Malta’s iGaming industry backs social impact through water polo charity tournament
The gaming industry in Malta is testing new ways to connect with its local environment. One recent example is the Lottoland iGaming Water Polo Cup, a charity tournament bringing sector companies together around one of the country’s most established sports, water polo, with the aim of directing support to local sports clubs.
Ten gaming teams unite to raise €60,000 for Maltese water polo
On Saturday, 23 May, the pools of the historic Neptunes WPSC, a century-old club founded in 1929 in Balluta Bay, will host the first charity water polo tournament organised from Malta’s online gambling ecosystem. Ten teams, made up of operators, suppliers and affiliates, will compete in a short, friendly format, with 12 players per side and a final to close the day.
Although there will be a €5,000 prize for the winning team, the emphasis is not on sporting competition as such, but on collective impact in the community. The entry fee of €600 per team amounts to an initial €6,000, which the main organiser has committed to multiplying by 10, resulting in a €60,000 donation to Maltese water polo clubs.
During the day, community activities and short presentations on social and environmental projects linked to the gambling industry are planned. This combination of sport, philanthropy and conservation creates a testing ground to see how the entertainment sector can integrate more widely into local life. Companies wishing to join the tournament to support this community cause can contact the organisers for registration details. All information is available directly on the Lottoland Malta Facebook page.
iGaming Malta: CSR as a collective strategy
The Lottoland iGaming Water Polo Cup is not an isolated initiative but rather a sign of the growing trend of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the gaming industry. In recent years, operators have increasingly incorporated social responsibility initiatives into their roadmaps as expectations from communities and regulators have grown.
Lottoland highlights charitable products as fundraising tools, such as the Win Win Charity Scratchcard, which directs a percentage of its proceeds to the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF), a Maltese non-profit philanthropic foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life of vulnerable people through financial, material, and professional support.
The platform has also renewed sponsorships with the three major Maltese water polo clubs: Sliema, Neptunes and San Ġiljan. Direct donations and new agreements are helping to upgrade youth equipment and strengthen younger age groups within these local sporting institutions. CEO Nigel Birrell said in a local publication that “water polo is the heartbeat of Malta,” and these initiatives aim to take it to an Olympic level.
Environmental CSR: tree planting and turtle rescue
The environment is another pillar that has gained real importance on Malta’s gaming agenda. The lottery platform has worked directly with local environmental organisations. Wildlife Rescue Team Malta, the rescue team operating under Nature Trust FEE Malta, an environmental NGO, works with the lottery platform on wildlife rehabilitation projects. This includes wildlife rehabilitation projects and the release of sea turtles back into their natural habitat. These initiatives fit within CSR strategies, where the environmental element carries the same weight as the social and governance aspects.
Lottoland also joined the Saġġar project, a local reforestation initiative, supporting the planting of 1,000 native trees from the Maltese archipelago. In a place like Malta, where everything is compressed and vulnerable, reforesting with native species is not a minor matter. While it enhances the landscape’s aesthetics, its broader value lies in strengthening ecological resilience, restoring degraded ecosystems, and improving the quality of life for local communities.
iGaming dedicates part of its resources to local social projects
These actions show how different gaming companies apply sponsorship, donations and cooperation in their day-to-day work, adapting them to the community’s specific needs: environmental protection, sport, health and support for vulnerable groups. In this constantly growing sector, there is a clear shift towards more structured ways of taking responsibility, rather than relying on occasional measures.
Speaking about the water polo tournament, Ira Losco, Lottoland’s ambassador for Malta, stated exclusively to SiGMA News:
“This is a fantastic initiative that brings together the community, sport and a real sense of purpose. I would love to see as many companies from the iGaming industry as possible join, form their teams and take part in the tournament. And for those who are not ready to jump into the water, their support from the stands will be just as important: come along, cheer on your colleagues and be part of something that really makes a difference.”
The CSR actions of the iGaming industry, ranging from sports partnerships to promoting health and community causes, not only preserve local traditions. In this sector, they are reinterpreting the meaning of social commitment. It is not just about traditional sponsorship. There is a genuine shift taking place, with companies turning social impact into a tangible legacy for Malta, leaving a mark that goes beyond figures and sponsorships.
This article was first published in Spanish on 6 May 2026.
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