Since its inception, Microgaming has been a trailblazer when it comes to enacting positive environmental and corporate change.

The brand has led the way in environmental sustainability, technological innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR), among other areas. And in 2024, we’re seeing more companies follow in Microgaming’s footsteps.

This year happens to be a significant one in Microgaming’s history as it is celebrating two major milestones: its 30-year anniversary, and 10 years since its PlayItForward programme was launched.

To mark these two landmark moments, it seems like a great time to reflect on the company’s evolution over its 30-year history, and how PlayItForward has helped power positive change within the local community.

Over those 30 years, both the iGaming industry and Microgaming as a brand have both undergone some tremendous changes - from a shift to online, to new countries introducing gambling legislation.

But one thing has remained consistent: Microgaming’s unwavering commitment to support the local community through charitable and environmental, social and governance-driven (ESG) initiatives. In fact, this focus on ESG had a huge influence on the expansion of the campus in which Microgaming is located.

The team recently relocated into Evergreen House on Circular Road – a move that Microgaming’s CEO Stephen Fisk believes will not only allow Microgaming to make a positive contribution towards the government’s net-zero commitment but is also a testament to Microgaming’s ‘forward-thinking’ attitude as an ESG leader.

He said: “When we moved into Evergreen House, we wanted to ensure that the new premises were both eco efficient and aligned with the Isle of Man Government’s Net Zero commitments. This was a major priority for us. By investing in an eco-friendly premise, Microgaming can ensure that our offices satisfy the ESG principles that we have set out.”

To ensure its campus extension has minimal environmental impact, the building features sensor-operated LED lighting, sustainable heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as upcycled furniture.

The company has also rolled out its own Environmental Management System (EMS) to further this commitment to environmentalism. In 2023 alone, Microgaming’s EMS – which has received the prestigious ISO 14001:2015 certification - has been able to stop 1,0055kgs/ 0.4356 tCO2e (plastic, cardboard and aluminium) from going to the energy for waste plant.

The team has also significantly reduced its 2022 vs 2023 (58.20675 tCO2e) electricity GHG emissions by 50%, beating its 2022 benchmark figure by 50%.

For Stephen Fisk, this focus on sustainability has been a core part of Microgaming’s history, and one that has helped position the company well for future growth. So as the company celebrates its 30th anniversary and embarks on a new chapter, sustainability will continue to play a leading role in Microgaming’s commercial and operational strategy.

He added: “It’s really interesting to see the journey that we’ve been on and how that’s helped position us as a leader within the iGaming industry. We would encourage all PLCs, private companies or anyone for that matter to really be as forward thinking as possible.

“In this day and age, sustainability has to play a big part of that decision-making process. At Microgaming, we get a lot of questions about ESG, for example, and why sustainability is important.

“The world is trending in one way - if you’re not making those ESG and sustainability decisions today, you’re going to be in a difficult position tomorrow, not only from a sustainability angle, but from a commercial angle too.”

This eco-friendly ethos not only influences how Microgaming works, but how its PlayItForward programme works alongside the local community too.

Since its launch in 2014, PlayItForward has invested more than £2.5 million into the Isle of Man community, having also supported more than 270 different charities and worthy causes.

In the last 10 years, Microgaming’s staff have logged more than 2,300 hours of supporting worthy causes, with 425 volunteers helping at more than 165 events.

Worthy causes have included delivering Christmas gifts to vulnerable members of the community, providing wheelchairs to the Centre for Information Resource Care and Assistance (CIRCA) as well as providing support to charities such as Royal British Legion, Fire Fighters Charity, Housing Matters, Music Therapist, Victim Support, Therapeutic Services for a local primary school to name a few.

Of note has been the provision of an education bursary, which has helped alleviate the financial burden placed on students looking to attend university. The fund - which is used to cover the costs associated with accommodation, books or food – is currently supporting seven students throughout the 2023/24 academic year, bringing the total number of students it has helped to 36 – 21 of whom have already graduated.

And in celebration of PlayItForward’s 10th anniversary, the programme has donated £30,000, which will be divided equally between three different worthy causes: Manx Wildlife Trust, Isle Stand Up to Suicide, and the DESC MSR team providing specialist equipment for users with disabilities.

For Kate Moughtin, Microgaming’s CSR Manager who also oversees PlayItForward programme, supporting local charities forms an integral part of working with the Isle of Man community, with every charity carefully selected by a staff vote at Microgaming.

Kate Moughtin said: “It’s great because staff and partners want to get involved with initiatives like these, they’re fully engaged and passionate about the projects that we work on. But they are also doing the right thing for their local community and the planet.”

The last 12 months of the PlayItForward programme, she added, have been hugely successful and have allowed Microgaming to continue its positive work in both the local community and environment.

As the CSR-led programme enters its next phase, it will continue to look for, and work with, new projects to support across the island – enabling Microgaming to have a positive impact and leave a lasting mark in the Isle of Man.

The importance of supporting local, ecological charities has never been more important. Ultimately, it is the positive work that is being carried out at the local level which encourages global change, something which PlayItForward will continue to focus on long into the future.