The event that lasted three days was full of activities for everyone in the iGaming sector. Dennis Algreen summed up that “the attendees come to our shows to generate leads for their business, and the event has certainly delivered. The feedback has been incredible. The exhibitors were happy with the attention they received, and the best part was that they all mentioned that we managed to gather "the right people" in Barcelona. Decision makers, innovators, and people who were serious about doing business”.

With almost 400 speakers and seven conference stages across nearly 18.000 m2 held at the Fira Barcelona Montjuic,it was required an insane amount of work from the SBC conference team, pointed the SBC Marketing Director.

What were the highlights of this edition?

The exhibition floor itself turned out to be one of the biggest highlights. We had around 200 exhibitors across the five zones — Sports Betting, Casino & iGaming, Affiliate, Media and Marketing, Payments and Compliance and Emerging tech, Blockchain, & the Metaverse. People really did spend a lot of time networking on the exhibition floor, which was great to see. Things were busy up until the very end. 

The addition of the emerging tech zone is something I personally consider a highlight too. Innovation has always been embraced in our industry, so introducing this zone and bringing the two worlds together was definitely an idea that paid off and generated a lot of thought-provoking discussions.

We've also had some fantastic keynote speakers. The audience seemed to particularly enjoy Shay Segev's (CEO, Dazn Group), Molly Bloom's (author, entrepreneur, and poker legend), and Matthew Ball's (metaverse trailblazer, author of 'The Metaverse: and why it will revolutionize everything') keynote speeches. We got some excellent insights from these very inspirational figures.

The First Pitch start-up competition was also very well received by the audience. It feels great to create opportunities for start-ups trying to make it in this very competitive industry. The six shortlisted companies had fresh, ground-breaking ideas, and it was great seeing them pitch their products and ideas to the judges and chatting with the delegates afterward.

And then, of course, it is no secret that networking is one of the main reasons people visit events like the SBC Summit Barcelona. We had plenty of fun activities scheduled, including the SBC Football Championship, where the participants got the opportunity to play with or against former football star Gaizka Mendieta and a charity poker tournament for industry's C-levels with the extraordinary Molly Bloom. The SBC Awards night at the majestic Palau Nacional was also a very memorable experience. 

What is your view of the Spanish iGaming market?

We are witnessing a decline in the Gross Gaming Revenue in Spain, as even though the online casino market is growing, it seems like sports betting did not quite manage to recover after the pandemic and is experiencing a downward trend. 

It's no secret that Spain is experiencing significant marketing and advertising restrictions. This, in turn, raised some concerns in the industry, fearing that such measures lead to an increase in illegal gambling. The approval of the Royal Decree on Advertising of Gambling activities in 2020 caused reactions from legal operators, who felt that unlicensed operators are given the ground to gain a competitive edge over them. These regulatory headwinds have raised the bar for the most regulated companies, making it increasingly difficult to do business in the country. 

However, the strict regulatory conditions could also create an opportunity for those willing to accept the challenge and explore this one of the few European markets with considerable growth potential.

The focus should be on creating an open dialogue between the industry and the regulatory bodies to ensure that customers remain protected, and that Spain can economically benefit from the legal operators that choose to be mindful of player well-being and responsible gambling policies.

Why did you decide to do the SBC Awards in Barcelona, instead of England? How was the experience?

After the pandemic, we've been experiencing more industry events than ever before.

Everyone has been traveling a lot lately. Even though all the conferences and trade shows are exciting and lead to fruitful chats and business opportunities, it can be quite time-consuming and costly to attend all of them. 

Therefore, our decision to take the SBC Awards to Barcelona was mostly practical. We decided to make it a bit easier for everyone by making the ceremony part of the SBC Summit Barcelona instead of running a separate event in London. We knew that SBC Summit Barcelona was going to be big, and a vast majority of the shortlisted companies would be there anyway, so there was no need to overcomplicate things.

Plus, we managed to secure one of the most spectacular venues in Barcelona, with a breathtaking view and a luxurious feel that was perfect for a prestigious ceremony recognizing the companies thriving in our industry. Palau Nacional was the perfect venue for an event of this caliber.

Are you preparing for the next SBC event? Can you give us a preview? We surely are. Never a dull day here at SBC. We have been working on our next show, SBC Summit Latinoamérica, even before the Barcelona event, and now we have the opportunity to be all in on it.

SBC Summit Latinoamérica takes place between 1-3 November 2022 and gathers professionals from all over Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay as well as other non-LATAM countries. 

We are expecting over 1,000 delegates and have already secured over 100 speakers and 50 exhibitors. The event will be held in Miami, and trust me, it's going to be great!

Moreover, we are already discussing our plans for next year. Next year's portfolio includes the Casino Beats Summit 2023 (21-23 March, Malta), SBC Summit North America 2023 (9-11 May, New Jersey), the newly-acquired Canadian Gaming Summit 2023 (13-15 June, Toronto), and, of course, our flagship event SBC Summit Barcelona (18-21 September, Barcelona) and the 2023 edition of SBC Summit Latinoamérica (31 October - 2 November, Miami, Florida).