Following the success of the inaugural Charity Gala by BGaming, the content studio is returning to The Phoenicia Malta on May 29th for another meaningful evening, bringing the industry together to raise funds for a valuable cause.

The invite-only event will raise funds for the DAR Bjorn in Malta, a care centre for people suffering from ALS, MS, and other life-altering neurological conditions.

In this article, we sit down with CEO BGaming, Marina Ostrovtsova, to discuss the story behind the event, the importance of DAR Bjorn, BGaming’s wider approach to charity, and more.

Can you start by telling us a little bit about DAR Bjorn and explaining why BGaming has chosen to support it?

DAR Bjorn is a cause very close to our hearts at BGaming. It is a neurological centre in Malta that provides care and treatment for people living with neurological conditions such as ALS and MS.

The centre was founded by Bjorn Formosa, who actually comes from the iGaming industry himself. He was diagnosed with ALS at just 28, and I think his story resonates very deeply with many people across our industry. Despite everything he’s faced, Bjorn remains incredibly positive, driven, and committed to helping others, which is something our whole team truly admires.

What also makes DAR Bjorn so special is the scale of the support they provide. Today, they care for around 60 residents across their centers and support nearly 800 more people in the Maltese community. The impact they have on people’s lives is very real and very visible.

And of course, Malta itself is an important home for many of us in iGaming. Supporting a local organisation that does such meaningful work felt like a very natural thing for us to do. We genuinely feel honored to support DAR Bjorn and to help contribute, even in a small way, to the incredible work they do every single day.

Last year was the inaugural Charity Gala by BGaming. What did you learn from that? And what has inspired you to return for a second year?

Last year’s Charity Gala was honestly one of the proudest moments for our team at BGaming. We raised more than €200,000 in a single evening, exceeding all our expectations. Those funds went directly toward supporting the construction of DAR Bjorn’s new Respite Centre, which is now becoming a reality.

But I think the most important thing we learned was how much real impact is actually possible when people come together around a shared purpose. Seeing the industry unite in that way was incredibly emotional and inspiring for all of us.

Sometimes in iGaming, we get so focused on the business side that we forget how influential and connected this industry really is. Last year reminded us that when companies, partners, and people decide to support something meaningful together, the result can be far bigger than anyone initially expects.

That’s really what inspired us to come back for a second year. Once we saw the tangible difference the Gala made for DAR Bjorn and the people supported by the centre, continuing the initiative felt like the only natural next step.

Can you tell us a little bit more about this year’s event and what makes it different from last year’s?

We really wanted this year’s Charity Gala to evolve naturally from what we created last year, not just become bigger, but also more ambitious and impactful.

One of the biggest additions this year is our partnership with NEXT.io as the official media partner, which has helped us bring even more visibility to the initiative across the industry. We’ve also expanded the overall experience for guests, with live music by Versatile, a charity raffle, an art auction, and several entertainment and fundraising activities throughout the evening.

But I’d say the biggest difference this year is the level of clarity around the impact itself.

Last year, the funds raised helped support the construction of DAR Bjorn’s new Respite Centre. This year, the focus shifts toward equipping that centre with very specific medical and care equipment, including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, specialised beds, and resident rooms. So people can very clearly see where the support is going and how it directly improves residents’ quality of life.

And honestly, one of the most inspiring things this year has been the level of support from the industry itself. Seeing companies like Flutter, Alea, SiGMA, MyAffiliates, 1spin4win, Finteq Hub, and Amusnet Gaming come together around the same cause really shows how deeply this initiative resonates within the iGaming community.

Art and creativity sound like they will be two key focuses for the evening. Can you tell us more about this?

Art and creativity have always been a very natural part of BGaming’s identity, so it felt important for us to bring that into the Charity Gala as well. This year, we’re incredibly lucky to collaborate with two outstanding artists, Gonçalo MAR and L7Matrix, both of whom are helping turn the evening into something much more immersive and emotional than a traditional charity event.

The Gala will feature an art auction with works by Gonçalo MAR, alongside a live art performance by L7Matrix during the evening itself. Art has this unique ability to create emotional connection and tell stories without words, which fits very naturally with the spirit of the initiative.

But what makes this year especially meaningful for us is the collaboration with the residents of DAR Bjorn themselves. Together with Gonçalo MAR, they participated in creative workshops that inspired a special merch collection connected to the Gala.

For us, it was important that residents were not simply beneficiaries of the initiative, but actual participants in it. Their stories and creativity became part of the project itself.

The collection will be available during NEXT Summit Valletta and online, with proceeds going directly toward supporting DAR Bjorn and the new Respite Centre.

The DAR Bjorn Charity Gala by BGaming is one of several CSR initiatives and events BGaming has been involved with in 2026. How does this align with the company’s wider philosophy?

CSR initiatives are a very important part of how we see BGaming as a company. We often describe ourselves as being “beyond” a game provider, and for us, that idea goes far beyond products or entertainment alone. It’s also about the kind of impact we want to have in the communities around us.

Whether it’s the Charity Gala by BGaming or initiatives like our recent collaboration with Centurion in Brazil, focused on supporting underserved communities, the common idea behind all of these projects is quite simple: if we have the ability to help, we should use it.

We don’t approach CSR as something separate from the business or as a short-term PR activity. It’s much more about responsibility and long-term involvement. We operate in many different markets around the world, and we genuinely believe it’s important to support the communities connected to them in a meaningful way.

I also think initiatives like this help show a different side of the iGaming industry. People often see the industry only through a commercial lens, but in reality, it’s filled with passionate people, strong communities, and companies capable of creating real impact when they come together around a shared purpose.

The industry has enormous reach, resources, and influence. And I believe projects like this are a reminder that those things can be used not only to grow businesses, but also to genuinely improve people’s lives.

The post An Evening Where Care Blooms: BGaming on the Return of the Charity Gala appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Next week, the annual Gaming in Holland Conference returns to Amsterdam. Willem van Oort, independent iGaming consultant and founder of Gaming in Holland shares what attendees can look forward to at this year’s event.

What can attendees expect from this year’s conference?

As in previous years, the Gaming in Holland Conference will bring together the leading decision makers from the Dutch regulated gambling industry. Licensed operators, regulatory representatives, and key stakeholders from across the sector will all be in attendance.

This year’s speaker lineup includes the CEOs of Nederlandse Loterij and Holland Casino. In addition, FDJ, the new owner of Unibet, will be represented by a senior executive who will discuss the company’s perspective on the current Dutch market landscape.

The Netherlands Gambling Authority will also contribute two separate presentations: one focused on the regulator’s approach to upcoming legislation, and another dedicated to its new approach to player protection.

Alongside an extensive conference agenda, attendees will have plenty of opportunities to network and connect with industry leaders – including during the event’s traditional boat tour through Amsterdam’s iconic canals.

Apart from these highlights, are there other sessions you are looking forward to?

Like other years, H2 Gambling Capital will be sharing its latest growth projections of the Dutch market. This always offers a solid departure point for other discussions.

I am also looking forward to the presentation by Blask, which will offer an in-depth look at what kind of games Dutch players are interested in, as well as which game categories are featured prominently by both licensed and unlicensed operators. Do player demand and operators’ offerings actually match up? We will find out at the Conference.

Even more importantly, the Dutch government is expected to imminently publish a specific set of proposals to amend the Remote Gambling Act – including cross-operator deposit limits, an increased minimum age for high-risk games of chance, and much more.

Right now, we still think this will happen before this year’s conference kicks off. In that case, we will be hearing directly from the regulator how, exactly, the rules will change.

In addition to these specific sessions, tell us a little bit more about the idea behind Gaming in Holland’s new “Reclaim the Market” mission statement.

As is often the case in regulated markets facing stricter compliance measures, the Dutch regulated iGaming sector has seen market share shift toward increasingly aggressive offshore operators. This is a trend we want to halt – and ideally reverse. That ambition is at the heart of our “Reclaim the Market” initiative.

The good news is that licensed operators collectively possess a considerable amount of market power, enabling them to apply meaningful pressure on suppliers, payment providers, marketing affiliates, and other service providers that continue to facilitate the day-to-day operations of offshore operators. The key challenge lies in coordinating these efforts effectively so that this influence delivers tangible results.

Regulatory involvement is also essential. Neither licensed operators nor regulators benefit from the continued growth of the offshore market, making this an area where all parties share a strong common interest.

Looking a bit farther ahead, what do you think is necessary to keep the black market in check long-term?

I think that B2B licensing will become inevitable. It will be a lot of work for regulators, but I am convinced that this is the only way to introduce a meaningful separation, as well as a qualitative difference between licensed and unlicensed offerings. Players can tell that the onshore product is not evidently superior, but still, we expect them to accept worse RTP percentages due to the tax obligations and higher compliance burdens of licensed operators. While players generally prefer to play in the legal market, they will not do so at any price. That is just basic economics.

Even so, I believe the greatest opportunity for change lies in shifting societal attitudes toward gambling. In the Netherlands, for example, gambling is still generally viewed as somewhat taboo or socially questionable. In my view, that stigma can make it easier for players to drift toward illegal operators.

But what if gambling were treated as a fully legitimate and transparent form of entertainment? If it became more normalized and openly accepted, players might naturally gravitate toward licensed operators as the obvious and responsible choice.

That, I believe, is where significant progress can still be made.

The 2026 Gaming in Holland Conference takes place on June 4 at the KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. The full conference agenda is available here. Or click here to register.

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