SBC Summit’s record-breaking 2026 edition delivered growth not only in overall attendance, but across some of the industry’s most commercially important audience groups.
Operator numbers increased by 37% and C-level participation rose 40.7% year-on-year at this year’s Lisbon event.
Headlined by the likes of basketball icon Michael Jordan, the event brought together some of the biggest names in gaming, sport, and entertainment for a landmark edition that also saw SBC confirm Lisbon as the home of SBC Summit through 2030.
40,000 people attended this year’s event in Lisbon, representing overall growth of 34.5%. Within that audience, the number of C-level executives climbed from 5,969 to 8,398, meaning senior decision-maker growth outpaced the expansion of the event as a whole.
Affiliate registrations also rose by 71%, while attendance increased across every major international region, including growth of 129.6% from Africa, 58.5% from North America, 44.3% from Asia, 32.3% from Europe, and 10.7% from Latin America.
“The figures point to a broader shift in the composition of SBC Summit as it scales: not simply towards a larger international audience, but towards greater representation from senior executives, operators, and commercially significant industry segments,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark.
SBC Summit hosts standalone forums and meetups
The scale and composition of the audience were reflected in how the 2026 edition was structured. Across the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and the MEO Arena, SBC Summit brought together operators, affiliates, suppliers, regulators, startups, and investors from 178 countries, creating a broad commercial environment for meetings, product discovery, partnerships, and market expansion.
Rather than simply adding more content to accommodate a larger audience, SBC expanded the event around specific industry communities and business objectives.
That evolution was particularly visible through the launch of the standalone Affiliate Leaders Summit, which brought together 10,000 attendees, including 6,000 affiliates and 3,000 operator representatives, alongside 150 exhibitors and sponsors. The scale of the event gave the affiliate and performance marketing sector its own dedicated commercial environment while remaining connected to the wider SBC Summit audience.
A stronger focus on regulation and direct engagement with regulators was also evident across the week, with several dedicated forums and regulatory gaming meet-ups designed to bring policymakers and industry stakeholders together.
The debut of the African Gaming Forum reflected both the growing globalization of the audience and the increasing importance of regulatory development across the continent, particularly as African attendance increased 129.6% year-on-year. The forum brought operators, suppliers, regulators, and other stakeholders together to discuss licensing frameworks, market development, and the regulatory conditions needed to support sustainable growth across African jurisdictions.
The Global Prediction Markets Forum placed similar emphasis on regulation in a rapidly developing sector, convening companies, legal specialists, policymakers and industry executives to examine the regulatory questions emerging at the intersection of betting, financial markets and forecasting.
This focus was reinforced through the Regulatory Gaming Meet-ups, organized in conjunction with the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL). The meet-ups created dedicated opportunities for regulators, lawyers and industry leaders from different jurisdictions to connect directly, exchange perspectives and discuss evolving regulatory approaches across global gaming markets.
More networking opportunities than ever before
Commercial interaction was also supported through an expanded structured networking program powered by SBC Connect, alongside other targeted formats designed to make it easier for attendees to identify and meet relevant partners throughout the event.
“SBC Summit is, first and foremost, a major trade show, and the expo floor remains at the heart of the event because that is where a huge amount of business gets done,” added Sojmark.
“What we focused on for this edition is the quality of the audience around that show floor and making sure the right people can find each other. As the event grows, that becomes even more important. Operators need access to the right suppliers, suppliers need access to decision-makers, and companies entering new markets need the right local connections.
“The growth in operators, affiliates, and C-level attendees tells us that the event is becoming stronger in exactly those areas.”
The exhibition itself brought together 800 sponsors and exhibitors, supported by a conference and education program featuring 600 speakers and an expanded range of CPD-certified learning opportunities.
“We set out to create more than a gaming industry trade show,” said Sojmark. “We wanted to build a global meeting place at the intersection of gaming, AI and tech, fintech, sports, music and entertainment.”
Michael Jordan and Co. draw crowd of 5,000
That ambition was reflected in a conference program that brought together some of the most influential figures from across industries.
One of the defining moments was a historic keynote featuring basketball legend, investor and philanthropist Michael Jordan, who took to the stage alongside Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl and DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins. The landmark session drew an audience of 5,000 attendees, making it one of the most significant highlights of the event and bringing together three influential figures from the worlds of sport, business and technology.
The conference also welcomed major names from global sport and media, including renowned soccer journalist and transfer market insider Fabrizio Romano and UFC champion Charles Oliveira.
Across the week, SBC Summit combined some of the industry’s most influential executives with major figures from global sport and media. Headline speakers included basketball icon, investor and philanthropist Michael Jordan; Sportradar Founder and CEO Carsten Koerl; DraftKings Co-Founder and CEO Jason Robins; football journalist and transfer market insider Fabrizio Romano; and UFC champion Charles Oliveira.
They were joined by industry leaders including:
- Allwyn Digital CEO Kresimir Spajic and Group Chief Brand Officer Tatiana Vivienne Jouanneau
- Altenar COO and co-founder Dinos Stranomitis
- Betsson Group CEO Jesper Svensson
- Flutter International Chief Strategy Officer Tom Bowry
- Fortuna Entertainment Group CEO Dieter John
- Jogos Santa Casa co-CEO Rita Prates
- LeoVegas Group CEO and co-founder Gustaf Hagman
- SoftConstruct co-founder Vigen Badalyan
- Spribe founder and CEO David Natroshvili
- Super Technologies Deputy CEO Albert Simsensohn
Beyond the conference stages, the event’s entertainment program further reflected its ambition to bring gaming together with the wider worlds of music and entertainment, with internationally acclaimed rock band The Script performing at the opening party and world-renowned DJ Tiësto headlining the INFINITY Lisbon closing party.
The event’s continued growth has also deepened SBC’s relationship with Lisbon. Mayor Carlos Moedas opened SBC Summit, and on the final day, SBC formalized a new long-term agreement confirming Lisbon as the home of SBC Summit through 2030.
“Lisbon has become part of the identity of SBC Summit,” said Sojmark. “Committing to the city through 2030 gives us the ability to plan much further ahead and continue building the event around what the industry needs commercially.
SBC Summit will return to FIL and the MEO Arena Sept. 21–23, 2027.
