SBC Summit Malta, held last week at the InterContinental Hotel in St. George’s Bay St. Julian’s, attracted an estimated 6,000 gaming professionals from Malta and across Europe.
This year marked the debut of the event under its new name, after a rebrand from CasinoBeats Summit. There was an expanded focus on covering casino, sports betting, regulation, affiliation, payments, and emerging tech.
SBC Summit Malta opened June 11 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Malta Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects Silvio Schembri.
“While the numbers for this event were strong and we delivered on our promises, the most important takeaway was the undeniable excitement I witnessed while walking the show floor, entering the conference rooms, and attending the dinners and parties,” SBC CEO and Founder Rasmus Sojmark said in a statement. “The audience this year was electric, and the warm feedback we have received is the greatest compliment we could ask for as organizers.”
According to organizers, 37% of attendees were key decision-makers with their companies. There was strong representation from the operator and affiliate sides, with operators bringing more than 2,100 representatives, accounting for 35% of the audience, and 750 affiliates focused on player acquisition in the room.
“The rebranding was a successful one,” Media Troopers Chief Technology Officer Clinton Cutajar said in a news release. “Everyone I meet mentions it is a great show, with great panels and a great conference.”
“It’s very well organized, it’s very well structured, and for me, it just feels high-end in terms of quality, so I really enjoy it,” said Casumo Chief Technology Officer Cristina Turbatu.
Malta-based leaders stated they found value in event value for the local gaming ecosystem.
“These events help to confirm the importance of the gaming industry to the local economy,” said Malta Gaming Authority CEO Charles Mizzi. “I was quite impressed with the setup and the number of participants. If we remain behind our desks and do not participate in events such as this, we wouldn’t have the feel of the industry.”
“I’m based here in Malta, so this is a good opportunity for me to catch up with people from all across the industry; not only the ones that are based here, but those who travel here too,” said Kindred Group CEO Nils Andén. “It’s also good that SBC makes a concerted effort to actually get people who represent the companies that work here in Malta. That is an important kind of differentiation point.”
According to organizers the event featured strong local representation with 47% of the audience based in Malta, and 53% of attendees from abroad.
“This shows that the event is not just for locals, but a key opportunity to connect with European, and to some extent, international, stakeholders who travel to Malta specifically to attend the event,” Sojmark said.
SBC Summit Malta took place in three conference rooms and two dedicated workshop spaces, with an agenda featuring 17 hands-on workshops and a speaker lineup of 250 experts
“Sometimes we speak too loudly and don’t let our ears work,” said Jovana Popovic Canaki, CEO of iGP. “This was a fantastic opportunity to sit down and listen to what the rest of the industry has to say.”
“The way you are building the conference, and the topics, are also a mixture of what the audience is looking for,” Clever Advertising CCO Andre Machado said. “There’s real sensibility in how the program aligns with broader industry trends.”
SBC hosted the Malta debut of its signature EDM experience: the Infinity party. Held at the island’s Aria Complex and headlined by international star Galantis, the evening was a “high-energy celebration that brought the entire industry together in style,” according to organizers.
The Malta edition joins past Infinity showcases at SBC Summit, SBC Summit Rio, and SBC Summit Americas, which featured artist including Afrojack and Steve Aoki.
