SBC Summit’s record-breaking 2026 edition delivered growth not only in overall attendance, but also across some of the industry’s most commercially important audience groups, with operator numbers up 37% and C-level participation up 40.7% year-on-year.
Headlined by basketball icon Michael Jordan, the event brought together some of the biggest names in gaming, sport and entertainment for a landmark edition, during which SBC also confirmed Lisbon as the home of SBC Summit through 2030.
40,000 people attended this year’s event in Lisbon, representing an overall growth of 34.5%. Within that audience, C-level executives rose from 5,969 to 8,398, meaning senior decision-maker growth outpaced overall event growth.
Affiliate registrations also rose 71%, while attendance increased across every major international region, including 129.6% from Africa, 58.5% from North America, 44.3% from Asia, 32.3% from Europe and 10.7% from Latin America.
Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC, said: “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.”
The scale and composition of the audience shaped the structure of the 2026 edition. 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 most visible in the launch of the standalone Affiliate Leaders Summit, which brought together 10,000 attendees, including 6,000 affiliates and 3,000 operator representatives, plus 150 exhibitors and sponsors. The event’s scale gave the affiliate and performance marketing sector its own dedicated commercial environment while keeping it connected to the wider SBC Summit audience.
The event also placed a stronger focus on regulation and direct engagement with regulators, 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 internationalisation 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 regulatory questions emerging at the intersection of betting, financial markets, and forecasting.
This focus was reinforced through the Regulatory Gaming Meet-ups, organised 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.
Commercial interaction was also supported through an expanded structured networking programme powered by SBC Connect, alongside other targeted formats designed to make it easier for attendees to identify and meet relevant partners throughout the event.
Sojmark added: “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.
“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 programme featuring 600 speakers and an expanded range of CPD-certified learning opportunities.
“We set out to create more than a gaming industry trade show. We wanted to build a global meeting place at the intersection of gaming, AI & tech, fintech, sports, music and entertainment,” Sojmark added.
That ambition was reflected in a conference programme that brought together some of the most influential figures from across industries. One defining moment was a historic keynote featuring basketball legend, investor and philanthropist Michael Jordan, who took the stage alongside Sportradar Founder and CEO Carsten Koerl and DraftKings Co-Founder and CEO Jason Robins. The landmark session drew 5,000 attendees, making it one of the event’s biggest highlights and bringing together three influential figures from sport, business and technology.
The conference programme also welcomed major names from global sport and media, including renowned football journalist and transfer market insider Fabrizio Romano and UFC champion Charles Oliveira.
They were joined by industry leaders including Betsson Group CEO Jesper Svensson, Allwyn Digital CEO Kresimir Spajic and Group Chief Brand Officer Tatiana Vivienne Jouanneau, Flutter International Chief Strategy Officer Tom Bowry, Fortuna Entertainment Group CEO Dieter John, Super Technologies Deputy CEO Albert Simsensohn, Jogos Santa Casa Co-CEO Rita Prates, LeoVegas Group CEO and Co-Founder Gustaf Hagman, Altenar COO and Co-Founder Dinos Stranomitis, Spribe Founder and CEO David Natroshvili, and SoftConstruct Co-Founder Vigen Badalyan.
Beyond the conference stages, the event’s entertainment programme 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 the Summit, and on the final day, SBC formalised a new long-term agreement confirming Lisbon as the home of SBC Summit through 2030.
Sojmark added: “Lisbon has become part of the identity of SBC Summit. 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 from 21–23 September 2027.
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