![Akon's 500-bottle afterparty shut down by police due to COVID-19 restrictions](https://maltadaily.mt/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/1920x1080px-Banner-02-2_Maltadaily.png)
Wednesday evening’s afterparty event, which should have featured Senegalese-American singer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Akon was shut down after it was found to be in breach of COVID-19 regulations. The event forms part of the SiGMA iGaming festival and promised to bring out 500 bottles of champagne to celebrate the gaming industry’s resilience during the pandemic.
Police intervened at 12am, initially stopping further people from entering the event before going into the venue and shutting down the music and beginning to escort partygoers outside. The officials found that little to no COVID-19 restrictions were being implemented such as COVID-19 vaccination checks and limitations as revellers were directed outside Sky Club in St. Julian’s. A ruckus from inside reportedly ensued with frustrated partygoers singing and chanting as they were escorted outside.
Sky Club management told Malta Daily that the venue was entirely rented to SiGMA, going on to say that the entire venue and its operations were the sole responsibility of SiGMA.
“Overall we’re blessed that we could hold the conference and save the year, given the rising numbers across Europe and the closing of borders once again. We were lucky and look forward to SiGMA 2022 next November,” a SiGMA spokesperson told MaltaDaily.
SiGMA is one of the largest iGaming conferences in the world, which launched back in 2014 and has expanded annually into what it is today. The conference is centred around online and land-based gaming and welcomes technology organisations from around the world. Malta plays a big part in the development of this conference, partially due to its central location in the Mediterranean and its popularity for being a key hospitality and entertainment hotspot, serving as a backdrop for SiGMA’s high-end events.
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