Ivan Filletti connected Malta’s robust ecosystem, talent strategy, Vision 2050 targets, and growing role in esports and video games to the country’s long-term gaming strategy.
Across Malta, gaming contributes more than €1.5Bn in sector GVA and accounts for around 6% of national GDP. The island is home to more than 300 MGA-licensed companies, while the sector supports over 12,000 direct and indirect jobs. These are numbers that tell an important story but, for GamingMalta CEO Ivan Filletti, they also spell out the next phase. What’s next for Malta after building one of Europe’s most established gaming jurisdictions? Fuelling the ‘MAKE IT MALTA’ messaging Ivan discussed this topic in detail during his keynote at this year’s edition of Next.io summit in Valletta, where he was joined on stage by Dr. Edric Zahra, CEO of Identità; Dr. Jonathan Spiteri, representing Malta Vision 2050; and Magdalena Podhorska Okolow, VP New Markets and Sales at Light & Wonder.
“Malta has spent more than two decades building its position in gaming,” Ivan started off. “The numbers show the scale of that work, but they also show why we cannot stand still. A jurisdiction has to keep improving once it has built credibility. And this is why I choose to use the word ‘relentless’ to describe the work we do.”
This concept of “relentlessness” sits at the centre of Malta’s current gaming story. There’s no question that the island’s success is the result of sustained work and a collaborative effort across various stakeholders, from regulators to policymakers, operators, service providers and infrastructure partners all the way to the wider ecosystem.
“This achievement is considerable, but it also brings with it a high level of responsibility. And right at the centre of that responsibility we find ecosystem, credibility. This remains one of Malta’s strongest advantages and is one of the main reasons why operators and suppliers continue to use the island as a base for international growth,” he said, adding that, in 2026, operators need more than access to a licence.
“They need a continuous enegergised ecosystem clear north star and a jurisdiction that is recognised internationally. Additionally, Malta’s regulatory environment gives companies that trust.”
This environment is part of the jurisdiction’s business value, offering serious operators clarity and consistency, and in turn securing Malta’s ability to remain competitive.
“The more we strengthen these values, the stronger the jurisdiction. The VAT and gaming tax framework is a good example of how Malta keeps strengthening the ecosystem. Trapped input VAT was creating a real cost for operators. The updated framework gives eligible operators cleaner VAT recovery and stronger after-tax margins.”
Talent, he continued, forms the next major pillar. Identità’s Dr. Edric Zahra expanded on this point by addressing talent mobility, work permits, and the foreign worker trends that continue to shape Malta’s gaming workforce.
“Talent remains one of the most important parts of Malta’s competitiveness, and the movement of skilled people into the country needs systems that are efficient, credible, and responsive to the needs of a fast moving sector,” Dr. Zahra noted.
Ivan also pointed to the Highly Qualified Persons framework — which offers a 15% flat personal income tax rate to eligible professionals — as part of Malta’s effort to attract senior and specialist professionals into the gaming sector. The framework supports specific areas of industry need, such as senior leadership, technical specialists, compliance and product roles, and executive management. Work permit applications and foreign worker population trends also form part of the wider picture, with international talent remaining central to Malta’s gaming ecosystem.
“This all aligns with the direction set out by Malta Vision 2050. The target is for the sector to reach between €2.3Bn and €2.8Bn in GVA by 2035, with growth of 5% to 6% CAGR. That growth has to be supported by transparency, player protection, fair competition, and talent development. The aim is to strengthen Malta’s leadership in a sustainable way,” he says.
Malta Vision 2050’s Dr. Jonathan Spiteri expanded on this national context by placing gaming within Malta Vision 2050’s wider sustainable economic growth agenda.
“Gaming forms part of Malta’s long-term economic direction, and the target is clear. Growth has to be supported by strong regulation, responsible practices, and the talent base needed to keep the sector competitive.”
The next phase also goes beyond iGaming alone. Video game development, esports, content creation, streaming, casino, and iGaming all form part of the wider opportunity.
“This is another part of the implementation of Malta Vision 2050. The direction is towards interactive entertainment, with innovation, talent, and global partnerships forming part of the growth path. That wider opportunity is particularly visible in esports, and recent numbers from local BLAST tournaments support this,” Filletti said. The events attracted 126M live views, with 48.5M hours watched, and 1.9M peak viewers, pointing towards impressive global audiences.
GamingMalta’s work in this regard has not gone unnoticed with the foundation being shortlisted for Industry Development of the Year 2025 and 2026, alongside major global names like Riot Games, Savvy Games Group, EVO Acquisition, and EA Acquisition Consortium.
There’s another pillar that occupies equal importance within GamingMalta’s efforts for the sector, and that’s responsible growth. The R.E.S.P.E.C.T campaign sits within a wider message around player protection, healthier gaming ecosystems, and long-term credibility, connecting back to Vision 2050, where competitiveness and responsibility need to move together.
“Recently we’ve seen a number of global organisations establishing a presence in Malta or expanding their existing footprint. Light & Wonder is one recent example, having expanded its office space and actively filled new roles locally,” Ivan noted, adding that the opportunity to keep building the ecosystem around innovation, talent, and global partnerships has never been stronger.
Light & Wonder’s Magdalena Podhorska Okolow added the first-hand perspective, explaining how that ecosystem works in practice for a global gaming company.
“Malta gives companies the ability to build real operations, not just establish a presence. For Light & Wonder, this means running teams from Malta, hosting core platform infrastructure here, and using the island as a base for commercial activity and international growth. The ecosystem gives companies access to talent, infrastructure, and the business environment needed to scale. That is why Malta continues to matter for companies that are building across global markets.”
“Malta has already shown that companies can build from here and scale from here. Our message is simple: build something that lasts, make it in Malta. The next phase for the sector depends on keeping the same discipline that created our advantage in the first place. And our work to ensure this is maintained is relentless,” he concluded.
For the full keynote click here.
GamingMalta is a participating entity at various Next.io Summits.
