Author: Andrew Fletcher

The biggest names in affiliate and performance marketing were honoured at last night’s Affiliate Leaders Awards ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. The event took place at Lisbon’s MEO Arena on Wednesday, 30 September, drawing 300 industry professionals from across the global betting and iGaming sector. The ceremony was co-hosted by sports presenter Alison Bender and Portuguese football legend Nuno Gomes, who together presented awards across 20 categories throughout the evening. Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “The global affiliate sector is an indispensable part of our industry, and we are incredibly proud to continue providing a ceremony dedicated to…

Leandro Petersen, former Chief Marketing Officer of the Argentine Football Association, took to the Super Stage at the MEO Arena during SBC Summit 2026 to discuss international sports brand growth. Petersen was joined by Argentine football legend and ex-goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea for a panel titled “The Global Expansion of the AFA Brand,” which drew significant attention from industry delegates. The conversation centred on the international expansion of sports brands and the strategic journey the Argentine Football Association has undertaken since 2017. Petersen drew on his more than 20 years of experience across sports and marketing to outline what he sees…

European Lotteries has issued a clear warning to policymakers and business leaders about how they approach the growing topic of prediction markets across the continent. The organisation, which serves as an umbrella body for state-owned lotteries throughout Europe, published guidance urging stakeholders to assess prediction markets on their legal characteristics rather than their promotional language. European Lotteries stressed that the marketing terminology and technology integrated into these products should not distract from the genuine risks and regulatory questions they present. The statement reflects a broader tension playing out across Europe, where prediction markets are increasingly entering mainstream regulatory conversations without…

BETBY, the B2B sportsbook supplier, has unveiled its SlotBets Games category as a major new product designed to merge live sports betting with casino mechanics. The company used SBC Summit Lisbon 2026 as the platform to showcase what it describes as one of its most ambitious product launches to date. BETBY occupied stand C206 at the event, hosting a dedicated SlotBets press conference in Auditorium III at the Media Hub during the summit. The session was led by Chris Nikolopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer at BETBY, who presented the commercial vision behind the product and conducted a live demonstration. Special guests…

Day two of the SBC Summit in Lisbon got underway with considerable energy, bringing together industry leaders, key market debates, and a surprise sporting celebrity appearance. The SBC News team were on the ground in Lisbon to provide live coverage throughout the day, reporting directly from the busy show floor and packed conference stages. Journalists Ted Orme-Claye, Patrick Killeen, and Ted Menmuir led the on-site reporting efforts, joined by colleagues from iGaming Expert covering the action across all stages. The conference agenda officially kicked off at 11am, with the Super Stage serving as the centrepiece for the day’s most high-profile…

Brazil’s shock betting ban has drawn fierce criticism from industry insiders who argue it will drive players directly into the arms of illegal platforms. From 6 October, the 85 companies that each paid R$30m to operate legally in Brazil must go offline under Provisional Measure 1,394/2026. Industry executives speaking to NEXT.io are united in their diagnosis: the only real winners of the ban are those who never paid anything to begin with. In the days following the measure, hundreds or even thousands of unlicensed betting sites were newly detected operating inside the country, according to differing reports. Most companies have…

Dolby Laboratories has announced a major set of updates to Dolby OptiView, its dedicated live sports streaming platform, covering AI, visuals, and advertising. The updates introduce a new AI-powered Sports Intelligence capability, bring Dolby Vision to the platform for the first time, and expand flexibility across Dolby OptiView Ads. Dolby OptiView is built to give teams, leagues, and streamers a full suite of tools to better understand audiences and deliver premium live content. The platform is designed to help partners create personalised fan experiences, unlock monetisation opportunities, and build stronger viewer loyalty over time. Paul Boustead, Vice President Product Strategy…

Bulgaria’s opposition is pushing for stronger language in the country’s proposed gambling advertising restrictions, warning that key gaps could render the reforms ineffective. Assen Vassilev, Chairman of the opposition party We Continue the Change (PP), has publicly called for significant revisions to the latest draft proposal to reform Bulgaria’s Gambling Act. Vassilev argues that several “loopholes” in the current wording could be exploited by gambling operators seeking to maintain a marketing presence despite sweeping new restrictions. On 23 September, Prime Minister Rumen Radev and his cabinet published a draft proposal outlining a package of comprehensive changes to Bulgaria’s gambling sector,…

The UK Gambling Commission has confirmed it will implement a revised compliance framework for land-based gaming machines following a major industry consultation. The consultation paper, launched last year, gathered a total of 1,065 responses from across the industry, covering a significant range of regulatory topics. Areas addressed in the consultation included the Gaming Machine Technical Standards, the Gaming Machine Testing Strategy, and the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice. The Commission confirmed it will proceed with a number of changes, though several modifications were applied based on the feedback received from respondents. The most significant outcome of the process is…

Day two of SBC Summit Lisbon 2026 is underway, with UFC star Charles Oliveira set to take centre stage as the event’s headline guest appearance. The Brazilian mixed martial arts champion is appearing on the Super Stage, which kicks off at 11am as part of a packed conference schedule for the second day. Oliveira’s presence has been billed as a surprise guest appearance, drawing significant attention from the more than 40,000 attendees gathered at the event. The SBC Summit is taking place at Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena, running through October 1 in Portugal’s capital city. This marks…