SBC Summit opens its doors in Lisbon tomorrow — and the 2026 edition is shaping up to be the most consequential gathering the iGaming industry has ever hosted. With 40,000 delegates confirmed from over 150 countries, the three-day event at Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena is entering its third consecutive year in the Portuguese capital as a record-breaker on every measurable axis.
Michael Jordan Headlines the Super Stage — and What It Actually Signals
The marquee moment arrives Tuesday at noon: a Super Stage keynote featuring basketball icon and investor Michael Jordan, DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins, and Sportradar founder Carsten Koerl. It marks Jordan's first-ever European speaking appearance.
The discussion — moderated by broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher — will cover leadership at scale, decision-making under pressure, and how sports betting and iGaming are converging. That is the official framing. The subtext is more significant: the world's most recognisable athlete sharing a stage with the two executives who arguably did the most to legitimise US sports betting as an institutional-grade industry tells you everything about where the sector stands in 2026.
Football's transfer market authority Fabrizio Romano will also take the Super Stage, alongside UFC champion Charles Oliveira appearing as Aviator brand ambassador for Spribe. The line-up is a deliberate blurring of sports culture and gaming commerce — and it reflects how iGaming companies are now competing for mainstream cultural relevance, not just market share.
Big Tech Has Arrived at iGaming's Biggest Conference
The technology roster at SBC Summit 2026 is unlike anything the industry has assembled before. AWS, Google, Meta, OpenAI, TikTok, Tinder, and Snapchat are all participating in the six-stage conference programme. That list deserves a second read.
A year ago, having OpenAI and TikTok represented at an iGaming industry event would have been unusual. Today it reflects a structural reality: the distribution, monetisation, and product challenges that iGaming operators are solving are the same challenges that the largest technology platforms in the world are building for. The conference sessions — spanning AI integration, player acquisition via short-form video, influencer marketing attribution, and CRM automation — are no longer niche iGaming discussions. They are technology conversations that happen to be set in a regulated gambling context.
Affiliate Leaders Summit: The Market Coming of Age
Perhaps the most strategically meaningful addition to SBC Summit 2026 is the standalone Affiliate Leaders Summit, running concurrently with the main event and hosting 10,000 affiliate and performance marketing professionals under its own ticketing, programme, and awards ceremony.
Previously integrated into the main summit, the decision to spin it out as a co-located but independent event signals something the industry has known for some time: affiliate and performance marketing is no longer a support function within iGaming. It is a multi-billion-euro sector with its own economics, technology stack, and talent market. Sessions at the Affiliate Leaders Summit address TikTok and Telegram distribution, AI-assisted creative production, and multi-channel attribution at scale.
For operators: this is where your acquisition partners will be shaping strategy for Q4 2026 and beyond.
Regulation Gets Dedicated Infrastructure
Regulatory engagement has historically been a single conference track at industry events. This year, SBC Summit is delivering 20 Regulatory Gaming Meetups in partnership with the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL). These are structured, private-format sessions pairing operators and technology vendors directly with regulators — not panel discussions.
Two new dedicated forums have also been added: the Global Prediction Markets Forum, tracking the growth of regulated prediction markets and their cross-border implications, and the African Gaming Forum, developed in partnership with the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum, iGaming AFRIKA, and GHASBO — reflecting the continent's emergence as one of the fastest-growing regulated gaming markets globally.
What the Scale Tells You
800 exhibitors. 600 speakers. 11,000+ operators confirmed. 4 Tech Academies covering AI, Player Experience, Digital Marketing & CRM, and Web3. 3 Masterclasses in trading, casino operations, and responsible gaming. CPD-certified education tracks across all stages.
The SBC CEO Rasmus Sojmark has called this edition "the Greatest Show in Gaming" — and for once, the marketing language is not an exaggeration. The event runs 29 September through 1 October, opening with The Script at the Opening Party (powered by 1xBet) and closing with DJ Tiësto at INFINITY Lisbon.
For any iGaming operator, supplier, affiliate, or technology company not already in Lisbon — the business case for attendance is not the entertainment. It is the fact that 40,000 people who shape this sector's next chapter will be in one building making decisions. Full event details at sbcevents.com.
FAQ
When and where is SBC Summit 2026? September 29 to October 1, 2026, at Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena, Lisbon, Portugal.
Who is keynoting SBC Summit 2026? Michael Jordan, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, and Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl headline the Super Stage on September 29. Over 600 speakers are featured across all stages.
What is the Affiliate Leaders Summit at SBC? A standalone co-located event for 10,000 affiliate and performance marketing professionals, featuring its own conference programme, expo, and Affiliate Leaders Awards — running alongside the main SBC Summit for the first time as an independent event.
Source: iGaming Pulse Editorial Desk
Illia Lisovskyy
Senior Editor
Member of the iGaming Pulse editorial team. Covering industry news, analysis, and B2B developments across the global iGaming sector.
