As regulatory expectations and industry standards around player safety continue to evolve, SBC Summit will dedicate a full day to exploring how the gambling industry can move toward more preventative and player-centric protection models through its upcoming Player Protection Symposium.
Scheduled for 30 September 2026 in Lisbon, the symposium will bring together regulators, operators, responsible gambling experts, and technology providers to discuss the tools, policies, and partnerships needed to strengthen player protection across regulated markets.
Part of the official SBC Summit 2026 conference agenda, the event will focus on three key themes: balancing regulation with efforts to combat the black market, defining the operator’s role in player protection, and exploring how technology is transforming the identification and support of at-risk players.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, highlighted the importance of addressing player protection through a collaborative international lens:
“Gambling harm prevention is a challenge shared by every regulated market. While different jurisdictions may take different approaches, the goal remains the same: protecting consumers and creating safer gambling environments. SBC Summit provides a platform to bring those perspectives together, share lessons from around the world, and help delegates understand what effective player protection looks like in practice. Ultimately, sustainable growth is only possible when player protection sits at the heart of the market.”
Among the symposium’s featured sessions is “Innovation in Tech: How Can Technology Keep Players Safe from Harm?”, where industry experts from Superbet, Mindway AI, Grand Casino Kursaal Bern, and CallsU will explore how artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics are helping operators detect risky behavior earlier and implement more effective interventions.
The event will also examine accountability within the gambling ecosystem through the panel “Whose Shoulders Does Responsible Gaming Fall On?”, bringing together representatives from organizations such as Gamstop, Allwyn, Underdog, and leading legal experts to discuss where responsibility ultimately lies between operators, regulators, and players.
Another major topic on the agenda is responsible advertising. The session “The Ethical Tension in Gaming Advertisements” will explore how operators can market their products responsibly while maintaining consumer engagement, an increasingly important challenge in highly regulated markets.
The symposium will also address one of the industry’s most debated issues: the relationship between stricter regulations and black-market growth. During “Regulations are getting stronger: What it means for the black market,” experts from EGBA, Gamstop, ANJ, and other leading organizations will examine whether tighter regulations strengthen regulated markets or inadvertently drive consumers toward unlicensed alternatives.
In addition to the conference sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the newly launched Regulatory Meet-ups, organized in partnership with the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL). These networking sessions will facilitate direct dialogue between regulators, legal experts, and industry stakeholders.
The meet-ups will cover regulatory developments across Latin America, Asia, Africa, Eurasia, and the Balkans, as well as market-specific discussions focused on the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Italy, Greece, and Portugal.
Taking place from 29 September to 1 October 2026, SBC Summit will welcome more than 40,000 industry professionals to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena for three days of networking, exhibitions, and educational content designed to shape the future of the global gaming and betting industry.
