The new Malta office will enable Soft2Bet to welcome more team members and handle corporate expansion in the best conditions   

Soft2Bet, a leading casino and sportsbook operator and platform provider, announces an important growth milestone – the opening of a new office in The Quad Central business center, Malta’s latest and most modern business complex.

Situated in the heart of the island, Soft2Bet’s new office was opened on 28 March in the presence of the Hon. Silvio Schembri, Malta’s Minister for Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Ivan Filletti, CEO of Gaming Malta and many of Soft2Bet’s long-term partners.

Minister for Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Silvio Schembri said that: It is an honor for us to be here because Soft2Bet shows what we believe in as a country and as a government.  The perseverance of a company starting from a small office in Sliema, just a few years ago employing less than 50 people, and in just a few years within the land of opportunity, they became one of the most important gaming companies in Malta, acquiring 2 floors and another 2 floors in this iconic building in Malta, employing more than 130 people from different nationalities.  Malta is not just an island, is not just a place where you work, it’s a home, home for you and even for us to be able to not only accommodate but to be able to share the experiences with all of you here. Your success is our success.

Also present were many of the company’s senior leaders such as Founder and CEO Uri Poliavich, General Counsel David Yatom Hay, COO Gilad Naim, CMO Oksana Tsyhankova, CFO Max Portelli, CPO Yoel Zuckerberg and CBDO Martin Collins.

Soft2Bet’s new Malta office is a two-level space that can accommodate more than 130 employees and is designed to provide them with maximum comfort while working as part of a new, “state-of-the-art”, professional, retail and commercial office space.

Creating a comfortable, safe and stylish work environment for employees is part of Soft2Bet’s DNA: there is a large networking space, a lounge area including two balconies with panoramic views of the Maltese countryside, private meeting rooms and modern working equipment.

Max Portelli, CFO of Soft2Bet, added: “The new office will provide even more opportunities to serve the company’s partners in Malta and attract top talent. We are delighted to be contributing to the local economy and the iGaming industry by creating excellent employment opportunities for executives interested in developing strong careers and enloying the best professional progression paths available in Malta.”

Soft2Bet supports a series of corporate events, social responsibility initiatives and provides employees’ families medical insurance with extended coverage. Soft2Bet believes that only by creating a comfortable environment for its employees and their families can high results be achieved together.

Martin Collins, CBDO of Soft2Bet, said the new space was an important milestone for the company: “The opening of the new office shows the impressive growth and development dynamics of Soft2Bet. We are delighted to share our success with our team members, partners and distinguished guests.”

The official part of the event started with inspiring speeches from Soft2Bet’s Founder and CEO Uri Poliavich, Max Portelli and Martin Collins, followed by the ceremonial cutting of the red ribbon and the start of the celebration. The event featured a lounge area with DJ sets and maximum networking opportunities with Soft2Bet’s key business partners.

About Soft2Bet

Headquartered in Cyprus and with offices in Malta, Soft2Bet is an industry-leading casino and sportsbook operator and platform provider that offers an extensive iGaming product suite for online gambling companies in regulated markets. Its unique proprietary gamification engine enhances player engagement in both the casino and sportsbook sectors. Soft2Bet has developed and launched many iGaming brands and is a holder of more than 10 remote gambling licences.

USA-based studio Sperasoft and UK-based Electric Square studios owned by Keywords
earmarked for Malta expansion.

Keywords Studios an international technical services provider to the global video games industry
employing 11,000 people has now set firm plans to set up operations in Malta. Established in 1998,
and now with over 70 facilities in 24 countries, Keywords Studios is strategically located in Asia,
Australia, the Americas, and Europe.

The first earmarked studios will be USA-based Sperasoft followed by the UK-based Electric
Square.

Bertrand Bodson, CEO of Keywords Studios commented: “We have been impressed with the
government of Malta’s investment in the video gaming sector over the last four years and
customer-centric approach spearheaded by the GamingMalta Foundation. We feel the island is a
natural fit for our strategic vision and welcoming home to our talented game development
teams. We are looking forward to continuing support in building a sustainable video game
ecosystem for the island.”

Minister Silvio Schembri – Minister of the Economy, European Funds and Lands for the
Government of Malta, welcomed this news: “Our vision to position Malta as Home of Gaming
Excellence across the multiple gaming verticals is bearing fruit. Our investment in education, a
start-up incubator space, and an international drive to promote the Malta jurisdiction as a video
game and esports hub spearheaded by the GamingMalta Foundation is resulting in blue-chip
organisations such as Keywords not only taking notice but also making firm plans in Malta’.
Ivan Filletti, CEO of the GamingMalta Foundation added “We have been steadfast and committed
to our strategic vision launched in 2019 in growing the video games and esports sector by also
launching educational initiatives and ecosystem support. Today we have a continued strong
pipeline of both local and international companies using Malta as a stage for their global
ambitions.

PRESS RELEASE THE BY GAMING MALTA FOUNDATION

The GamingMalta Foundation Announces Partnership With Unity

The GamingMalta Foundation announces its partnership with Unity (NYSE:U) the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content, to launch a Centre of Excellence as part of the government of Malta’s strategy spearheaded by the GamingMalta Foundation to accelerate growth in video gaming, digital media, and immersive technology sectors.

As part of the partnership, Unity training and certification programs will be offered to both educators and students who attend the Centre of Excellence. This program will allow those coming to the Centre of Excellence to become Unity Certified, which will help up to 400 students stand out from the crowd, demonstrating to employers that they have the technical skills and applied knowledge they need.  It will also allow for learners to become Unity Certified Instructors within Malta College for Arts and Technology (MCAST) and the University of Malta.

Silvio Schembri – Minister for Economy and Industry, Malta said: ‘This partnership with Unity is part of our strategy following the launch of the basecamp incubator space, which we inaugurated last year, to tangibly ensure the growth of the video game development and immersive technology sectors, which tend to offer high-quality careers. We need to remain ahead of the loop since immersive technology such as AR and VR is developing and diversifying at breakneck speed, transforming all sectors of the economy, including gaming, entertainment, health, education, retail, manufacturing, and more. Working with one of the largest and most innovative real-time 3D platforms in the gaming industry will ensure that we are creating the right landscape of accelerating our home-grown talent and feeding the ecosystem with the required talent pipeline’.

Unity is providing a mixture of classroom, practical, and hands-on learning content, allowing students to come together and learn, innovate, create and present their ideas to tackle big challenges.

The goal of this Centre of Excellence is to ensure that Malta grows into a talent hub for these sectors and provides the talent pipeline equipped with the right skills needed to accelerate growth in these sectors.

“Unity is excited to partner with GamingMalta to help equip local talent with the learning materials they need to compete in the job market of today and tomorrow,” said Nicole Zingg, Global Head of Channel Partnerships, Unity. “Unity believes the world is a better place with more creators and we see this as an opportunity to directly empower the next generation of creators with the tools they need to succeed. It’s fantastic to be part of a project that is directly creating positive change and greater economic opportunities for learners in Malta.”

Ivan Filletti COO of the GamingMalta Foundation, said: “Growing sectors such as video game development and immersive technologies require a strong dose of talent development and this partnership with Unity will set the stage for increasing our talent pool. Unity is the leader in real-time 3D development so the use of its engine is an essential skill for the growth of the gaming and immersive technology industry. We are already attracting companies in these sectors and we need to continue intensifying our efforts in creating sustainable job opportunities in the local sector and, whilst developing professionals with the skills to embrace these opportunities.”

PRESS RELEASE BY GAMING MALTA FOUNDATION
Mr Alistair Dalli appointed as Chairperson of the Gaming Malta Foundation

Gaming Malta Foundation informs that the Ministry for the Economy and Industry has appointed Mr. Alistair Dalli as the new non-executive Chairperson of the Foundation. Mr. Alistair Dalli brings a wealth of experience to the role with a career spanning fourteen years in ICT. He has been involved in a significant number of large scale local and cross border technology projects, across a number of industries servicing blue chip customers globally with a strong emphasis on maintaining global strategic partnerships. Mr. Dalli held other senior roles in the industry and is a graduate in Management from the University of Malta. He also holds a MSc in Marketing from the University of Leicester.

Gaming Malta is an independent non-profit foundation set up by the Government of Malta and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). It is tasked with the remit of globally promoting Malta as a centre of excellence in the digital and remote gaming sector, it is also responsible for liaising with the local relevant authorities to improve Malta’s attractiveness as a jurisdiction and enhance the ecosystem surrounding the gaming industry.

Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri thanked outgoing chairperson Mr George Debrincat for his service to the sector, and welcomed the appointment of Mr. Alistair Dalli as the new Chairperson of the Gaming Malta Foundation. “The Gaming Malta Foundation is spearheading strategic efforts on three important digital gaming sectors – igaming, video game development and esports cementing Malta’s credentials as Home of Gaming Excellence. I am optimistic that Gaming Malta will continue to be pivotal in improving our jurisdiction’s competitiveness, attract more niches in the gaming sector and ensure that the ecosystem will not only continue to grow but thrive. I congratulate Mr. Dalli on his new role.”, said Mr Schembri.

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