31 October, 2024 | NOV DEC 2024

Reviewing SBC Lisbon 2024

Gambling Insider was in attendance as the SBC Summit headed to Lisbon for the first time. Editor Tim Poole reflects...

Lisbon was the gaming industry’s focal point in late September, just as Las Vegas was in October, Malta will be in November and Barcelona in January. And, as gambling companies descended upon the Portuguese capital en masse, several key topics presented themselves on repeat. Indeed, despite the Iberian humidity spending the week hand in hand with rainfall even Brits would (and did) complain about, the SBC Summit made its mark in its first year since leaving Barcelona. For Gambling Insider, too, a week of interviews and discussions brought further insights into responsible gaming, Brazil, retention and more. Let’s take you through it, shall we?

Bem vindos a Lisboa

Moving from one major European city to another isn’t easy – and it’s the exact transition Clarion Gaming is currently undergoing with ICE (which moves to Barcelona in 2025 after decades in London). Switching the other way, the SBC Summit impressed in its first year in Lisbon, boasting special guests like Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Tony Hawk and Peter Schmeichel, and providing attendees with a truly sizeable arena. Across four main halls, each booth most certainly had room to breathe – with a luxurious level of space compared to a number of other gaming trade shows.

No first-time event is without its growing pains, however, as some attendees spoke of a lack of footfall in certain areas. This is perhaps a double-edged sword of separating zones out across the four halls and covering such a large overall space. Some parts of the industry, naturally, were not as well placed as others; but, given the size of the show and the number of attendees, this is a minor consideration for the organisers in 2025 – and far from a dealbreaker that will turn people away. In Lisbon the Summit has plenty of room to grow, given an availability of space other locations can only dream of.

Key themes

During panel discussions throughout the week, as well as in our own conversations, several topics clearly trended above others (which tends to happen seasonally). Geographically speaking, it will come as no surprise that Brazil was the most heavily discussed region. With sports betting slowly regulating in the country and the legal market due to launch next year, 2024 has been a year dominated by Brazilian headlines; SBC Lisbon was no different, as operators discussed their aims for the market, suppliers offered their South American solutions and panellists discussed the best way forward for the LatAm nation.

Elsewhere, another completely unsurprising focus was that of responsible gambling. Speakers from across the world, with particular travel efforts made by those in North America, met in Lisbon to discuss where the industry is going, how it should implement precise measures, and what exactly safer gaming and social responsibility actually encompass. Perhaps the most interesting “panel” was one that didn’t even take place. Indeed, Casino Guru’s Šimon Vincze was meant to debate whether responsible gambling is good or bad for the the operator’s bottom line – but, in the end, no one decided to take up the “bad” side of the argument. Probably a wise move...

Meanwhile, of all the technical solutions and platforms being demonstrated at the show, the most common themes were definitely that of retention and gamification. Not even accounting for existing systems, there was an array of new software on display in Lisbon, with Hub88 and Fast Track being just two firms launching new products specifically at the SBC Summit. But the common denominators were usually that of “levelling up,” helping keep players engaged and even occasionally adding in the social element i.e sweepstakes.

Gambling Insider’s week

Across our week at SBC Lisbon, including general conversations but also on-screen interviews, we spoke to a diverse selection of guests, ranging from Shelley White, CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council, and Tammi Barlow-Marang, VP, Global Responsible Gaming at Bally’s, to Christian Stuart, SVP Head of Interactive – NA at MGM Resorts, and Shimon Akad, Playtech COO. Without naming every single speaker, you will be able to either read their thoughts in Gambling Insider or watch their video interviews on LinkedIn, YouTube or the Huddle.

Some standout moments for us, though, came during a number of Q&A discussions. In no particular order, here are our highlights:

Soft2Bet Senior Sales Manager Ben Scobie-Trumper spoke on the Huddle about the company’s MEGA solution. Again placing focus on engagement and retention, MEGA is something the industry has heard a lot about fromSoft2Bet. Speaking to Scobie-Trumper, though, you can see it’s with good reason, as he gave us direct metrics to assess its impact on players – telling the story of how he immediately left his old company after seeing MEGA in action at ICE...

The aforementioned Stuart and Akad took part in an in-person Huddle roundtable, discussing Playtech’s partnership with MGM Resorts. Particularly notable were the pair’s discussions on the cameras installed at the Bellagio to enable the MGM Live offerings – they were so well camoflouaged that Akad could not even spot them upon entering the property. Joining Gambling Insider here were two industry titans and it was a pleasure to hold the conversation.

At the Gambling Insider stand, Responsible Gambling Council CEO White spoke to us about the intersect between responsible/safe gaming and ESG (environmental, social and governance). An industry veteran and charismatic speaker, White brought her trademark Canadian energy, as she reviewed her discussion panel and answered our burning questions on all things responsible gambling.

Manav Bhargava, Lawyer and Head of India Desk at Segev LLP, also joined at the Gambling Insider stand to debrief on his panel about the Indian market. Taking part in a video interview, he reflected on India one year after it announced a 28% turnover tax for online gaming. Investment in the market remains positive, according to Bhargava – and understandably so, given India’s 1.4 billion population.

Our final highlights include Fast Track CEO Simon Lidzén and Comtrade Gaming CCO Steven Valentine lending us years of experience during their respective video interviews. On the agenda here were (again) retention, bonuses, crash games, Brazil (unsurprisingly) and more. Natural speakers, these execs didn’t shy away from the camera and we’d recommend all readers to watch their videos in full. Just don’t get distracted by the flowery shirt...