Pedro Reis, Portuguese Minister of Economy, officially opened the new look SBC Summit, the first edition of SBC’s flagship global event to be held in Lisbon. The newly evolved SBC Summit has already experienced extraordinary growth, tripling its show floor space and boosting attendance by an impressive 67%. This rapid expansion underscores SBC’s rising prominence, with Lisbon now firmly positioned as the industry’s central hub. 

Minister Reis officially opened the three-day exhibition and conference at Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Spanning 110,000 square meters of exhibition space, the event will run until 26 September, drawing global leaders from the sports betting, gaming, and related industries.

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC said: “It was a tremendous honour to welcome Mr Reis to our first event in Portugal. With 25,000 delegates and 600 exhibitors from every corner of the globe, SBC Summit is officially the fastest-growing event in the industry. Many of the attendees are visiting Portugal for the first time, hailing from regions including North, South, and Central America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, reinforcing the summit’s international appeal.”

The Summit is estimated to contribute up to €100 million in economic benefits to Portugal’s budget, boosting Lisbon’s hospitality, tourism, and local services industries. A significant factor is the attendance of 500 industry C-level executives who travelled to Lisbon for the exclusive invite-only SBC Leaders Summit, held at the prestigious Myriad by Sana Hotel.

Mr Reis concluded his tour of the exhibition floor by joining the C-level gathering, where he mingled with the industry’s elite and greeted Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, who was speaking at the summit.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is among 600 speakers at the event, which spans eight stages, including the Super Stage at MEO Arena, the biggest stage the industry has ever seen. 

Across the three days, the arena welcomes legends such as skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk, football icons Luís Figo and Peter Schmeichel, UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili, and British sports broadcaster Laura Woods. Adding further prestige, Formula 1 legend Rubens Barrichello joined the SBC Leaders Summit, bringing even more star power to the event.

“This event not only marks a significant milestone for SBC but also presents a major opportunity for the city of Lisbon. We are truly grateful for the warm reception and partnership from both the city and the country’s leadership,” Sojmark added.

In the past, SBC has welcomed many notable government figures to its events, including Rio de Janeiro Governor Cláudio Castro, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, former New Jersey Governor and presidential Candidate Chris Christie, Alberta’s Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming, Stan Cho, and former New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak.