Maltese High Commissioner for Sri Lanka hosts Malta Day at SiGMA South Asia
As part of SiGMA South Asia 2025 – a gaming and technology summit taking place this week at Colombo’s Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams resort – SiGMA, alongside H.E Rueben Guaci, the Maltese High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Ambassador to Nepal, hosted a special Malta Day event to commemorate the island’s upcoming Republic Day. Republic Day celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the Republic of Malta in 1974.
The official program started with a tour of the expo, which included a welcome drink at the VIP Lounge, before a delegation of around 60 guests from the diplomatic and government services headed to the stand up reception being held at The Studio – an elegant meeting space at Cinnamon Life, City of Dreams, situated just one level about the SiGMA expo floor. The tour was led by SiGMA Founder Eman Pulis, CEO Emily Micallef and CFO Clive Terribile.
The reception, which started with the Sri Lankan and Maltese national anthems included speeches from H.E. Reuben Gauci, Maltese High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Eman Pulis, SiGMA Founder.
In his opening address, H.E. Reuben Gauci, Maltese High Commissioner for Sri Lanka spoke about the importance of events such as SiGMA South Asia as a platform for progress.
“It is my firm belief that the best relations between countries are built by business and investment and here we are, with a Maltese company – SiGMA – which is one of our national treasures, leaving a strong footprint here in Colombo by providing a platform for the expansion of the iGaming industry in order to make it a regulated activity, free from abuse and fraud and making available to clients in a clean, transparent and accountable manner.
“Thanks to companies like SiGMA, iGaming has become a pillar of the Maltese economy, which today makes up 13.6% of our GDP. I sincerely augur that through investment like SiGMA, this will also happen here in Sri Lanka, concluded the High Commissioner. What is business but to make peoples lives better.”
Pramuditha Manusinghe, Director of the North America Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism then took to the stage on behalf of Hon. Minister Harshana Nanayakkara – Minister of Justice & National Integration.
“Over this last decade, Sri Lanka and Malta, through separated by distance, have shared enduring values that unite a commitment to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and steadfast pursuit of peace and prosperity. Our people, both terminations, have histories shaped by cultural diversity, maritime heritage, and centuries of engagement with wider world.
“Sri Lanka looks forward to continuing our mutual collaboration on global issues from sustainable development and environmental prediction to welcome security and wellbeing as islands collected by oceans.
“Our future are shared not only by geography, but by shared responsibility. Through deeper understanding, wider cooperation and enduring ship. I am confident that the next 25 years of our relations will bring a greater partnership in create tourism, educational, cultural exchange, and global cooperation,” she concluded.
Bringing the event to a close, Eman Pulis emphasised SiGMA’s missione to promote regulated gaming globally – a journey that started 11 years ago.
“Slowly, governments worldwide are realizing that the only way forward is regulation. Failing to regulate simply means that citizens have no option but to play on unregulated websites.
We’ve been traveling globally, state by state, promoting this message. Beyond protecting players, we’ve highlighted the clear benefits governments can gain from taxation and from the economic impact that a regulated gaming industry can bring. In Malta alone, 13% of the country’s GDP is thanks to the iGaming industry – thanks to the hundreds of gaming companies that have set up on the island and created thousands of well-paid jobs.”
If some of the most conservative countries and governments, including those of Malta, Brazil, the UAE, and Singapore can embrace and find a way to regulate gaming, he said, then the rest of the world can find a way too.
“This is our mantra, and we will continue pushing worldwide: regulation is the only path forward.”
He concluded with a heartfelt nod to an initiative that is close to the company’s heart. “What makes the SiGMA Group truly proud is our commitment to giving back. The SiGMA Foundation was established a few years ago, and since then we’ve launched around 10 projects across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We are actively looking for more opportunities where we can make a difference.
“ In my early thirties, coming from a humble background, my dream was to become a millionaire – and I measured that in monetary terms: euros, dollars, Maltese lira. Fast-forward 10 years to my early forties, and my dream is once again to become a millionaire – only now the metric has changed. Today, I don’t measure success in money. I measure it in positive impact.
If we, through the Foundation, can help lift a million people above the poverty line – if we can positively impact a million lives – then I believe we will have truly become millionaires.”
