SBC Summit 2026 attracted 40,000 attendees and secures Lisbon through 2030

SBC Summit 2026 brought 40.000 attendees to Lisbon and formalised an agreement to keep the conference in the city through 2030. The edition recorded overall growth of 34,5% versus the previous year, with significant increases in key segments: operators +37% and C-level executives +40,7%.

SBC Summit 2026: attendance and profile

The organization reported that attendance climbed to 40,000, with a 34.5% year-on-year increase. The number of C-level executives rose from 5,969 to 8,398, indicating that growth among decision-makers outpaced the event's overall expansion. Affiliate registrations grew by 71%.

Geographic composition also shifted: attendance rose across all major international regions, including 129,6% from Africa; 58,5% from North America; 44,3% from Asia; 32,3% from Europe; and 10,7% from Latin America. Delegates from 178 countries took part in activities spread between the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and the MEO Arena.

SBC Summit Lisbon: commitment through 2030

Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas opened the summit. On the final day, SBC formalised an agreement keeping Lisbon as the host of SBC Summit until 2030. Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC, emphasised audience quality and long‑term planning to steer programming toward commercial needs.

"The growth in operators, affiliates and C-level attendees indicates the event is strengthening precisely in those areas," said Rasmus Sojmark.

SBC announced the next edition will return to FIL and the MEO Arena on 21–23 September 2027.

Communities and formats: Affiliate Leaders Summit and regulatory forums

This edition prioritised segmentation by business communities rather than adding indiscriminate content. The launch of the Affiliate Leaders Summit created an independent space that attracted 10.000 attendees: 6.000 affiliates and 3.000 operator representatives, plus 150 exhibitors and sponsors. The initiative aimed to give the affiliate and performance‑marketing sector a dedicated commercial environment while maintaining links with the wider audience.

The event reinforced its regulatory component with several initiatives. Specific meetings for regulators and thematic forums were held, including the debut of the African Gaming Forum, designed to address licensing frameworks, market development and regulatory conditions in African jurisdictions — a priority after the 129.6% attendance rise from Africa. The regulatory programme included meetings organised with the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) to facilitate dialogue between authorities, lawyers and industry stakeholders. These sessions were focused on regulatory frameworks and sector governance.

Conferences, keynotes and highlights

The agenda featured 600 speakers and an expanded training offer with CPD accreditation. One highlight was a joint keynote that brought together basketball legend Michael Jordan, Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl and DraftKings co‑founder and CEO Jason Robins; the session drew 5.000 people.

Other keynote speakers included journalist Fabrizio Romano and UFC fighter Charles Oliveira. Industry leaders on stage included Jesper Svensson (CEO, Betsson Group), Kresimir Spajic (CEO, Allwyn Digital), Tatiana Vivienne Jouanneau (Group Chief Brand Officer), Tom Bowry (Chief Strategy Officer, Flutter International), Dieter John (CEO, Fortuna Entertainment Group), Albert Simsensohn (Deputy CEO, Super Technologies), Rita Prates (Co‑CEO, Jogos Santa Casa), Gustaf Hagman (CEO & co‑founder, LeoVegas Group), Dinos Stranomitis (COO & co‑founder, Altenar), David Natroshvili (founder & CEO, Spribe) and Vigen Badalyan (co‑founder, SoftConstruct).

The programme also included the Global Prediction Markets Forum, focused on regulatory questions at the intersection of betting, financial markets and forecasting.

Exhibition, networking and the meeting economy

The exhibition floor hosted 800 sponsors and exhibitors. SBC highlighted the importance of the exposhow and the quality of the floor audience for closing deals. To facilitate meetings, the structured networking programme run by SBC Connect was expanded and formats were implemented to help attendees find relevant counterparts during the week.

The event design aimed to maximise commercial meetings: operators with suppliers, suppliers with decision‑makers, and companies exploring new markets with local contacts.

Entertainment and cultural positioning

Music and entertainment remained part of the offer: the band The Script performed at the opening party and DJ Tiësto headlined the closing party INFINITY Lisbon. Sojmark highlighted the intention to position SBC Summit at the convergence of gaming, AI and technology, fintech, sport, music and entertainment.

Implications for the industry

The 2026 edition confirms a more commercial and executive orientation for the event, with marked growth in operators, affiliates and senior executives. The commitment to Lisbon through 2030 provides predictability for planning commercial and production itineraries in the medium term, while the expansion of regulatory forums indicates dialogue with authorities will be a permanent component.

For vendors selling solutions, platforms or advisory services, the practical lesson is clear: demand for in‑person meetings with decision‑makers remains high and segmentation by communities (affiliates, regulation, emerging markets) creates specific commercial spaces where to focus sales efforts.

SBC Summit 2026 closed as a records‑setting edition by numbers and content, with Lisbon consolidated as its base for the next four years.