trust and those close relationships with the industry. How are you going to keep those ties quite close and continue to build on that trust that you have?
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (22:00.002)
Look, definitely continue working extremely closely, being available for them, understanding their needs and their requirements and seeing also, you know, not being happy with the status quo, essentially. so making that. We like to say we're not a center, we're not a hub, we're a home. We're a home of gaming excellence. Why are we a home? Because we want people and businesses to feel comfortable.
doing business on the island and living here with the families also and talking to us. And we can't say that there won't be that there are challenges, but I think with the right mindset and the right framework and also with a growth mindset, we'll continue to show that our credentials are there to effectively last.
Charlie Horner (22:56.3)
Fantastic, well, Ivan, thank you ever so much for taking the time to chat with me today. I've really enjoyed it. And to our audience, excellent, thank you. And I'm sure our listeners will be very eager to catch Ivan's opening session at SBC Summit Malta next week. Just a reminder, that is at 10.30. Yeah, fantastic. That's at 10.30 on Wednesday, the 29th of April in conference room one. That's Malta, the global powerhouse of gaming.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (23:01.368)
Enjoy this, John. Thank you.
Ivan Filletti, GamingMalta (23:13.217)
forward to that.
Charlie Horner (23:24.645)
Thanks to Optimove for supporting the show as always and to our audience. for tuning into today's episode of iGaming Daily and come back tomorrow to keep up to date with all the latest global gambling news.