The sun is shining here in Malta. St. Julians is a hive of activity for the iGaming industry, and the SBC Media team is ready to go for day one of the conference.
Throughout the day, we’ll be keeping you in the know on the major happenings at this week’s SBC Summit Malta – with live news brought to you by ELA Games.
The team on site today includes Martyn Elliott, Ted Menmuir, Craig Davies, Joe Streeter, Jyoti Rambhai ,Viktor Kayed and Luke Miles, who will bring you all the latest from SBC News, iGaming Expert and Affiliate Leaders.
This live coverage is supported by ELA Games.
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09:00 am: Welcome to Malta!
The doors are open – SBC Summit Malta is underway! Attendees are making their way through the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julians for what promises to be a jam-packed day full of interesting conversations, insightful panel sessions and some very exciting networking.
This year, we have five stages of conference, including dedicated workshops on European regulatory developments, and panel sessions covering everything from marketing, taxes, sports betting and the future of iGaming …
11:00 am: can gamification really cross over between sports and casino?
Reporting by Viktor Kayed, Senior Journalist, SBC News
Conference sessions are underway, and in conference room 2, Alexandre Tomic is diving into the ways that operators can create a unique experience for players that introduces them to new games and products.
However, cross-selling products such as slots to a player that has traditionally bet on sports is no small feat. The secret to achieving this? For Tomic, Founder of Alea, it’s all about a user-friendly interface.
He said: “Once you have a player coming from a sportsbook with the relevant acquisition cost, you want to move them to the casino. It was done through blackjack. Blackjack is a game that a sportsbook player would play without feeling stupid. Then we engage them with a process where they’re gonna feel that it’s ok to play slots. So we go from sports, to blackjack to slots.”
“A user-friendly interface can change everything. I’ve seen cases where gamification features are pushed to the player while they’re betting on sports. The way it is gamified is the game changer.”
10:15am: CEO in the hot seat …
Reporting by Jyoti Rambhai, Editor of Affiliate Leaders
Over in conference room 1, Francesco Postiglione, CEO of Casumo, is in the hot seat as he offers his unfiltered insights into strategy, leadership and the future of play.
With a bit of audience participation, Trudy Kerr – Presenter, Producer, Host and Founder of The SHE Word – surveyed the room on whether the iGaming industry has become harder to navigate over the past 5, 10 and 20 years. The majority of attendees raised their hand for all three.
But for the Casumo CEO, one of the biggest challenges for navigating the iGaming industry is standing out from the crowd.
“We’re all looking a bit the same as each other,” said Francesco Postiglione, CEO of Casumo. “And that’s where marketing can help operators stand out. With various regulatory and policy changes start reshaping the industry, operators need to be able to ‘differentiate’ themselves.”
“Differentiation is always possible,” he added. “The user experience is probably the biggest and most important different shapers [things like] seamless registration, a seamless deposit, a seamless withdrawal, good interaction with consumers for any problems, for anti-money laundering checks will still make a big difference.”
10:50 am: what’s the best way to reach an audience …?
Reporting by Jyoti Rambhai, Editor of Affiliate Leaders
Marco Trucco, CMO of Immense Group believes TV is still cheapest way to reach his audience and is “happy for competitors to leave TV inventory on the table” for him.
That’s because “fragmentation of the media landscape has created a complexity. […] All the other marketing channels are more time consuming than TV (except for the production stage, of course), so that’s where the complexity comes in.
“It takes more skill in the execution of the campaigns. It takes more tech to manage the data and to understand the results. We were right [to think that] TV cannot be the cornerstone of our marketing strategy.”
Nikola Jellacic, CMO of Casumo, echoed this sentiment, saying that “my job title says CMO but my calendar doesn’t”.
“I’m also Chief Data Officer, Chief Marketing AI Officer, Chief Commercial Officer… I’m also chief PNL Officer,” he explained, adding that it highlights how fast the industry is evolving and how marketers approach the creative, the conversations they’re having and even the scope has changed.
11:00 am: AI’s not coming for our jobs, but it is ready to combat fraud …
Reporting by Joe Streeter, Editor of iGaming Expert
AI isn’t just evolving the fraudster playbook, but it is making more accessible. Key industry CISOs warned that levels of fraud is higher than ever before as a result of the rapid adoption of AI.
AI isn’t coming for jobs, but those who don’t use AI are at risk of being left behind in the ever-evolving fight against iGaming fraud.
CISOs Jay Balan (Superbet Group), Donald Tabone (Betsson) and Cedric Mallia (Rush Street Interactive), provided insights into the relationship between AI and iGaming as we reframe cybersecurity as an economic issue.
12:00 – Payment Fraud Detection
Reporting by Joe Streeter, Editor of iGaming Expert
Sticking on the topic of fraud, conference room 3 is in full swing as senior leaders at SEON Technologies, FDJ United, Grand Casino Baden, Lunicorn Ventured and Blockchain.com discuss how to combat a $1.2 billion problem.
“AI is one of those things that can be a friend or a foe. It can be used by us to prevent fraud, but it is also a machine utilised widely by fraudsters.
“I believe that fraud prevention, data assessment, and analysis can’t be the job of AI, because it is a huge tool, but it is not the solution. The solution will and will remain humans.”
Fiorentina D’Amore, CEO Malta, Blockchain.com, emphasised the importance of balance between AI and the human touch when it comes to effective tackling of fraud, during the fintech panel on stage 3.
Reporting from Joe Streeter
11:20 – Lifting the curtain on streaming metrics …
It’s a packed out room in conference room 1 as we dive into the dark secrets of streaming. From a deep-dive into the numbers behind the stream and inflated engagement metrics, to the ROI on venturing into the world of influencers, this is a topic which will no doubt continue to shape the industry for years to come …
11:55 am – what’s the next big thing after BetBuilders?
Reporting by Viktor Kayed, Senior Journalist at SBC News
The concept of bet builders when they first emerged was novice, shiny, and exciting. Now that the hype is something behind us, what would be the next big thing?
For Tamazi Gambashidze, Head of Sports Brand Experience Department, Flutter CEE, Adjarabet, the future, at least for Georgian bettors, is that customers remain on Adjarabet’s platform for as long as possible.
“Our main goal is to keep our players on our website as much as possible. In one or two years, I’d love to have a product that makes this possible, for example an AI tool which engages users in a meaningful way so that they don’t leave our website.”
Gega Topuridze, Deputy CEO at betlive, is taking a different approach, albeit with the same goal. “We’re trying to shift to a place where a bet is what a player will always be wanting to do. How fast can they go from logging in and depositing and then placing a bet. In between that you’ve got to perfect what you’re offering.”
However, bet builders are still alive and doing well within the sports betting ecosystem. Ivan Gojic, Chief Sportsbook Officer, Entain added: “Betbuilder is the perfect scenario for customers of how to see the match is going. If you want to do the acquisition, you’re gonna do something with higher odds, if you want to push retention, you’re gonna lower the odds. You’ve got to be ready to do a lot of things and see what sticks.”
12:20pm – And the rest is politics …
Reporting by Joe Streeter, Editor of iGaming Expert
It’s no secret that the UK gambling market has been undergoing a number of regulatory and legislative changes over the last few years.
And for Stephen Hodgson, VP of Tax at Midnite, the recent increases in gambling taxes was an easy win for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to get politicians on side.
He said: “The UK’s politics at the time meant the chancellor saw tax rises as an easy way to satisfy a certain group of politicians and keep them on side, which was important for her and the Prime Minister.
“So sadly, gambling became a very easy target last year, and that meant that, honestly, there was a limit to how much you could persuade the chancellor, because I think they already decided, for their own internal party political reasons, that this was the way to go.
“The Chancellor needed more money. Gambling looked like an easy target. I actually think it’s going to turn out too counterproductive, not just in the case of consumer harm, but ultimately in this case, the government itself admitted after that budget that these increases will result in a decrease in the UK gambling market, and the revenue generated wouldn’t be as large as initially anticipated.”
So what does this mean for the UK?
According to Hodgson, the rises in taxes could potentially open the door for the unlicensed market to have greater influence over UK players. And, as a result, have a knock on effect for a government looking to raise tax revenues.
“Can we see policy makers sitting down in three to five years saying ‘this didn’t work out as expected’?
13:00: Malta – still the global powerhouse of gaming?
Malta has long been known as a central hub for iGaming – and in 2026, that is showing no signs of changing. In fact for Ivan Filletti, CEO of GamingMalta, the island is not just a centre of gaming, it is the industry’s true home.
Speaking earlier this morning, Filletti drew comparisons between Malta and Silicone Valley as he shared some data explaining why Malta is still at the centre of the gaming world.
13:25: day one of SBC Summit Malta is in full swing
We’re a few hours into the day now, and our team on the ground has been busy networking, meeting with partners and attending conference sessions.
But what makes this event worth attending?
Our very own Head of Content Marketing & Strategic Communications Masha Tsnompilantze has been catching up with attendees on the show floor to find out what your favourite parts of this event are.
13:35: balancing innovation with regulation – a key challenge for iGaming in 2026
It truly was a masterclass from IMGL on all things artificial intelligence.
From predictive targeting and dynamic pricing to automated risk monitoring, we’re starting to see AI become more and more influential within the gaming space.
But as more of us begin to use this technology, regulators may soon turn their attention towards mandatory transparency, limits on behavioural modelling or even licensing of AI systems …
13:50: can you ever get channelisation ‘right’?
Reporting by Joe Streeter, Editor of iGaming Expert
Channelisation is a word we’ve seen used increasingly more in recent years, but getting it ‘right’ is both a fine art and a challenge, according to Aurora Merino, Director of Compliance at Betsson.
This is a challenge that has become increasingly pertinent to the Brazilian market where “too many changes and too much fluctuation of the market has had a real impact on bringing players in from the unlicensed market”.
Meanwhile over in Europe, many regulators have doubled down on increased regulation as a means of cracking down on the illegal market. However, for Martina Cilia, Regulatory Affairs Manager at LeoVegas, sometimes excessive regulation isn’t always the answer.
She said: “In Europe, there is a real risk that other markets will follow the lead of the Netherlands and the UK, where channelisation is set to struggle amid tax hikes.”
14:00: churn-and-burn is no longer a viable business model
Reporting by Luke Miles, Multimedia Journalist
We’re back in conference room 1 to look at marketing spend and the all-important question of where we should be spending marketing budgets.
For Clint Griscti, Co-Founder at apidae.DIGITAL, being a “churn-and-burn” brand is no longer possible in today’s market, he says “maybe 5 or 6 years ago, but in today’s world, that’s going to be hard, or you’ll pay through your nose for it”.
“So you need to make sure that you’re not just having an affiliate channel as your marketing mix, you need to have other additional creative channels, whether you’re regulated or offshored”. Clint highlighted how regulated brands can afford to be less creative and give more focus to brand sponsorships, while unregulated operators have a greater freedom to be creative.
For him, the impact of affiliates is not only diminishing, but can vary immensely between brands, “Whenever we run affiliate audits, we tend to find that 20% of the affiliates are generating 80% of the ROI. So why do brands have 3,4,500 affiliates when only 20% of them are making money?”
Clint believes that long-term success is about building a brand, “if you’re not building a brand, offshore or not, chances of success are slim to none in today’s world”.
14:30: Finding the next big thing in the world of slots
Reporting by Viktor Kayed, Senior Journalist at SBC News
When you’ve got an igaming product on offer, you’re constantly venturing on a journey to find that next big hit.
But what does the future of slots actually look like? Well, for our expert panel members, one guaranteed venue for success – that of course comes with it’s specific caveats – is episodic content.
“If you have a good title it is a good idea to make it episodic like a series. It’s all about retention. If you build a loyal player base, you’ll have an audience forever as long as you keep them entertained – just like Netflix,” said Petr Vonarshenko, Senior Business Development Manager at ELA Games.
‘An absolute agreement’ on that also came from Janick Bonnici, Principal Gaming Content Manager at Betsson Group.
“Episodic content is a good way to create a constant fanbase. From an operator perspective when we see a game that is a series, it grabs our attention too. We’re definitely in favour of episodic content.”
Both view points was finally solidified by Steve Cutler, CEO and co-founder at KALAMBA, who summarised: “It becomes a mission if you’re selling a different game every time, with different mechanics and concept.
“However, if you’ve had a successful series, it’s a far easier sell to operators, because you see that it’s already resonating with players and you don’t start from a base level.”
It’s a busy afternoon in conference room 2 – stay tuned for some exciting discussions on product, iGaming and the future of the industry!
14:45 – we need to bring players back to the regulated market
Reporting by Luke Miles, Multimedia Journalist
The unregulated black market is growing, that there is no denying. When asked at the COO Horizon panel at SBC Malta about why exactly that is, differing views emerged.
For Flutter UKI COO Tom McGovern, the strengths of the black market are clear, “… the major factor that’s already been mentioned is the frictionless signup effort of the black market product. That product today is very comparable [to the regulated one] and if you surveyed customers, many of them wouldn’t even know that they’re transacting in the black market, in many cases.”
He goes on to highlight a report, published last week, that predicted the black market will out-earn the regulated one by 2028. “I would think if you can measure it in those terms, you can enforce it,” he added.
McGovern concluded: “As a regulated industry we need to make the regulated market the easiest and safest place to transact with the best customer experience, that’s where we need to compete.”
Chris McGowan, COO at Scatters, disagreed.
“We need to be more creative with how we deal with the unregulated market” he interjected, “If I wanted to know how to stop thieves stealing from my house, I wouldn’t call regulators, I would call the thief.”
He argues that the current way of thinking around dealing with the black market is outdated and approaching it from the perspective of regulators will only lead to a greater share of market loss.
15:00: moving away from the familiar into a new territory
Reporting by Jyoti Rambhai, Editor of Affiliate Leaders
The iGaming industry is no stranger to change. Whether it’s new technologies, new markets, or even new ways of doing things. And marketing has been no exception.
In recent years, we’ve seen a move away from ‘spray and pray’ branding, and instead more companies are shifting their attention to areas such as SEO, community building and creating value for audiences.
Speaking on SEO, Sean Bianco, Co-founder of GainChanger, described marketers as like a “wired pig” when it comes to being attacked.
“A lot of people are thinking in the context of ‘Google’s going to come and help us’. This is not going to work anymore. This is not right. This doesn’t make sense. We can’t do things the old way.”
Marketers have to think of themselves as the “wired pigs”, he says. “If you’re actually doing well, you are going to have people coming at you.”
But, he goes on to explain there are ways you can check negative SEO and do it automatically… “this is the mentality you need to have in SEO now”.
“You have to have not only a plan to rank, but you have to have a plan to recover. You have to have a plan to recycle [links].”
15:30: the demand for licensed operators isn’t falling, it’s just shifting
Talk of the growing threat posed by the black market is something which has dominated industry discussions over the last few years, more so in the last 12 months.
But why?
Perhaps tax rises and more stringent regulations are pushing players to seek out new experiences elsewhere, while from an operator perspective, it can reduce a market’s viability.
15:35: black hat, white hat
Reporting by Jyoti Rambhai, Editor of Affiliate Leaders
Black-hat versus White-hat … and no, we’re not talking about outfit choices. This time, it’s about SEO tactics, which is a whole different ball game.
It’s a topic that’s dominating discussions in the Marketing Unplugged track this afternoon, as we dive into some of the tactics that work, that don’t, and what the future holds for iGaming marketing.
The main consensus is that SEO for brands right now, it’s not only pure SEO, but collaborating with teams and direct connections.
Conrad Bugeja, Marketing Director at LiveScore Group, says you can certainly use white-hat tactics, but if you think about a “grand organisation that has 45 million monthly users, to cooperate in this market, you need to sustain”.
If you’re a big company, you can “leverage brand power”, but “if you don’t have a name, what do you suggest… black-hat”.
“The game has changed,” he says adding that affiliates need to understand “the whole game”, including black-hat tactics.
15:50: I predict a … rise in prediction markets in Europe?
Reporting by Viktor Kayed, Senior Journalist at SBC News
Prediction markets have entered the news headlines across the world. They have certainly polarised the gambling industry, with significant expansion in the US – although that has been accompanied by extensive litigation – while markets such as Brazil have made it clear that they won’t be legalising prediction markets any time soon.
But what about Europe? Is this the land of opportunity for prediction markets …?
“The opportunities are huge,” said Fiorentina D’Amore, CEO Malta at Blockchain.com. “The real potential for it is to have the same life cycle of crypto, which had the same challenge – we didn’t know if it was an investment, a payment, or something else.
“Are prediction markets an investment or a gambling product? The truth is it’s a
hybrid product. It is both and none…”
How relevant it is then that were reporting straight out of Malta, the first country to regulate crypto in the world. D’Amore believes that the same blueprint will follow soon with prediction markets.
An interesting takeaway was that if prediction markets do manage to find a solid footing in Europe, they’ll need to fall under the umbrella of multiple international regulators – so that they can become both financial and a gambling instrument.
If this doesn’t take place, D’Amore added, it will be tough to passport prediction markets into all free trade markets of the Union – a luxury that financial instruments are currently enjoying.
Simultaneously, the fact that prediction markets are a form of gambling also shouldn’t be forgotten, the panelists added. And as any type of gambling, if its not regulated, consumers will find their way to it eventually.
Lucimara Batista, Chief Compliance Officer & MLRO at Tipico, commented: “It’s either the prediction market comes as an option, or the player will still find a way without the necessary oversight of regulations.”
Both panelists agreed that Europe will have a clear position on prediction markets within the next five years – what exactly will this position say, however, remains to be seen.
4:15 pm: That’s a wrap – see you tomorrow!
That’s it from the SBC Media team for today. Today’s conference content has come to a close.
Today, we’ve discussed everything from SEO tactics and prediction markets, to cybersecurity and where best to spend your marketing budget. We’ll be back with a bang tomorrow for plenty more coverage of a stellar conference agenda.
Stay tuned for coverage on what casinos might look like in 2036, tips on pricing your World Cup offering, SEO terrorism and so much more.
We’ll soon be making our way to the SBC Summit Malta Official Party at Infinity by Hugo for a productive night of networking. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s live coverage – brought to you by ELA Games!
