SBC Summit Kicks Off in Lisbon with a Massive Turnout and a Bustling First Day

Government and City Dignitaries Opened SBC Summit 

Yesterday, the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, and key government officials welcomed 40,000 bustling attendees to the Portuguese capital for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony of the SBC Summit.

Government and Lisbon city dignitaries joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony as the SBC Summit returned to the Portuguese capital, and is being held from 29 September – 1 October 2026 at Feira Internacional de Lisboa & MEO ARENA.

Multiple Portuguese government and Lisbon city dignitaries turned out to welcome SBC and its 40,000 attendees to the city for the third year running, taking part in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the SBC Summit.

Opening remarks

The Mayor of Lisbon delivered the event's opening remarks ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where officials were joined by SBC leadership and the event's key sponsors. The dignitaries then took part in a VIP tour of the exhibition floor at Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL), meeting industry leaders, exhibitors and SBC Summit partners.

SBC Summit Agenda

The schedule for the SBC Summit Agenda features a diverse selection of conferences focused on technology, regulation, marketing, and financial solutions applied to the iGaming sector. 

Today, September 30th

Some of the conferences to be held today September 30th:

11-11:40 The impact of tech on operator revenues and player retention in Europe  

11-11.40 Cross-Border Compliance: Navigating AML Across African Markets  

11-11.40 Innovation in Tech: How Can Technology Keep Players Safe from Harm?  

12-12.40: Beyond the reform: the new Italian gaming landscape  

13- 13:15 Founders Stories III  - Super Stage - MEO Arena- Speaker: Vigen Badalyan, Co-founder, Softconstruct, who has helped build the company into a leading international provider of iGaming technology and solutions.

13:35- 13:55 The Global Expansion of the AFA Brand  

This conversation with football legend Sergio Goycochea focuses on the global expansion of the Argentine Football Association brand, tracing the strategy from its inception in 2017 to its current focus on international growth. What are the lessons for other sports brands looking to expand into different regions and markets?

Speakers: Leandro Petersen, Former Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, Argentine Football Association , Sergio Goycochea, AFA Legend, Argentine Football Association

Agenda for tomorrow, October 1st

Highlighted presentations of the day include "The Great AI Disruption: Game Over for the Old Rules of Advertising", "From Generative AI to Agentic Systems", and "Copycat Culture: Branding Beyond Visual Identity", which address the impact of artificial intelligence and brand building. 

The program includes key discussions on compliance and payments with talks such as "Blockchain Banking for Gambling Operators", "More Players, Less Risk: Maximizing Approvals in a Regulated World", and the "Responsible Gaming Marketing Masterclass", focusing on fraud prevention, cybersecurity, and commercial sustainability.

In the block dedicated to emerging markets (Global & Emerging Markets Stage - Latin America), the agenda places special emphasis on the Latin American landscape, prominently featuring the panels on Colombia and Brazil. The conference "Colombia at a Crossroads: What Comes Next for a LatAm Pioneer?" evaluates tax pressures, regulatory changes, and the future of the Colombian model as a regional pioneer, while the session "Brazil Unfiltered: What Leaders Actually Think" delves into the Brazilian regulatory transition, advertising inflation, and the impact of new licenses. The region's perspective is rounded out with strategic conferences like "LatAm Leaders: Strategy, Scale and Survival", "Peru’s Big Shift: Compliance Tightening, Growth Exploding", and "Mexico Reloaded: The Market on the Edge of a Major Reset".

Multiple stages, over 600 speakers and major tech firms

Beyond its headliners, the SBC Summit hosts over 600 speakers across multiple specialized stages, including the Affiliate Leaders Summit and the new Product Innovation Showcase. This expansive reach is highlighted by the participation of major tech companies like AWS, Google, Meta, OpenAI, TikTok, Tinder, and Snapchat. Additionally, attendees now receive formally recognized CPD certification for both the conference and education tracks.