Imperial Esports Establishes Malta iGaming Headquarters

Imperial Esports has established its global headquarters in Malta, positioning the Brazilian firm as a new entrant in the regulated iGaming sector with a focus on esports-integrated casino platforms. The announcement, made during a Gaming Malta council on November 12, 2025, involves an initial €15 million investment to develop compliant online betting and casino services, partnering with local tech firms to gain market access. This move capitalizes on Malta's robust regulatory framework, injecting fresh innovation into the €2.5 billion European esports betting niche while adhering to stringent player protection standards.

Key Takeaways

• Operators: Imperial's entry highlights Malta's appeal for emerging market players, offering streamlined MGA licensing paths that integrate esports with traditional casino games, potentially accelerating launches in 12-18 months.
• Regulators: Reinforce the Malta Gaming Authority's (MGA) role in vetting high-growth sectors and mandate advanced responsible gambling integrations, such as AI monitoring, to safeguard against addiction in fast-paced esports environments.
• Players: Delivers hybrid experiences blending skill-based esports wagering with slots and live tables, emphasizing secure, geo-compliant access across EU markets with enhanced harm prevention tools.

Imperial Esports, founded in 2020 as a leading Latin American esports organizer with over 5 million monthly viewers, has selected Malta for its European iGaming pivot under the Gaming Act of 2018. The parent entity, Imperial Group Ltd., now registers as a B2C operator and is pursuing an MGA Class 1 license (expected approval by Q2 2026) that permits full casino and betting operations. This structure ensures compliance with EU-wide standards, including anti-money laundering directives and RNG audits, distinguishing it from Brazil's nascent regulated framework.

Malta's jurisdiction, home to 350+ iGaming firms and €1.7 billion in annual GGR, provides Imperial with a competitive edge in a landscape dominated by incumbents like Evolution and Betsson. The island's 5% GGR tax on non-Maltese revenue—coupled with double taxation treaties—supports fiscal efficiency, while its skilled workforce helps localize content for markets such as Sweden and Germany. Imperial's platform will feature 500+ titles from partners such as Pragmatic Play, fused with proprietary esports odds engines, aiming to capture a 10% share of the €300 million EU esports segment by 2027.

The strategic partnership with Maltese tech provider Tech Solutions enables seamless API integrations for responsible gambling, including mandatory session timers and self-exclusion syncing via the EU's central registry. This commitment aligns with MGA's 2025 enforcement push, during which 92% of licensees achieved full compliance with harm minimization requirements. For regulators, Imperial's entry bolsters economic contributions—projected at €20 million in taxes over five years—while modeling cross-continental expansion for Lat Am firms.

Players benefit from enhanced protections, such as biometric age verification and real-time spending alerts, that address esports' high-velocity risks. Launch timelines outline beta testing in Malta by March 2026, followed by rollouts in the Netherlands and Ontario, leveraging MGA's passporting rights. This development reflects broader iGaming trends: diversification into esports for younger demographics, with Malta facilitating 15% of new EU licenses in 2025. As Imperial embeds sustainability from inception, it exemplifies how targeted investments drive inclusive growth, elevating standards for stakeholders in evolving regulated ecosystems.

Sources: TVMnews.mt, iGamingBusiness.com