As “the mother of all conferences” came to a close on Thursday, SiGMA World Founder Eman Pulis highlighted that “against all odds, Malta proved once again that it is still a very welcoming home for gaming industry.”

Commenting over this week’s SiGMA Event, Mr Pulis shared that 27,000 delegates, 1,000 sponsors and exhibitors came together and not only celebrated 10 years of SiGMA but also the roadmap of the 10 years ahead. For this year’s edition, Malta powered through another week of intense traffic, grinding central areas to a standstill.

Earlier this week, the organisers announced that the 2025 edition of SiGMA Europe will take place at the Fiera Milan, the fourth-largest expo centre in the world. In terms of connectivity, Milan offers various benefits including three airports and “a highly efficient public transportation system, with five metro lines and an extensive network of buses and trams.”

Nevertheless, SiGMA will maintain its presence in Malta by hosting the newly rebranded SiGMA Euro-Med.

Formerly known as SiGMA East Europe, the event has been moved to Malta to replace SiGMA Europe (which took place this week).

As of next year, instead of the November rush, SiGMA Euro-Med will be held earlier, running from 1st to 4th September. It will still be held at the Malta Maritime Hub (MMH).

Discussing these changes, Mr Pulis noted that relocating SiGMA East Europe to Malta and rebranding it as SiGMA Euro-med ensures that the event can continue growing outdoors and avoid winter traffic due to school breaks.

Mr Pulis said that the decision to move to September was driven by customer feedback for flight availability, connectivity, and logistics. Additionally, September’s weather will make it easier to have external showcases alongside traditional internal ones to create “a festival vibe” along with additional space.  

The shift to September is also expected to ease traffic pressures, as the academic year for schools normally commences towards the end of the month.

“The increased flight connectivity in September will also help attract more delegates from far outside Europe,” he added.

Looking ahead, Mr Pulis stated that barely a day after the event and it is already selling “incredibly well” for both the Malta event in September and the Milan event in November. “I have no doubt both will sell out,” he said.

“Pulling this off in Malta was no easy task, and it was only possible thanks to a team of rockstars that worked around the clock and burned the midnight oil to make sure that everything worked seamlessly, that nothing was left to chance,” he continued.

He observed that the team had learned from previous years; the outdoor festival setup, “the smooth registration process,” and the additional covered space increased the total floor area from 30,000 to 45,000 sqm.

Wrapping up his thoughts, Mr Pulis highlighted that the past 10 years were full of hope because more governments are embracing regulation, and more tech luminaries are working closely with iGaming entrepreneurs. “From stigma to SiGMA!” he said.

In addition, he noted that delegates who traditionally frowned upon gambling conferences felt comfortable discussing emerging tech including blockchain, AI, quantum computing, fin-tech, and beyond.

Moving forward, he committed to investing heavily in concierge services “to pamper all exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and delegates”, in addition to connecting them with more buyers.