Microgaming Gives Back with PlayItForward

Online games developer, Microgaming, has had a charity programme in place for some time and in an attempt to re-affirm its commitment to giving back to the world, has announced that applications for its bursary programme are open again. The developer of games for Online Casinos launched a bursary programme last year in an effort to help fund the studies of outstanding students on the Isle of Man.

How did the programme start?

In 2014, the bursary programme was able to fund the studies of four young learners, as well as their accommodation and living costs, but this year, the goal is to cast the net much wider since the Isle’s Education Department has taken over the management of the programme. Applicants will be able to submit their papers in the next few weeks before the start of the 2015/2016 school year.

This is not the first community initiative being brought to the world by Microgaming. The developer of many popular South African casino games has an entire department, PlayItForward, that is focused on giving back to the community. Though it may seem strange for a giant in the world of online casinos to be focused on charity, Microgaming does just that and the head of its community initiatives programme has stated that the company’s goal is to develop the next generation of world leaders. With this solid mission falling in line with the goals of the Isle of Man itself, it was no surprise that the Department of Education and Children jumped on board. According to one of the managers at the DEC, Microgaming is helping youth in the country realise their dreams.

Will a programme like this ever reach SA?

Though South Africa has its fair share of charitable initiatives, a programme such as this one would likely never reach SA for one simple reason: the legality surrounding online casinos. A contentious issue in which every online casino group has added its voice, gambling online in South Africa still has a lot of kinks to work out and until such time as it is legal, there will likely be little investment in charity in the country by online South African casino operators.

Additionally, many of the developers who would host programme such as that developed by Microgaming are based in countries in Europe and Europe’s subsidiaries, such as the Netherlands Antilles. There are currently no large online games developers in SA at the moment, but should a technology company manage to get its product right and gain the kind of momentum Microgaming has, it is feasible to assume that we could be funding the growth of our own nation with online gambling initiatives some day.