Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1055420
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 NOVEMBER 2018 GAMING G4 MALTA – considered by many to be the jewel in the Mediterranean. Fa- mous for its 7,000-year history and 300 days of sunshine. Recognised for its pro-business attitude, state-of-the- art infrastructure and the modest cost of doing business. Malta is now the iGaming capital of the world, home to NetRefer and the ideal setting for SiGMA 2018. Malta's attractions are not limited to sunny days on the beach and histori- cal buildings. A highly competitive fis- cal regime attracts and supports both established and start-up gaming com- panies. The highly-skilled workforce is well-educated, multi-lingual and ready to serve any number of the burgeoning gaming support industries, including financial services, management con- sultancies' data centres and telecoms. The Malta Gaming Authority keeps a tight rein over its licensing process, it is efficient and inexpensive, yet still stringent enough to ensure gaming is fair and transparent to players, crime, corruption and money laundering is kept in check, and protection is of- fered to minor and vulnerable players. So, being one of the most advanced and respected online gaming jurisdic- tions in the world, as well as having the most licensed operators, com- bined with rigorous regulation, added to quality control, and the responsive and adaptive nature of the support- ing iGaming ecosystem, Malta has become one of the top locations for companies to base their operations. Raphael Arnold, CEO of NetRefer, a supplier of Performance Market- ing software to the iGaming industry thought so and set up his company in 2005. Since then NetRefer has grown steadily year on year to establish itself as the market leader in its field and has become widely recognised as the pro- vider of the complete and trusted af- filiate marketing software in industries such as iGaming, Forex, and Finance. Malta doesn't stop at simply attract- ing new business and rewarding them with business-friendly tax arrange- ments. This year Malta will play host to one of the biggest iGaming shows of the year. The Malta Fairs and Con- vention Centre has been given a com- plete makeover and, doubled in size to accommodate the record attend- ance of 12,500 for SiGMA (Summit of iGaming Malta) The event has also been extended and will take place over three days, not two. NetRefer will of course be in attendance. And then there's the awards. Malta hosts some of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in the gaming in- dustry. To kickstart SiGMA 2018 the Malta Gaming Awards will be held on the eve of the show, unique by the lo- cal ties they create, all nominees must have some level of operational pres- ence in Malta, and all proceeds from the event will go to charity. Being a local firm NetRefer have reached the finals of this in the 'Best Affiliate Soft- ware' category. The Entrepreneur of the Year Award is another obviously coveted title and has been held by Raphael Arnold in varying categories: Best iGaming En- trepreneur, Best Technology Entre- preneur and the most prestigious of all, The Overall Best Entrepreneur of the Year (2017) But these award ceremonies are not just for the companies. The yearly iG- aming Idol awards were the first award show to exclusively recognise individ- uals, not companies or projects. It is open to all genders, and its categories cover all roles from customer support, (this year's customer support idol is NetRefer's own Daniella Azzopardi) to CEO of the year, and everything in between. Today online gaming comprises 12% of the Maltese economy, generating €700 million and employing 9,000 people. Over 330 gaming companies, now call Malta home. The sun really is shining on Malta's iGaming industry. If you are a game changer and want to become a part Malta's of golden future, NetRefer would like to speak with you. Visit https://netrefer.com/team- netrefer/ or call +356 2767 3337 How Malta is bringing iGaming and sunshine together