SBC Summit, the betting and iGaming industry’s flagship conference and exhibition, is on track to welcome 40,000 delegates to Lisbon next week for its third consecutive year in the Portuguese capital, and its most ambitious edition to date.
Taking place Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena, this year’s event arrives with a wave of new additions: a standalone Affiliate Leaders Summit, two brand-new specialist forums, a dedicated Product Innovation Showcase Stage, a completely rebuilt networking program, and the biggest, most historic keynote lineup a European event in this space has ever hosted.
Delegates are expected from over 150 countries, with more than 11,000 operators confirmed to attend, a clear sign of the buyer-side strength fuelling this year’s growth. Regulators and lotteries are also showing up in greater numbers, alongside a surge in affiliate marketing professionals, driven directly by this year’s overhaul of the Affiliate Leaders Summit.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome the industry back to SBC Summit,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “Our number one goal has always been growing the value for attendees, and I think everyone attending this year is going to feel that big time.
“Everything we’ve done reflects that goal. We looked closely at the five main pillars of the event, whether that’s conference, expo, networking, education or experience, and made sure to tick every box and go all in on each one. I can’t wait to have the entire industry there to experience what we proudly call the Greatest Show in Gaming.”
What’s new at SBC Summit for 2026?
Among the biggest changes this year is the Affiliate Leaders Summit, which will welcome 10,000 attendees from the affiliate and performance marketing world. For the first time, it will operate as a standalone event co-located with SBC Summit, complete with its own ticketing, conference program, expo, and awards ceremony, a change driven by the ecosystem’s own growing success and its need for a space and platform to match.
SBC has also brought on a new partner for Affiliate Leaders Summit this year, Conversion Conf, strengthening the summit’s ability to bring together the entire affiliate and performance marketing community, from the affiliate ecosystem itself to the operators and suppliers that power it.
Alongside Affiliate Leaders Summit, SBC Summit adds two brand-new forums this year.
- The Global Prediction Markets Forum lands at a pivotal moment for one of the industry’s fastest-growing and most closely-watched sectors, as prediction markets increasingly blur the lines between trading, betting, and forecasting and attract major new capital and regulatory attention worldwide.
- The African Gaming Forum has been developed in close collaboration with the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF), iGaming Afrika, and the Ghana Association of Sports Betting Operators (GHASBO), strengthening the continent’s representation at the event and reflecting Africa’s rapidly developing gaming markets, each with its own distinct regulatory framework, priorities and challenges.
Also new this year is the Product Innovation Showcase Stage, a dedicated platform for companies to run live product demonstrations in front of the exact audience they’re trying to reach, giving attendees a first look at the technology set to shape the industry’s next chapter.
More ways to network than ever before
The networking program has also been rebuilt for 2026, giving attendees more ways to connect with the right people. New additions include speed networking sessions, show floor tours, and 20 Regulatory Gaming Meetups delivered in partnership with the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), alongside Smart Connect, a highly curated matchmaking service that pairs buyers and sellers directly.
Rounding out this year’s innovations is the introduction of Bruna, an AI concierge developed by InsightPlay AI to help attendees navigate onsite questions throughout SBC Summit.
Star-studded headline acts
The SBC Summit keynote lineup is headlined by basketball icon Michael Jordan, appearing alongside Carsten Koerl, founder and CEO of Sportradar, and Jason Robins, co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of DraftKings. This combination alone makes this the most star-studded stage the industry has ever seen in Europe.
Soccer transfer market insider Fabrizio Romano, whose “Here we go!” has become one of the most recognizable phrases in the game, will also take to the Super Stage. Another superstar set for the Super Stage is UFC champion Charles Oliveira, appearing as Aviator brand ambassador for Spribe.
A wide range of panels, programs, and events
Beyond the headline names, the summit will host dedicated programming addressing regulation and compliance, global and emerging markets, technology and innovation, and payments and fintech. Combined with the forum-specific stages, the two Affiliate Leaders Summit stages and the new Product Innovation Showcase Stage, the event will bring together more than 600 speakers, drawn from inside the industry and well beyond it.
That reach is on full display this year, with representation from major global technology companies including AWS, Google, Meta, OpenAI, TikTok, Tinder, and Snapchat, a clear sign of just how far the betting and iGaming industry’s orbit now extends. Adding further weight to the programme, both the conference and education tracks are CPD-certified for the first time, giving attendees a formally recognized return on the time they invest at the event.
For attendees seeking hands-on, practical learning, four add-on Tech Academies will cover AI, Player Experience, Digital Marketing and CRM, and Web3 and Crypto, alongside three specialist Masterclasses focused on trading, casino operations, and responsible gaming.
On the show floor, 800 exhibitors and sponsors will make this one of the largest and most diverse showcases of products and platforms the industry has ever seen. New this year, Festival Square will offer a dedicated outdoor networking space available during and after event hours, while the Food Festival returns to introduce attendees to local and global flavors from over 50 vendors.
In the evenings, the event has raised the bar further still, with two of its parties headlined by global superstars.
- The SBC Summit Opening Party, powered by 1xBet, kicks off the week with a headline performance from The Script
- INFINITY Lisbon closes the week headlined by DJ Tiësto.
- The celebrations will also include two dedicated industry awards ceremonies, the SBC Awards and the Affiliate Leaders Awards, recognizing the very best of the betting, iGaming and affiliate marketing sectors.
Attendees can manage the entire experience from their pocket: full event scheduling, ticket add-ons and meeting bookings are all available via the SBC Connect app.
