Malta has been a Mecca for the European gaming world for many years. Not only 500,000 Maltese, but also hundreds of companies from the gambling sector have their headquarters on the southern European island nation. This also includes the majority of online gaming libraries and online casinos that are listed on Casinova.
In addition to tourism, the online gaming sector is one of the most important industries for Malta. More than five years ago, the online gaming sector alone generated 12% of Malta’s gross domestic product (GDP). The flourishing gaming industry has secured thousands of jobs on the sunny Mediterranean island for years. The need for qualified professionals is so great that the Maltese government is now using a new visa program to attract immigrants who can imagine a career in the gambling industry.
Visa program for digital nomads presented
The Maltese government presented a new visa program a few weeks ago, which is aimed specifically at digital nomads. According to Wikipedia, this is defined as workers who “almost exclusively use digital technologies to do their work and at the same time lead a more location-independent or multi-local life”. Employees from non-EU countries now have the opportunity to apply for an innovative visa program if they usually do their work from home.
So the idea is to make it as easy as possible for the digital nomads to enter and stay on the European island. Why? Quite simply: The Maltese government expects the digital nomads to generate additional tax revenue. The parliamentary state secretary for citizenship and municipalities, Alex Muscat, also takes this point of view and compares the income of digital nomads with the “classic” tourists in his statement:
Every digital nomad could spend around 30,000 euros a year in Malta. That’s as much as 260 tourists spend on the island in one day. The digital nomads can work as specialists in the gaming industry and thus strengthen the national economy.
Many gambling providers are based in Malta
A look at the imprint of most gaming providers reveals that the majority of German-speaking providers have a place of business in Malta. These include Betsson, LeoVegas, Betfair, William Hill, Casumo, Rizk and Mobilebet, among others. The market leader in sports betting, Tipico, is also headquartered in the Tipico Tower of the same name in the Maltese city of St. Julian’s. All of these companies are interested in qualified specialists. For this reason, the newly launched Visa program is an ideal way to attract new workers to the island, which is only around 100 kilometers from mainland Italy.
Who is the new visa for?
Interested applicants can either apply for a six-month visa or directly for a 1-year visa. The price: 300 euros. In order to have a chance in the application process, applicants must prove that they work from home for a company in a non-EU country, work on a freelance basis for customers from all over the world or are self-employed. The special thing about the new visa program is that Malta allows the digital nomads to continue to pay taxes in the country of their last place of residence.
Malta is a southern European island state with the three inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. A little more than 520,000 people live here on an area of just 316 square kilometers. The capital is Valletta and the incumbent head of government is Prime Minister Robert Abela. The official languages of the island state are Maltese and English. The subtropical, dry Mediterranean climate is particularly attractive for many visitors to Malta.
Is there now a threat of a “flood of immigrants”?
With its new visa, the Maltese government is creating attractive conditions for non-EU citizens to stay in Malta for a period of up to a year. However, a permanent “flood of immigrants” is not to be expected. Nevertheless, the Visa program should be of particular interest to digital nomads who can imagine working in the best online casinos. You can come to Malta from non-EU countries and find a well-paid job here relatively easily. Similar programs have already existed in Barbados or Bermuda in the past. In any case, State Secretary Muscat sees a lot of potential in the new visa program:
“We think Malta is an ideal and safe destination to live and work in and we will provide additional services to accommodate the professional groups”.
Conclusion
At a comparatively low price of 300 euros, the Maltese government offers employees from non-EU countries the opportunity to settle on the sunny Mediterranean island for a period of six to twelve months. The gaming sector in particular, which is constantly on the lookout for qualified specialists, should benefit from this new visa program. We can look forward to the success of the recently presented project. However, it can be expected that the Visa program will be well received.
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