SiGMA South Asia marks Malta’s Republic Day with call for deeper ties and regulated gaming

A Malta Day reception held on the sidelines of SiGMA South Asia 2025 brought together diplomats, government officials and industry representatives in Colombo this week, highlighting both the upcoming Republic Day of Malta and the growing engagement between the two countries through the gaming and technology sectors.

The gathering took place at Cinnamon Life’s City of Dreams resort, where the SiGMA expo is being hosted. Guests began with a walkthrough of the exhibition hall before moving to The Studio, a venue overlooking the main floor. SiGMA Founder Eman Pulis, CEO Emily Micallef and CFO Clive Terribile led the tour and welcomed a delegation of about 60 invitees from diplomatic missions and state institutions.The reception opened with the national anthems of Sri Lanka and Malta, followed by remarks from Maltese High Commissioner H.E. Reuben Gauci. He pointed to business-led cooperation as a driver of international partnerships and described SiGMA’s presence in Colombo as an example of how industry can support the development of regulated markets.

“It is my firm belief that the best relations between countries are built by business and investment and here we are, with a Maltese company – SiGMA – which is one of our national treasures, leaving a strong footprint here in Colombo by providing a platform for the expansion of the iGaming industry in order to make it a regulated activity, free from abuse and fraud and making available to clients in a clean, transparent and accountable manner,” he said.

Gauci noted: “Thanks to companies like SiGMA, iGaming has become a pillar of the Maltese economy, which today makes up 13.6% of our GDP. I sincerely augur that through investment like SiGMA, this will also happen here in Sri Lanka,” concluding, “What is business but to make peoples lives better.”

Delivering remarks on behalf of Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Pramuditha Manusinghe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the shared values that underpin Sri Lanka–Malta relations and the potential for  cooperation.

Manusinghe noted: “Sri Lanka looks forward to continuing our mutual collaboration on global issues from sustainable development and environmental prediction to welcome security and wellbeing as islands collected by oceans. Our future are shared not only by geography, but by shared responsibility.”

Pulis closed the event by reiterating SiGMA’s long-standing advocacy for regulated gaming. He said the company has worked across multiple jurisdictions over 11 years to encourage governments to adopt frameworks that protect players and support industry growth.

“Slowly, governments worldwide are realizing that the only way forward is regulation. Failing to regulate simply means that citizens have no option but to play on unregulated websites,” he said, pointing to Malta’s experience where “13% of the country’s GDP is thanks to the iGaming industry.”

He noted that countries including Malta, Brazil, the UAE and Singapore have found ways to regulate gaming, adding that others can do the same. Pulis also referenced the SiGMA Foundation’s community projects across several regions and reflected on how he now measures success. “If we, through the Foundation, can help lift a million people above the poverty line – if we can positively impact a million lives – then I believe we will have truly become millionaires,” he said.