This year marked the debut of the SBC Summit Malta under its new identity, following the rebrand from CasinoBeats Summit. With its expanded focus covering casino, sports betting, regulation, affiliation, payments, and emerging tech, the summit officially opened on Wednesday, 11 June, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Malta’s Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Silvio Schembri.

Clinton Cutajar, CTO of digital marketing agency MediaTroopers, praised the rebrand: “The rebranding was a successful one. Everyone I meet mentions it is a great show, with great panels and a great conference.”

In addition to content and attendance, the organisation of the event itself earned high marks. Cristina Turbatu, CTO at Malta-based operator Casumo, noted, “It’s very well organised, it’s very well structured, and for me, it just feels high-end in terms of quality, so I really enjoy it.”

Cutajar added praise for the technology behind the experience: “The SBC Connect app helped a lot to schedule appointments in advance. There was no need to search around or try to coordinate elsewhere. Everything and everyone could be found in one central place.”

Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO of game studio RubyPlay, also commented on the balance between scale and accessibility: “It’s big enough to meet a lot of interesting people and have some really good meetings, and small enough to navigate easily. The organisation, the location, the panels; I’m very happy with it. It has been brilliant.”

This year’s summit also demonstrated depth in commercial firepower with an impressive 37% of attendees holding key decision-making roles. Moreover, there was strong representation from both the operator and affiliate sides, with operators bringing over 2,100 representatives, accounting for 35% of the overall audience, and 750 affiliates focused on player acquisition in the room. Both segments recorded considerable audience growth compared to last year.

Nils Andén, CEO of operator Kindred Group, commented: “I have definitely met the people that I expected to meet here, and also some people that I was surprised to see. SBC delivered on the promise to get the right people.” Rosi Bremec, COO at Game Lounge, added: “I’ve only been in the industry for three years, and I’m always looking for good people and new ideas. Events like this help me meet those people and also expand my knowledge of the industry.”

Reflecting on the milestone edition, SBC CEO & Founder Rasmus Sojmark shared: “While the numbers for this event were strong and we delivered on our promises, the most important takeaway was the undeniable excitement I witnessed while walking the show floor, entering the conference rooms, and attending the dinners and parties. 

“The audience this year was electric, and the warm feedback we have received is the greatest compliment we could ask for as organisers. A massive thank you to each and every individual who made this event, in its new shape and form, a success this year.”

Malta-based leaders were especially vocal about the event’s value for the local ecosystem. Charles Mizzi, CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), underlined the event’s broader significance: “These events help to confirm the importance of the gaming industry to the local economy.”

“I was quite impressed with the setup and the number of participants. If we remain behind our desks and do not participate in events such as this, we wouldn’t have the feel of the industry,” the MGA CEO added.

Andén remarked, “I’m based here in Malta, so this is a good opportunity for me to catch up with people from all across the industry; not only the ones that are based here, but those who travel here too. It’s also good that SBC makes a concerted effort to actually get people who represent the companies that work here in Malta. That is an important kind of differentiation point.”

Jovana Popovic Canaki, CEO of iGP, a Platinum Headline sponsor of the event, said: “One of our offices is here in Malta, and for us it’s home. We walk to the venue. We want to support local events, so the sponsorship was a no-brainer and a great honour.”

Bremec further highlighted the benefit of local hosting: “Everybody is here. The product people are here, the HR people are here. Everybody loves attending these events, so we encourage that.”

Notably, while the event featured strong local representation, with 47% of the audience based in Malta, it also demonstrated its international appeal, with 53% of attendees flying in from abroad. “This shows that the event is not just for locals, but a key opportunity to connect with European, and to some extent, international stakeholders who travel to Malta specifically to attend the event,” Sojmark said.

Beyond the vibrant expo floor, the conference segment was a highlight in its own right. Hosted across three main conference rooms and two dedicated workshop spaces, the agenda featured 17 hands-on workshops and a speaker lineup of 250 experts.

Andén commented, “I really liked the particularly dedicated track on some of the regulation challenges that affect not only me as an operator, but also affect suppliers and everyone else in the industry.” Popovic Canaki added, “Sometimes we speak too loudly and don’t let our ears work. This was a fantastic opportunity to sit down and listen to what the rest of the industry has to say.”

Andre Machado, CCO of Clever Advertising, praised the programming: “The way you are building the conference and the topics are also a mixture of what the audience is looking for. There’s real sensibility in how the programme aligns with broader industry trends.”

Turbatu reinforced the value of the educational content: “Those who didn’t attend would be missing out on high-quality workshops, which I don’t think many other conferences focus on.”

Adding a cultural edge to the event, SBC hosted the Malta debut of its signature EDM experience: the INFINITY party. Held at the island’s iconic Aria Complex and headlined by international star Galantis, the evening delivered a high-energy celebration that brought the entire industry together in style. The Malta edition joins past INFINITY showcases at SBC Summit, SBC Summit Rio, and SBC Summit Americas, which featured major acts such as Afrojack and Steve Aoki.

Apart from INFINITY Malta, SBC treated attendees to multiple evening networking events. The week began with an opening party at Infinity by Hugo’s, a beloved spot for those who had previously attended SBC’s Malta events. The organiser also hosted two invite-only dinners on Wednesday, one for C-level operators at Caviar & Bull and another for affiliates at Sole by Tarragon. On Thursday, the spotlight shifted to SBC Awards Europe, a ceremony that celebrated the achievements of the industry’s brightest companies and individuals. The week concluded with a relaxed closing party at Open Waters.

The overwhelmingly positive response from attendees highlighted not only the strength of the new format but also the growing trust in SBC’s ability to deliver high-quality, high-impact industry events. As Dr. Eyal Loz of RubyPlay summed it up: “I’ve attended almost all the SBC events over the last year, and I’m going to keep on coming back for sure. It’s nice to see the evolution of SBC. The pace at which SBC is improving, becoming more relevant, more engaging, and more dynamic truly blows my mind.”