SiGMA Europe 2021
SiGMA Europe 2021: Esports, Videoslots, controversies, and CEOs
SiGMA Europe was hosted in Malta from the 15th to the 19th of November, and as always, Language Bear was there! The world’s biggest sports betting and casino brands made an appearance and we rubbed shoulders with all of them, gaining some valuable insights into up-and-coming technologies and innovative iGaming releases.
A big year (and event) for Esports Technologies
2021 has been a huge year for Esports Technologies and it capped off that year by winning the SiGMA Esport Product of the Year.
The company’s CEO, Aaron Speech, accepted the award and noted that it was “a testament to the relentless efforts of [the Esports Technologies team]”.
Esports Technologies hosted an esports tournament at the event, offering a grand prize of $15,000. It also showcased its technologies, including a real-time odds modelling solution that looks set to change the industry.
Esports are huge right now. In many regions, they are second only to football in terms of total bets taken, and Esports Technologies is one of the companies driving that growth.
Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Esports Technologies, introduced a panel on the third day of the event and spoke about the Esport industry and the potential it holds.
Slots operator of the year
Videoslots was one of the highlights of 2021 SiGMA and the site stole the show by winning The Online Casino of the Year award.
The online casino has over 5,000 games and has been a huge hit with players over the past 12 months.
Other big winners included CSB Group, which was voted as the Corporate Services Provider of the Year; iGaming Future, which was crowned the Online Gaming Media of the Year, and Evolution Global, which claimed the “USP of the Year”.
Betsson was also given the award for “Responsible Gaming of the Year”, an important accolade considering the modern iGaming landscape and the focus on responsible gambling. In addition, there were some great showcases for a number of payment solutions that have been growing in popularity over the last year, including Trustly and MiFinity, the latter of which recently launched a new eVoucher product.
Celebrity appearances
As is often the case, SiGMA wasn’t without its controversies, celebrity appearances, and eye-opening moments.
Akon was expected to perform during SiGMA Night, a night that also involved 500 bottles of champagne, but the night was cancelled two hours after it began due to COVID restrictions, with the music shutting off, the lights turning on, and police emptying the club.
The Malta Prime Minister, Robert Abela, added a touch of class to proceedings by welcoming the guests, and we also saw Djibril Cisse. The former Liverpool and France striker was visiting Malta for the first time and took to the stage as a brand ambassador for Betiton, taking a break from his duties with Greek-American team Panathinaikos Chicago.
After the events of the last couple of years, it was great to see the industry come together like this, and we had a lot of fun joining in with the festivities.