Player Experience Academy Explores Engagement at SBC Summit

SBC Summit will put player experience and engagement under the microscope this September, as its Academy brings together the operators, product leaders and regulators shaping how engagement is designed, and where its limits should sit.

The Player Experience Academy forms part of the event’s Education+ programme, and will explore how operators can strengthen engagement, retention and long-term player value alongside their responsibility to protect players.

Taking place on Tuesday, 29 September from 13:30 to 17:00 at Sala Tejo, MEO Arena, the Academy is designed for professionals responsible for player engagement, product and growth.

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “Some of the most effective engagement mechanics in iGaming came from outside the industry. Video games, retail and entertainment have shown how missions, progression systems, battle passes and personalised rewards build stronger and more lasting customer relationships.

“This Academy will explore how operators can adapt those ideas while recognising the industry’s regulatory responsibilities. Delegates will look at what can be borrowed, what needs to change, and how gamification can support engagement without compromising player protection.”

The Academy opens with “2026 Update: As It Is Now and What’s Next?“, at the current state of player experience and gamification, and where the space is heading.

The panel “Driving Innovation in Responsible Player Experience” will examine how behavioural design and layered protection can drive engagement while ensuring ethical responsibility, and how operators can scale these approaches across multiple jurisdictions while balancing compliance, player wellbeing and sustainable growth. 

Top-level Panellists

Panellists Justin Muscat Galán (Senior Product Manager – Player Rewards & Gamification, Betsson Group), Chris McGowan (CEO, Scatters Group), Christoffer Gronland (CEO, Mindboogle Affiliate Marketing & Growth) and David Nardaia (CEO, Lambda Gaming) will discuss the balance operators must strike between behavioural design, retention and compliance.

Interactive presentation

An interactive presentation follows on what gambling can learn from other industries about responsible player experience. Led by Arjan Korstjens (Principal, Trainer, Casino Marketing Academy), “What iGaming Can Learn from Responsible Player Experience” looks at how sectors such as video gaming, retail and hospitality use rewards, progression and personalisation to build engagement and loyalty, and which approaches could be adapted responsibly for gambling.

Case study

The case study “Responsible Player Experience: Managing Risk for Commercial Sustainability” examines how battle passes, seasonal mechanics and mission-based engagement are being adapted from mainstream gaming for gambling. Dr Colin Lawrence, a pioneering expert in global risk management (Former Senior Regulator and Former Director of the Risk Specialist Division, FSA/Bank of England), will look at where these models drive retention, and the risks operators need to consider to make them commercially effective.

Interactive workshop

The Academy closes with an interactive workshop, “Know Your Player: Building Player Experience for Different Customer Segments”, led by Helen Walton (Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder, G Gaming). The session explores how player engagement varies by segment and how operators can tailor experiences to different behaviours, motivations and risk profiles. From casual users to high-value VIPs, attendees will examine how personalised missions, rewards, progression systems and engagement mechanics can improve retention, strengthen loyalty and support safer play.

The speaker line-up is still growing. Stay tuned for more announcements.

Access to SBC’s Player Experience Academy is available exclusively through the Education+ Upgrade priced at €249.

Education+ Passes can be purchased as an add-on for all SBC Summit and Affiliate Leaders Summit ticket types.

Get your ticket to SBC Summit here.