Search
Choose a style
Dark
Light

Conversion Conf agenda to tackle scale, growth & AI at Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026

From building stronger teams and finding new traffic sources to working out where AI can genuinely make a difference, Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026 will provide a practical playbook for enhancing modern affiliate businesses through its dedicated ‘Conversion Conf’ stage. 

Curated in partnership with Conversion Conf, a global affiliate and performance marketing event organizer, the stage will bring together affiliate founders, media buyers, marketers, commercial leaders and technology specialists for a hands-on, practitioner-led program focused on tackling everyday affiliate challenges.

Across the event, the Conversion Conf stage will focus on three key pillars: Scale (Tuesday, September 29), Growth (Wednesday, September 30) and AI (Thursday, October 1). 

“As the bridge between operators, platforms and players, affiliates are often among the first to feel the impact of change, and the speed of this change is increasing,” said Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC.

“That is why our partnership with Conversion Conf is so important. They understand the challenges affiliate businesses are dealing with every day, and together we’ve built a program that gets to the heart of how to solve them.”

Scale: Building stronger teams and systems 

Opening the event, the Scale track will focus on building the internal structures, systems and processes needed for affiliates to grow their businesses sustainably.

Across the day, sessions will explore how successful affiliates are streamlining operations, building more effective sales functions and using automation to reduce manual workloads. Attendees will also hear how affiliate partnerships are evolving beyond lead generation and what founders need to consider when taking their businesses to the next stage of growth.

Sessions include: 

Growth: Finding the traffic that converts

The Growth track will shift focus to how affiliates can find new audiences, identify new traffic sources and scale acquisition in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

Sessions will explore how affiliates can deliver results across TikTok, Telegram and influencer marketing, alongside the creative systems and internal processes media buying teams are using to scale spend and improve performance.

Sessions include: 

AI: Finding the balance between automation and human advantage

On the final day, the AI track will outline how affiliates can use AI to work faster, operate more efficiently and improve performance without losing the creativity and human expertise that give their businesses an edge.

Throughout the day, sessions will explore how AI is reshaping team structures and creative production, as well as its growing impact on SEO and organic traffic. Discussions will also tackle where human judgement remains essential and how marketers can balance AI-generated content with original creative work. 

Sessions include:

Leading voices taking the stage across the three days include Aleksandr Flint (Founder, Flint Group), Dmitriy Belianin (Founder, Blask), Nikolay Nice (Founder, Sinners Media Buying), Mike Waizman (CMO, NGM GAME), Angelina Miko (Founder, Miko TikTok Traffic), Manish Chhabra (Senior Product Manager, Tinder), Ashley Wright (Founder & CEO, Social Tale) and Nefeli Papadopoulou (Senior Acquisitions Manager, Google EMEA), amongst many more. 

Lana Rossi, CEO of Conversion Conf, commented: “Affiliate businesses don’t need more conversations about what might matter in two or three years; they need practical answers to the problems they are dealing with today. That’s what this stage is all about, allowing attendees to leave with strategies and approaches they can put into practice straight away.”

Taking place from September 29 to October 1, 2026, the Affiliate Leaders Summit will welcome 10,000 industry professionals to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena for three days of networking, exhibition and education.

Attendance at the Conversion Club stage is reserved exclusively for attendees with an Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass. Affiliates may be eligible for a free pass. Find more information on the summit here.

CFL launches new app with theScore Bet as presenting partner

The Canadian Football League (CFL) unveiled its new mobile app this week, with sports betting operator theScore Bet as its presenting partner.

As part of the national partnership between the league and the PENN Entertainment-owned gaming brand that was announced earlier this year, theScore Bet became not only one of several authorized gaming operators of the league but also the sponsor of its app.

That app hit the Apple Store and Google Play Store on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The partnership with theScore Bet includes visible branding for the gaming operator throughout the app, as well as scoreboard and betting odds integrations across the CFL app, theScore’s legacy sports media and news app, and theScore Bet sportsbook platform.

“The importance of modernized technology cannot be overstated in today’s sporting landscape,” said CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston. “As expectations evolve and fandom deepens, it’s essential that we deliver a mobile-first experience that meets people where they are. The new CFL app puts the league, our teams and our players at fans’ fingertips, making it easier than ever to discover, follow and engage with Canadian football.”

“As presenting partner, theScore Bet is proud to support the new CFL app,” added PENN Interactive VP of Marketing Justin Hergianto. “It’s an exciting step forward for the league and how fans can follow the sport.”

theScore Bet and CFL’s extensive partnership

The deal between the league and theScore Bet, which Canadian Gaming Business first reported in June, includes much more than just sponsorship of the app.

The operator is not only an official authorized gaming operator of the league but is also an official betting and online casino partner in Ontario and Alberta, the two provinces in which commercial iGaming has been legalized.

The operator gets branding and visibility across league platforms as well as the opportunity to offer fan activations throughout the remainder of the 2026 season, which ends with the 113th Grey Cup on Nov. 15 in Calgary, and beyond. It is also the presenting sponsor of the league’s free-to-play season-long fantasy game, CFL Fantasy.

Meanwhile, theScore’s legacy media app will also expand its CFL coverage through enhanced league content and more fan engagement initiatives.

“The CFL occupies a special place in Canadian sports culture, making this a natural partnership for theScore Bet and theScore,” said Hergianto earlier this year. “As Canada’s Sportsbook, we’re proud to partner with Canada’s league to create more connected experiences for fans.”

CFL signs up multiple gaming partners

The partnership with PENN’s theScore Bet is not exclusive, and the operator is far from the only betting brand affiliated with the Canadian league.

FanDuel has been a partner of the CFL since 2023 and recently renewed that deal. The league also last year unveiled a multi-year deal with Soft2Bet’s Canadian B2C brand ToonieBet, and it also has a newer deal with bet365, which was confirmed around the time that Alberta opened its new regulated iGaming market in July.

Meanwhile, sports streaming giant DAZN announced recently that it will become the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of CFL Saturday Night Football games starting in 2027. DAZN’s gaming platform, DAZN Bet, launched in both Ontario and Alberta this summer.

Alberta’s launch increased the appeal of CFL partnerships for sportsbooks (and vice versa) given that two popular teams in the league are based in the province: the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Elks.

“Alberta is home to some of the most passionate football fans in Canada, making this an exciting time to welcome theScore Bet to our CFL family of partners,” said the CFL’s Chief Revenue Officer Tyler Keenan earlier this year. “With Calgary set to host the 113th Grey Cup, this partnership creates even more opportunities for fans to engage with our game and be part of the excitement.”

Delegates flock to SBC Summit as Super Stage tickets in demand following Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl and Jason Robins keynote announcement

LISBON, Portugal — Following the announcement that Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl and Jason Robins will headline SBC Summit 2026’s opening keynote on September 29, delegates have been rushing to secure their place at the event, with Super Stage tickets being snapped up. 

The Super Stage Pass (€199) includes standard seating (limited to 2,000 seats) for the “Leadership in Sports Business” keynote, access to every Super Stage session, and entry to the exhibition floor.

For those wanting the closest possible view, the Super Stage Golden Circle Pass (€499) offers one of just 500 premium seats for the keynote and all Super Stage sessions, plus access to the exhibition floor and the INFINITY Lisbon closing party, featuring Tiësto and Blasterjaxx.

SBC CEO and Founder Rasmus Sojmark described the keynote as a milestone moment for the industry. “This is the biggest keynote ever hosted on a European stage and it’s history in the making,” said Sojmark. “Bringing Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl and Jason Robins together at SBC Summit says everything about where this industry stands today. We wanted to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to be in the room for it, which is exactly why we’ve built ticket options specifically around the Super Stage.”

Both tickets sit alongside SBC Summit’s existing Conference, Business and VIP passes, which include full access to the keynote and the event’s five conference stages. Affiliate Leaders Summit attendees also have keynote access included as part of their ticket, though those wanting premium seating can still opt to upgrade with the Super Stage Golden Circle Pass.

The keynote, hosted by broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher, will bring together basketball icon, philanthropist and investor Michael Jordan, Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins. It takes place from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, the opening day of SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon.

The discussion will share learnings and experience around broader leadership themes, including scaling global businesses, making decisions under pressure, and steering organisations through change in fast-moving sports and technology markets. Beyond this, the panellists will touch on the relationship between sports betting and iGaming, and how the two sectors are increasingly converging and collaborating.

SBC Summit 2026 is expected to welcome over 40,000 industry professionals from across sports, betting, gaming, payments, marketing, affiliation, technology and media.

Since the Leadership in Business keynote was announced, more sports stars have been confirmed for SBC Summit 2026. UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, holder of the UFC’s all-time records for most finishes, submission wins and post-fight bonuses, will appear at SBC Summit 2026 across two days as an Aviator brand ambassador (courtesy of award-winning game developer SPRIBE), with another big name from the sports world set to be announced soon.

Ontario and Alberta to argue for cross-border iGaming play in Supreme Court hearing

The provincial governments of Ontario and Alberta will state their cases in the Supreme Court of Canada next month, where an appeals process centres on whether Ontario should be allowed to pool players of iGaming products like online poker and daily fantasy sports with other jurisdictions.

Several parties including Canada’s two commercial iGaming provinces have filed to present oral arguments in the court case at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 7.

As of Sept. 8, judges are set to hear from legal counsel representing:

  • The Attorney General of Alberta
  • The Attorney General of Ontario
  • The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA)
  • Flutter Entertainment
  • NSUS Group

All of those parties hope to see the Supreme Court uphold an Ontario Court of Appeal decision in November 2025 that it would be legal under the Criminal Code for Ontario to connect peer-to-peer iGaming play to jurisdictions outside of Canada by combining the jurisdictions’ respective player pools into one larger pool.

How did iGaming issue reach the Supreme Court?

Ontario, the CGA, FanDuel and PokerStars owner Flutter, and GGPoker parent NSUS were all parties to the original reference question filed by Ontario in the provincial appeals court in late 2024. In short, Ontario asked whether it can take its play across borders, thereby greatly expanding the potential of P2P games like online poker and DFS, which are currently limited to Ontario players competing against other Ontario players.

The Ontario Court of Appeal judges ruled 4-1 that such expansion would be legal, concluding that the Criminal Code does not require all players to be physically situated within the province as long as Ontario retains operational control over the gaming activity offered to Ontario users. That opinion lined up with the arguments of Ontario, the CGA, and the poker operators, who contend that, as the Ontario side of the game would be hosted and regulated by the province, it would still constitute gaming that happens “in” the province.

Outside of Ontario and Alberta, in all other Canadian provinces, the respective government-owned gaming operator is the only approved iGaming site. Three of those government lottery corporations appealed the Ontario court decision to the Supreme Court:

  • Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC)
  • British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)
  • Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL)

Loto-Québec subsequently joined its fellow lotteries in the appeal in April.

In summary, the appellants argued that the Criminal Code should not allow cross-border play because that would mean that the gaming no longer takes place entirely within the province; instead, they say, it would involve Ontario conducting and managing gaming outside its borders. The one dissenting Ontario Court of Appeal judge broadly agreed with that counter-argument.

Another gaming entity opposed to the idea of cross-border play, the Québec-based Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, pulled out of the appeal in June, determining that its perspective was adequately covered by the other appealing parties and that it did not believe its further participation would be an effective use of its resources.

Why does Alberta care?

Ontario in April 2022 and Alberta in July 2026 are the only two Canadian provinces to open a commercial, regulated online gambling market. If the Supreme Court were to uphold the Ontario court’s decision, it would allow Ontario to sound out other jurisdictions about connecting peer-to-peer play.

Alberta wanted to become a party to the appeal process because, in the words of Alberta AG Mickey Amery, the outcome would be of “significant interest” in relation to its new iGaming market, which it launched on July 13.

The flags of Alberta and Canada
Image: Shutterstock

While Alberta said in a court filing on May 25 that it has not taken a position on the facts of the case, the filing noted the repercussions the decision could have on its own regulated iGaming model.

“The Attorney General of Alberta intervenes because this Court’s interpretation of whether iGaming Ontario remains lawful under the Criminal Code could impact the validity and operation of Alberta’s own online gaming statutory regime (iGaming Alberta),” reads a line in Amery’s filing.

The Alberta AG supported Ontario et al’s argument that the Criminal Code should not be interpreted as preventing Ontario from connecting P2P play with other jurisdictions if all involved jurisdictions agree.

That includes not only other countries but other provinces within Canada.

The Ontario court’s decision noted that the Criminal Code’s language states that it is lawful for a province, “either alone or in conjunction with another province, to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in that province, or in that and the other province, in accordance with any law enacted by the legislature of that province.”

Ontario and Alberta would like to link play

In essence, that would mean that two provinces can connect their play if they both want to do so. And, while the court process plays out, Ontario and Alberta have plans to join hands. Officials from each province have been saying for months that they would like to explore the idea of pooling their P2P gaming.

iGaming Ontario (iGO) President and CEO Joseph Hillier told Canadian Gaming Business last year that pooling play with Alberta’s regulated iGaming market would be “very much a topic of conversation at the table” once Alberta opened its market.

Hillier’s counterpart out west, Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) CEO Dan Keene, said at SBC Summit Canada in May that the two provinces were already working on a memorandum of understanding to combine their player pools.

“We’ll try and get that done as quickly as we can with our friends in Ontario,” Keene said at that time. “We are in favour of that … From a business and commercial perspective, it makes a lot of sense.”

That could make online poker and DFS play more appealing to both consumers and operators. It would allow operators already licensed in both Ontario and Alberta, including the likes of Flutter’s PokerStars and NSUS’s GGPoker, the latter of which last month secured Alberta approval, to host games and tournaments involving players from both provinces. For players, it would mean more competitive contests and bigger prize pools.

A somewhat similar model already exists in the U.S., where the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) connects players in several states. Depending on the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal, Ontario and Alberta could feasibly soon be able to explore the idea of connecting with U.S. states themselves.

SBC Summit’s Digital Marketing & CRM Academy to tackle AI, brand & platform strategy

SBC Summit’s Digital Marketing & CRM Academy will take delegates from agentic CRM campaigns to AI-ready advertising strategy, with sessions led by senior marketers, brand leaders, and platform specialists from the likes of Meta and Google.

Part of the event’s premium Education+ program, the Academy will feature hands-on sessions covering campaign execution, brand modernization, creator partnerships, and applied AI, with a close eye on where marketing budgets are heading next.

Taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 30, during SBC Summit at Sala Tejo, MEO Arena, the Academy is aimed at marketing, CRM, and commercial professionals who want a sharper, more informed approach to reaching audiences, applying AI, and putting their budgets to better use.

“Marketing right now sits at an interesting crossroads,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “AI is reshaping how campaigns get built, and platforms are shifting fast, but the fundamentals haven’t gone anywhere. You still need to know your audience, build a brand people trust, and spend your budget with intent.

“This Academy is about bringing all of that together in one room- AI, platforms, brand, and giving people something practical to take back to their teams, not just theory.”

SBC Summit Digital Marketing & CRM Academy agenda

The Academy will open with the session ‘Built, Sent, Reported: An Agentic Campaign From Start to Finish‘, led by Lucy Neylin (Head of Client Solutions, Xtremepush). Using XpertOS, Xtremepush’s Agentic Operating System for CRM teams, Neylin will demonstrate a campaign brief moving through its full lifecycle: audience discovery, creative, compliance, execution, and reporting. Delegates will learn how agentic technology can help at each stage.

Brand strategy will then come into focus in the case study ‘Practical Principles for Modernizing a Brand Across Markets‘. Tatiana Vivienne Jouanneau (Group Chief Brand Officer, Allwyn) will look at what keeps established brands relevant as technology, culture, and customer expectations shift. Drawing on her experience balancing global consistency with local relevance, Jouanneau will explore how sports partnerships can strengthen a brand and how local teams can be given room to create without straying from a clear, shared identity.

Next, the panel ‘Platform Discovery: TikTok, Meta, Snapchat, YouTube, Netflix and Spotify‘ will explore how brands can improve their visibility across the platforms competing for consumer attention. Mert Babayigit (Client Services Partner, EMEA Gaming, Meta) and James Fox (Senior Industry Manager, Google) will examine creator partnerships, cultural relevance, and performance in 2027, including the growing influence of AI-powered tools, social commerce, and changing content behaviours.

The Academy will also examine how AI can sharpen returns on digital advertising in the session ‘A Guide to Applied AI in Digital Advertising‘. Rikard Bildsten (Partner and Head of New Product Solutions, Havion Media), formerly a regional vice president at Microsoft Advertising, will explore the trends driving rapid change across digital advertising before turning to practical use cases and tools delegates can use to build their own marketing action plan.

Attention will then turn to influencer partnerships during the fireside chat ‘Beyond the Post‘. Ben Jeffries (CEO, Influencer) will explore how brands can build effective collaborations with creators, from structuring agreements and shaping the creative approach to identifying the commercial outcomes that matter beyond engagement metrics alone.

The Academy will conclude with the interactive workshop ‘Where Would You Spend $1M Today?‘. Featuring Dean Akinjobi (CEO, Football Media), Hebert Luiz T Crespin Gaban (CMO, KBET and DEBET), Dawid Pożoga (CMO, STS), and Joseph Sancio (Director of Affiliate Partnerships, Hard Rock Digital), the session will challenge delegates to allocate a hypothetical $1m marketing budget across different channels, justify their choices, and compare how investment priorities shift according to brand objectives and real-world performance benchmarks.

Access to SBC’s Digital Marketing & CRM Academy is available exclusively through the SBC Summit Education+ Upgrade. Priced at €249, the upgrade can be added to any ticket and provides access to one selected Academy.

Education+ Passes can be purchased as an add-on for all SBC Summit and Affiliate Leaders Summit ticket types.

SBC names InsightPlay.ai official AI solutions partner for SBC Summit 2026

InsightPlay.ai has been named the Official AI Solutions Partner of SBC Summit 2026. The firm deepens its partnership with SBC through the deployment of Bruna, an AI agent designed to support attendees across the entire event journey, from the weeks leading up to the show to real-time assistance on-site.

SBC Summit will take place Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2026, at the FIL and MEO Arena in Lisbon, bringing together the global betting and gaming industry for three days of business, networking, content and innovation.

Highlights include the Leadership in Sports Business keynote featuring basketball icon, investor, and philanthropist Michael Jordan, Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins, alongside a new structured networking program designed to create more targeted business connections through speed networking, regulatory meetups, show floor tours and curated meetings.

One agent, two roles

InsightPlay.ai built Bruna as an AI agent available through voice and WhatsApp, able to engage attendees and prospects naturally and in real time at different stages of the event journey.

In the weeks leading up to SBC Summit, Bruna operates as an AI Sales Agent, engaging prospective attendees, answering questions about the event and ticket options, and guiding interested delegates through the purchase process. Once the doors open in Lisbon, Bruna shifts into an AI Customer Support and Event Concierge, giving attendees instant access to essential event information throughout the summit.

Available 24/7, Bruna helps delegates with questions about the agenda and sessions, speakers, exhibitors and stand locations, ticket access, networking opportunities, parties, venue details, and general event logistics.

This dual deployment shows how a single AI agent can move beyond one use case to support an organization across different stages of the customer lifecycle: from acquisition and conversion to real-time customer support.

SBC Summit Rio, Americas, and now Lisbon

The collaboration builds on InsightPlay.ai and SBC’s previous deployment at SBC Summit Rio and SBC Summit Americas, where Bruna debuted as an AI Event Concierge providing delegates with real-time event assistance.

Lisbon marks the next stage of that collaboration, expanding Bruna’s role from attendee support into commercial engagement and ticket sales, demonstrating how the same conversational AI infrastructure can power multiple business functions at once.

For InsightPlay.ai, the partnership also offers a live showcase of its enterprise-grade AI agent technology at one of the industry’s largest global gatherings. Rather than encountering AI through a product demo alone, SBC Summit attendees will be able to interact directly with Bruna and experience firsthand how conversational AI operates across voice and text, manages high volumes of simultaneous conversations, and supports different objectives throughout the customer lifecycle.

“Both Rio and SBC Summit Americas allowed us to demonstrate how conversational AI could transform attendee support,” said InsightPlay.ai COO and Co-Founder Cristian Barbosa. “Lisbon takes that concept further: Bruna is now part of the journey before attendees even reach the venue, helping SBC engage prospects and support ticket sales, then seamlessly shifting into customer service during the event itself. That versatility is where enterprise AI agents become especially valuable.”

By integrating AI into commercial activity and on-site attendee support, the partnership reflects SBC’s continued focus on exploring technology that improves customer experience while increasing operational efficiency at scale.

“We’ve already seen through Rio and Americas how useful Bruna can be as an attendee support tool, so expanding her role in Lisbon felt like a natural next step,” said SBC Marketing Director James Shanahan. “This time, we’re looking at how the same technology can support us before the event as well as during it, from helping prospective attendees with questions and ticket options to providing delegates with instant support once they arrive.”

Meet Bruna at SBC Summit 2026

If prospects have already been contacted by Bruna, they’ve experienced firsthand how a voice AI agent can support the event journey; if they need further assistance along the way, SBC’s official concierge is also available via WhatsApp.

During the event, Bruna remains available as a 24/7 AI Event Concierge, providing real-time assistance to delegates throughout SBC Summit.

WhatsApp: +13527680805

About InsightPlay.ai

InsightPlay.ai is an enterprise AI solutions company specializing in autonomous conversational agents for acquisition, retention, reactivation and customer support.

Operating across voice and text channels, InsightPlay.ai’s AI agents enable organizations to engage customers in real time, automate high-volume conversations, and support measurable business outcomes throughout the customer lifecycle.

About SBC

SBC is a leading global events and media company focused on the betting and gaming industry, bringing together operators, affiliates, suppliers, regulators, and other industry stakeholders through international conferences, exhibitions, and media platforms.

SBC Summit to examine regulation, tech, and market competition in Western Europe

SBC Summit’s dedicated Western Europe track will help operators navigate the mounting pressures facing the region’s mature gambling markets, including tighter regulation, black-market activity, and the growing challenge of retaining players.

Taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 30 on the SBC Summit Global & Emerging Markets Stage, the track will bring together operators, regulators, and industry leaders to examine how technology, policy reform, and changing player behaviors are reshaping some of Europe’s most mature gaming markets.

Across the program, discussions will cover developments in several regions:

  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Portugal
  • Scandinavia
  • UK

Also on the SBC Summit Western Europe track agenda will be the growing influence of prediction markets and technology’s role in protecting revenue and long-term commercial value.

“Western Europe is home to some of the world’s most established regulated gambling markets, but maturity doesn’t necessarily mean stability,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “Rising taxes and shifting regulation mean companies now have to navigate a genuinely complicated period.

“This track is about understanding what operators can actually do next. By comparing how mature markets are responding to similar pressures, delegates can see which strategies are working, where regulation may be creating unintended consequences, and what those lessons mean for sustainable growth across the region.”

SBC Summit panels on tech, black market, taxes & more

Opening the track, the session ‘The Impact of Tech on Operator Revenues and Player Retention in Europe‘ will examine how technology can help operators unlock growth against an increasingly competitive European landscape. Featuring Andrew Cochrane (Chief Commercial Officer, Soft2Bet), Paddy Desmond (Group Chief Operating Officer, Tote), Eberhard Dürrschmid (CEO, Golden Whale), Elena Rousseva (CEO of Managed Services, Playtech), and Marinos Shiapanis (CEO, Campeon Gaming), the panel will assess which innovations are increasing player value and retention, and which risk adding complexity without delivering a return on investment.

Attention will then turn to black-market competition in the session ‘The Dutch Dilemma: Deposit Caps, Ad Bans and the Black-Market Boom‘, examining how regulatory pressure is affecting the competitiveness of the Dutch market. Featuring Cristiano Blanco (CEO, Spincore Group), Björn Fuchs (Chairman, VNLOK), Eric Olders (Chairman & CEO, JOI Gaming / JVH Gaming), and Frank Op de Woerd (CEO, CasinoNieuws.nl), the session will explore the impact of deposit limits, advertising restrictions, and rising operating costs, alongside what licensed brands can do to compete with offshore operators.

‘Scandinavia: High Tax, High Standards, High Stakes‘ will assess how regulatory tightening is changing both operator strategy and player behaviour across Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Fredrik Wastenson (Managing Director Nordics, LeoVegas), Pascal Chaffard (Chief Online Betting & Gaming Officer, FDJ United), Anders Dorph (Director, Danish Gambling Authority), Jesper Eliasson (Director, PAF), and Gustaf Hoffstedt (CEO, BOS.NU) will be on the panel to examine how taxes, bonus restrictions, payment controls, and compliance costs are affecting acquisition and retention.

The UK will also come under the microscope during the fireside chat ‘The UK Squeeze: Can the Regulated Market Keep Winning?‘. Led by Andy Wright (MD, UK&I, LeoVegas Group) and Josh Hodgson (COO, H2 Gambling Capital), the discussion will examine how Financial Risk Assessments, rising taxes, affordability measures, and tighter advertising rules are influencing operator strategy, and where the balance lies between consumer protection and sustainable growth. 

Elsewhere, the session Beyond the Reform: The New Italian Gaming Landscape will examine the next phase in Italian gaming. Experts Davide Diodato (CEO, HBG Online (Novomatic)), Fabio Bufalini (Country Manager, Stake Italy), Marco Castaldo (CEO, Microgame), Marco Tiso (Managing Director, Sisal), Quirino Mancini (Partner & Director, WH Partners Italy), and moderator Mauro De Fabritiis (Founder, MDF Partners), will explore how Italy’s latest regulatory reforms and upcoming land-based tenders could reshape competition, market entry, and operator strategy.

What can Europe learn from US situation?

The agenda will also look at the emergence of new gaming opportunities in the region. ‘Prediction Markets: The Future’s Not Near, It’s Here‘ will explore what European operators and regulators can learn from the rapid growth of prediction markets in the U.S.

‘Portugal’s Gambling Evolution: Growth, Pressure and New Opportunities‘ will assess where future growth can be unlocked in Europe as online revenues rise alongside tighter player protection and compliance demands.

Beyond the conference program, delegates can continue the conversation through SBC Summit’s Regulatory Gaming Meetups, with dedicated sessions covering markets including Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium, the UK and Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and the Nordics. Bringing together operators, regulators, legal experts and market specialists, the meetups give attendees a chance to explore the regulatory challenges shaping individual jurisdictions and build relationships with the people influencing their future direction. 

Taking place Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at Feira Internacional de Lisboa and the MEO Arena, SBC Summit will bring together more than 40,000 industry professionals for three days of conference content, exhibition, and networking.

Entrance to SBC Summit’s conference agenda is reserved for attendees with conference, business, and VIP passes. 

Operators, affiliates, and some operators may be eligible for a complimentary pass to SBC Summit. Apply here.

Want to find out more about prediction markets? The Global Prediction Market Forum is being held in Lisbon alongside SBC Summit on Oct. 1. More details.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia government gaming corporations pay AML-related fines

Canada’s financial and anti-money laundering watchdog FINTRAC fined two crown gaming corporations, the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation and the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, for failing to submit reports of suspicious transactions.

In separate news releases issued on Thursday, Sept. 3, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) announced that the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation paid a fine of $399,712.50, while the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation paid a penalty of $231,826.

Both government entities allegedly violated Canada’s federal Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) and associated regulations. FINTRAC found that both of the two organizations failed to submit suspicious transaction reports when there were reasonable grounds to suspect money laundering or terrorist activity, which is categorized as a “very serious” violation.

FINTRAC said that both entities missed indicators of potential money laundering, including:

  • Use of common identifiers such as addresses and phone numbers by multiple players
  • Players producing seemingly false, counterfeit, or altered information or identification
  • Notification of a chargeback on the deposit method used by a player, which is indicative of unauthorized use

“The obligations in [PCMLTFA] deter criminals and terrorists from operating in the legitimate economy and ensure that FINTRAC receives the reporting needed to generate actionable financial intelligence in support of law enforcement and national security investigations,” said FINTRAC’s Acting Director and CEO Stéphane Sirard. “We will take firm action, when it is required, to ensure that businesses do their part and fulfill these obligations.”

The federal agency said that both New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming and Nova Scotia Gaming paid their fines in full and the cases are now closed.

Nova Scotia violations related to Atlantic Lottery iGaming

Canadian Gaming Business reached out to the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation (NBLGC) and the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation seeking comment.

New Brunswick Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy stressed via email that “the degree of real harm associated with any of the audit findings was minimal, and no evidence of money laundering was found.” The NBLGC has addressed the administrative deficiencies identified by FINTRAC, added Legacy, and “we are confident we have complied with our legal and regulatory obligations.”

In addition to fining both government gaming corporations for failing to submit suspicious transaction reports, FINTRAC penalized Nova Scotia Gaming for other violations:

  • Failing to develop and apply written compliance policies and procedures that are kept up to date
  • Failing to assess and document the risk of a money laundering or a terrorist activity financing offence

Nova Scotia Finance and Treasury Board Communications Director Rachel Boomer told Canadian Gaming Business that Nova Scotia Gaming’s administrative penalties were primarily related to Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) online casino operations in the province.

She added that reports were not issued for two transactions totaling approximately $750 and $465 that FINTRAC considered potentially suspicious, but, like New Brunswick Minister Legacy, stressed that there was no evidence of money laundering.

“We take this seriously,” Boomer added. “We investigated immediately, banned and suspended the players, and have changed our policies to address FINTRAC’s concerns. We continue to work diligently to ensure our gaming operations do not support money laundering or illegal activity.”

FINTRAC also fined Atlantic Lottery $200K+ in May

New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming and Nova Scotia Gaming are the respective government gaming corporations of their provinces. They are each also shareholders in ALC, which is the governmental gaming operator jointly owned by all four Atlantic Canada provinces.

ALC serves as the primary public lottery and online gaming operator in that region. In collaboration with the respective provincial crown corporations, it rolled out online casino gaming in all four Atlantic provinces over the last few years:

An Atlantic Lottery booth at SBC Summit Canada
Image: SBC

Separately from the penalties announced this week, FINTRAC fined ALC a total of $212,025 in May of this year for similar violations related to suspicious transaction reporting:

  • Failure to submit a suspicious transaction report where there were reasonable grounds to suspect links to money laundering or terrorist activity
  • Failure to keep written compliance policies and procedures up to date
  • Failure to assess and document the risk of financial crimes

Like the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia crown corporations, the Atlantic Lottery paid the fine in full and the case is closed.

ALC said in a public statement that although it may not agree with FINTRAC’s punishment, it believed appealing the fine in court would be a waste of money and “not in the best interest of Atlantic Canadians.”

In contrast, other Canadian gaming entities including the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) last year chose to contest the agency’s claims of wrongdoing by appealing in federal court.

BCLC and First Nations operator SIGA were each fined more than $1m for alleged violations including a supposed failure to report suspicious transactions.

In 2025–26, FINTRAC issued 35 Notices of Violation of non-compliance to businesses across all sectors, the largest annual number in the agency’s history, for a total of more than $247m in penalties.

Affiliate Leaders Summit to feature dedicated track on Platforms & Performance

The Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026 will examine the technologies, engagement strategies and content models underpinning modern affiliate performance through the dedicated ‘Platforms & Performance‘ conference track. 

Taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 29, the track will bring together leading affiliates, social media and content platforms, operators and marketing specialists to explore how affiliates can strengthen acquisition, engagement, and performance in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

The track forms part of the event’s dual-stage Affiliate Leaders Summit conference program, created in partnership with Conversion Conf. Tracks across the agenda will explore the future of affiliate strategy, scale, growth, AI, and content and discovery.

Across the tracks, sessions will explore how affiliates can reach multi-channel audiences, adapt to evolving digital platforms, harness AI, rethink content strategies and build more connected approaches to data, measurement and acquisition.

“Affiliate performance used to be much easier to define. You could look at rankings, clicks or conversions and get a fairly clear picture of what was working. Today, the journey behind those results is much more complicated,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “Someone might discover a brand through a creator, see it again on social media, search for it days later and convert somewhere else entirely. For affiliates, the opportunity is understanding that whole journey rather than trying to win one channel in isolation. This track is about looking at performance through that wider lens.”

Panels on AI, audience behaviour, data, and more

The growing influence of AI on performance marketing will take centre stage during the exclusive Affiliate Leaders Summit keynote ‘AI Powered Growth: How Meta is Supercharging Performance‘. During the presentation, Kaan Camgoz (Head of Gaming, RMG & Console EMEA, Meta) will draw on real operator case studies to examine where AI is already delivering practical results for real money gambling advertisers, covering areas including media optimization, campaign strategy, creative development, and measurement.

The conversation will then shift to the changing behaviours of today’s affiliate audience in the session ‘The Modern Affiliate Audience: Younger, Multi-Channel, Easily Distracted, and Totally Disloyal‘. Experts Armin Aganovic (COO, Joelsson Media Group AB), Shane Roberts (streamer, BC.Game), Abraham Charles (founder and CEO, each&everyone), Tamara Hovhannisyan (Head of Product, Digitain), and panel moderator Olha Sydorenko (Chief Business Development Officer, Jester Marketing) will explore how affiliates can engage audiences across platforms and content formats, alongside changing approaches to loyalty and the challenges of building lasting audience relationships.

The theme of engaging modern audiences will continue in the session ‘Content evolution: Why Content is the Most Undervalued Asset in iGaming Affiliation’. Speakers Rui Costa (Head of Content, Gentoo), Alan Záruba (Chief Digital Content Officer, Livesport (Flashscore)), Adam Bielinski (CEO and co-owner, iGamingNuts), Keith Geary (Director of Marketing, Mr Gamble) and panel moderator Rohini Sardana (founder and CEO, Wisewager Ltd.) will examine the impact of short-form, social-native storytelling on the affiliate sector, and why it is increasingly being treated as a strategic business asset.

Attention will then turn to the technical foundations of performance during the session, ‘Measurement in 2027: The Cookie Decline and the First-Party Data Crisis’. Experts Clemence Dujardin (CEO, MyAffiliates), Robert Kraft (Founder, Atlas World), Clint Griscti (Co-founder & CEO, APIdae.Digital), Will Barfield (Head of Fan Reach, Better Collective) and moderator Jyoti Rambhai (Editor, Affiliate Leaders), will break down what affiliate success means in a post-cookie landscape, assessing the technology still showing value, how affiliates can demonstrate value to operators as traditional metrics become less reliable and the growing importance of first party data.

Elsewhere on the Affiliate Leaders Summit agenda, ‘Affiliate Leadership 2030: The Strategies Defining the Next Decade’ will examine how affiliate businesses can prepare for future growth, while ‘Media Planning in 2027: How Meta, Google and TikTok Are Shaping the Next Era’ will explore how changing platforms and advertising environments are influencing media strategies. The track will also feature ‘Killing the Silo Monster: Integrating CRM, SEO, Paid Media & Content’, assessing how closer alignment between marketing functions can improve acquisition and retention performance.

Get your Affiliate Leaders Summit pass

Taking place Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2026, the Affiliate Leaders Summit will welcome 10,000 industry professionals to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena for three days of networking, exhibition and education.

Affiliates can apply for complimentary VIP passes, while an Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass (€599) is available for operators, agencies, suppliers and other professionals working across acquisition and performance marketing.

Explore the full Affiliate Leaders Summit conference agenda and secure your place through the official event website.

SBC’s Global Prediction Markets Forum to confront sector’s toughest questions

Prediction markets have gone from a niche curiosity to one of the most contested questions in global gambling. Are they a financial product, a betting product, or something regulators haven’t caught up with yet? SBC’s new Global Prediction Markets Forum will bring the industry’s leading voices together to confront that question head-on, through a full-day conference program in Lisbon.

Taking place on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Myriad Hotel in Lisbon, the standalone event will run alongside SBC Summit 2026, providing a dedicated meeting point for stakeholders interested in the future of prediction markets.

Bringing together operators, prediction market specialists, legal and regulatory experts, and technology leaders, the educational program will address the sector’s biggest challenges as it transitions from a predominantly American niche to a growing global opportunity.

Global Prediction Markets Forum sessions will examine evolving regulatory and legal frameworks, how prediction markets could translate to European audiences, the technical considerations of launching and integrating markets and the long-term future of the sector.

“Prediction markets have quickly become one of the biggest talking points in the industry, but as with any sector moving at this pace, the opportunities come with a lot of questions,” said SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “For operators considering entering the space, the question is how to do so effectively, safely and compliantly. That is the purpose of this forum: to bring newcomers and experts into the same room, tackle the questions and build a clearer understanding of where the sector is heading.”

Global Prediction Markets Forum panels focus on present and future

With jurisdictions divided over whether to block, regulate, or license prediction markets, the session ‘Regulating futures: bridging the gap between the U.S. and Europe’ will examine how the regulatory landscape is developing on both sides of the Atlantic. Experts Andrew Lyman (Gambling Commissioner and Executive Director, Government of Gibraltar), Charles Mizzi, (CEO, Malta Gaming Authority), Terence Cassar (Partner, GTG Legal), Zach Doctor (Co-Founder & CEO, WagerWire), and moderator Ron Segev (Founding Partner, Segev LLP) will assess ongoing regulatory uncertainty across key global markets and explore how operators can prepare for future regulatory change.

At the heart of this regulatory debate is the question of how prediction markets should be legally defined. The session ‘The legal conundrum: are prediction markets gambling?‘ will tackle this question head-on, bringing together experts Matt Kane (Head of Legal, Betr), Arthur Stadler (Founding Partner, Stadler Partner Attorneys), Steve Humenik (Chief Legal Officer, Crypto.com), and panel moderator Quirino Mancini (Partner, WH Partners Italy). The panel will debate whether event contracts constitute gambling or financial trading, examine existing legal frameworks, and consider how regulators may rule in the future.

The discussion will then move to the technical considerations of launching prediction markets during the session, ‘Time to market – the technological hurdles to launching a prediction market product’. Speakers Andrew Gonzalez (CEO, ParlayX), Henrich Tauber (Head of Business Development, Limitless), Amit Mahensaria (CEO, Pred.app), Guy Dotan (Co-Founder, WireMarkets), and panel moderator Jeff Haas (Strategic Advisor, Binara.ai) will evaluate the technology needed to remain compliant, available integration options, and which technology can support a faster and more efficient route to market.

The future of prediction markets will take centre stage during the session ‘An industry on the cusp of boom or bust: what’s the future of futures?’. Experts John Aristotle Phillips (CEO, PredictIt), Joey Levy (CEO, Betr), and Noah Traisman (CEO, Winible) will explore whether prediction markets can coexist alongside traditional sportsbooks, what can be learned from other formats such as poker and daily fantasy sports, and whether there is room for multiple major players.

Other Global Prediction Markets Forum sessions across the day will delve into topics including the role of strategic media partnerships in taking prediction markets mainstream, the distinctions between prediction markets and sportsbooks, the merits of peer-to-peer and fixed-odds models and the developments that have transformed prediction markets from a niche product into one of the biggest talking points in global gambling.

Get your ticket to SBC’s Global Prediction Markets Forum

Access to the Global Prediction Markets Forum requires a separate ticket, priced at €399 (approximately C$643). Each ticket holder will also receive a complimentary copy of SBC Insights’ ‘Prediction Market Report 2026’.

Purchase your ticket here.