Ball's thoughts are certain to appeal to the SBC Summit Barcelona delegates, as he has played a monumental role in understanding the metaverse and emerged as one of the most influential voices associated with the concept.

His book 'The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionise Everything' has been praised by the likes of Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony and Reed Hastings, co-Founder and co-CEO of Netflix. The latter had described Ball's work as "separating fact from fiction, hype from reality" and a "foundational reading for anyone that wants to understand the possibilities of the Metaverse."   

In his live-broadcasted keynote titled 'The Metaverse,' the bestselling author will provide the definition of the much-debated concept, explain when it might emerge, the technologies that are required, and most importantly, how the metaverse will change the world we live in.  

Matthew Ball commented: "The Metaverse will come to affect every person, sector, and country, creating new jobs, pass times, and business models. This is a multi-trillion dollar event — and sports betting and iGaming are likely to be among the first categories it will transform." 

Even though the term 'metaverse' was coined by the author Neal Stephenson in 1992, the concept has come to dominate the big tech discourse after Facebook changed its name to 'Meta' to reflect the company's growing ambitions beyond social media. According to the Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "The metaverse is the next frontier just like social networking was when we got started."  

Ball had previously served as the Global Head of Strategy for Amazon Studios, a Director at The Chernin Group's Otter Media, and an Executive at Accenture. Today, he is the Managing Partner of EpyllionCo, which operates an early-stage venture fund and a corporate and venture advisory arm, a Venture Partner at the Makers Fund and a Founder of Ball Metaverse Research Partners. 

The author has written for publications such as the New York Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg and has been covered by The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Washington Post, Vice, CNN, Financial Times, and BBC, among other reputable outlets. In July 2022, he wrote the cover story for TIME Magazine, which focused on the Metaverse. 

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC, said: "We are thrilled to have Matthew Ball join us at SBC Summit Barcelona. This year, we've built a dedicated conference and zone to discuss everything emerging tech, blockchain and metaverse. Matthew's status as the metaverse guru and his thought-provoking ideas turn this keynote into one of the most anticipated moments on the conference schedule. His in-depth analysis of the key technologies will inevitably bring the industry closer to the new era of the metaverse."

Ball added: "I am excited to bring the Metaverse to the SBC Summit Barcelona audience. The only way to capture this opportunity is to first understand it. Only then can one prepare for it and realize it."

The 'Metaverse' keynote panel is part of the extensive conference programme of the 'Emerging Tech, Blockchain and Metaverse Zone' for the second full day of the global sports betting and iGaming industry event, which takes place at Fira de Barcelona Montjuïc on 20-22 September.

Ball has already committed to return to Barcelona for the 2023 edition of the conference and trade show to deliver a follow-up keynote on the ever-evolving topic of the metaverse and the exciting developments for the gambling space.

Visit the SBC Summit Barcelona website to book your ticket to SBC's biggest-to-date conference and trade show that will give you access to over 200 exhibitors and insights from 350 leading industry executives and specialists.