SiGMA South Asia 2025 gathers 2,500 delegates for debut in Sri Lanka

From 30 November to 2 December, SiGMA South Asia 2025 made its debut in Colombo, bringing around 2,500 executives from the gaming, technology and affiliate marketing sectors to the Cinnamon Life – City of Dreams complex. The gathering was presented as an ambitious first step towards turning the country into a platform of reference for the iGaming ecosystem across South Asia.

The agenda began with a dedicated pre-event day focused on delegate reception and informal networking. Alongside pre-registration, the organisers offered an “Explore Colombo by Jeep” experience to introduce attendees to the local culture and urban landscape. The day closed with the SiGMA South Asia Awards at the Cumulus Ballroom, a gala that combined cultural performances with recognition for companies such as Spribe, PG Soft, Softswiss, 1xBet, BetConstruct and Melbet Affiliates, as well as new inductees into the regional Hall of Game.

That same evening, the SiGMA Foundation led a charity auction to raise funds for communities affected by flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwa, with all proceeds earmarked for emergency relief in the area. The initiative underlined the group’s intention to link its geographic expansion with tangible social-impact projects.

The first full day of conferences and expo was marked by a regulatory milestone: the official launch of Sri Lanka’s Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA). The body began operating that very day with a mandate to centralise oversight of all gambling activities in the country. The opening ceremony included a ribbon-cutting with SiGMA founder Eman Pulis, Malta’s High Commissioner Reuben Gauci and Sri Lankan government officials, who stressed the importance of robust regulatory frameworks to attract international investment.

Once the formalities concluded, the exhibition floor moved into full swing. Institutional delegations and executives from operators and casinos toured the stands, in a layout dominated by providers of technology, payment solutions, affiliate platforms and cybersecurity services. Day-one sessions covered topics ranging from affiliate strategies and the use of artificial intelligence in iGaming to cybercrime prevention and digital security, with a particular focus on markets such as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Activity then shifted to more intimate networking environments. A reception at the Lumina Ballroom extended business discussions beyond expo hours, followed by an iGathering dinner at the Sapphire Dragon restaurant, designed as an exclusive setting for decision-makers and potential strategic partners, with Colombo’s night-time skyline providing the backdrop for high-level conversations.

The second full day of expo and conferences maintained the same pace, with panels examining the role of women in the digital economy, the evolution of regulation in South Asia and opportunities in emerging markets and cross-border collaboration. The programme sought to combine the global vision of established online gambling hubs with the realities of jurisdictions still in the process of consolidating their regulatory frameworks.

One of the day’s distinctive moments was “Malta Day”, a special programme aligned with the upcoming Republic Day in Malta. The segment included a diplomatic reception and speeches by Eman Pulis and High Commissioner Reuben Gauci, focusing on Malta’s trajectory as an international iGaming hub and on the potential for new regulatory and commercial synergies with South Asia. A guided tour led by SiGMA executives rounded off the initiative.

The event closed with an executive cocktail at Pool and Bar 09, followed by the official SiGMA celebration in the same outdoor space. After two intensive days of expo, panels and meetings, delegates used the final hours to reinforce contacts, explore deals and assess the brand’s next steps in Sri Lanka and across the region. According to the organisers, the response from the market and the authorities suggests that this first edition in Colombo opens a window of opportunities that is likely to develop further in future editions.