Businesses looking to expand internationally have a lot to contend with.
While many global gambling markets are already well established, they’re far from settled. Regulations continue to evolve, compliance standards keep shifting, and operators are under constant pressure to adapt.
At the same time, emerging markets are opening up some of the industry’s biggest growth opportunities, but breaking into them comes with its own unique challenges.
That is why SBC Summit 2026 is providing clarity to the industry with a dedicated ‘Global & Emerging Markets’ conference stage, helping delegates better understand the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the industry’s most important markets.
- Day One: Emerging Markets (Africa, Eurasia, the UAE, the Far East) track.
- Day Two: Western Europe (Europe, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, Scandinavia) track
- Day Three: Latin America (Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Colombia) track.
In this blog, we break down what to expect from the stage, the markets being explored, and the key insights delegates can gain from attending.
Emerging Markets: Identifying the Next Big Opportunities
Emerging markets are opening the door to some of the industry’s biggest commercial opportunities, but with businesses expected to navigate everything from regulation to localisation, entering can be far from straightforward.
That is why day one of the Global & Emerging Markets stage on Tuesday, 29th September, is fully dedicated to Emerging Markets, giving delegates a clearer picture of where the industry’s next major opportunities are emerging and what it takes to enter early and successfully.
Across the sessions, speakers will break down where regulation is heading, which technologies and gaming formats are gaining momentum, and how player habits vary across different regions.
Panel to Watch: The Africa Advantage: High Growth, Fast Regulation, Huge Potential
As of 2026, Africa’s gaming market reported GGR of $13.5 billion. With mobile penetration surpassing 75% and a push for more robust regulatory frameworks, the region shows both strong player demand and long-term potential.
What you’ll learn: This panel will break down the African gambling market, from the player behaviours shaping demand to the regulatory changes influencing growth across the region. It will also explore how operators and regulators can stay ahead as a new generation of players brings different expectations and habits to the market.
Other Emerging Market panels:
- UAE’s High-Stakes Shift: Regulators, Resorts and a Brand-New Rulebook: Unpacking the UAE’s rapidly developing gaming framework, what operators need to know before entering the market, and why early movers could gain a major advantage as casino resorts begin to take shape.
- CEE in Transition: From Established Giants to Emerging Opportunities: Breaking down how rising taxes, tighter regulation, and growing competition are reshaping Central and Eastern Europe, and where the region’s next opportunities exist.
- From Kazakhstan to Georgia: Who’s Opening Up and Who’s Shutting Down in Eurasia? Detailing the regulatory restructuring taking place across the region, highlighting which markets are showing promise, and where regulation may be too restrictive.
- The Far East: Opportunity Rising, Tolerance Shrinking – exploring the risk and reward of Far East markets: Exploring which markets are opening, which are tightening regulation, and how to combat the region’s black market.
Western Europe: Navigating Europe’s New Gaming Reality
The European gambling market is projected to reach a staggering USD 50.19 billion in 2026, cementing its position as one of the most lucrative and mature regions in global gaming.
Yet the region is entering a period of rapid transformation. Mobile betting now accounts for more than half of gaming activity across Europe, while under-25 engagement is forecast to grow by 8% annually over the next five years, highlighting changing player expectations and the growing need for operators to invest in new technologies and experiences.
With this in mind, day two of the Global & Emerging Markets stage, Wednesday, 30th September, will examine the technologies, regulations, and commercial pressures redefining Western Europe’s gaming landscape.
Key Debate: The UK Squeeze: Can Affiliates Survive the New Reality?
The UK’s recent regulatory overhaul has put increasing commercial and financial pressure on operators. Affiliates are paying the price, with some operators reducing acquisition spend, tightening CPA and revenue share models, or switching off programmes altogether.
What you’ll learn: This panel will provide an update on the current operator-affiliate relationship in the UK. It will outline the challenges operators are facing, how affiliates can continue to thrive in the UK, and models that can benefit both sides of the equation.
Other Western European panels include;
- The impact of tech on operator revenues and player retention in Europe: Exploring how technology can be used to strengthen player retention and sustain revenue growth as regulations tighten in Europe.
- Italy: Tax Hikes, Licence Cuts, Zero Patience: Breaking down the strategies helping operators survive and scale in Italy’s high tax, high compliance gambling environment.
- The Dutch Dilemma: Deposit Caps, Ad Bans and the Black Market Boom: Unpacking the battle against offshore competition in one of Europe’s most restrictive regulated markets.
- Scandinavia: High Tax, High Standards, High Stakes: Assessing how operators can adapt acquisition, retention, and player experience strategies to meet Scandinavia’s evolving regulatory demands.
- Prediction Markets: The Future’s Not Near, It’s Here: Examining the rapid rise of prediction markets in the US and the key regulatory, operational, and commercial considerations European sportsbooks must navigate to replicate their success.
- Portugal’s Gambling Evolution: Growth, Pressure and New Opportunities: Where does the real opportunity now sit in Portugal? Which verticals are growing fastest, and how can operators balance innovation, profitability and player protection in this market?
Latin America: Gaming’s New Growth Frontier
Heavy regulatory reform and rapid technology adoption have propelled Latin America onto the global gaming stage in recent years.
Brazil alone recorded USD 3.62 billion in revenue during its first year of regulated operations, creating a ripple effect across the region as markets such as Peru and Mexico continue to attract operator interest. However, stricter compliance measures and political uncertainty are causing complications.
Day three of the Global & Emerging Markets stage, Thursday, 30th September, is dedicated entirely to Latin America. It will explore how operators are navigating these new challenges, while identifying where the region’s next major opportunities are emerging.
Must Attend Session: LatAm Leaders: Strategy, Scale and Survival
Latin America’s biggest opportunities are no longer defined by growth potential alone. Rising taxes, regulatory pressure, political uncertainty, and increasing acquisition costs are forcing operators to become far more selective about where and how they scale across the region.
What you’ll learn: Which LatAm markets currently offer the strongest balance between growth and stability, how leading operators are adapting expansion strategies under mounting pressure, and where long-term value is still being created as consolidation reshapes the region.
Other Latin American Panels:
- Brazil Unfiltered: What CEOs Actually Think: Breaking down what operators got right, what they underestimated, and where industry leaders believe Brazil’s regulated market goes next.
- Peru’s Big Shift: Compliance Tightening, Growth Exploding: Assessing whether Peru can balance rapid market growth with rising compliance demands and mounting operational costs.
- Mexico Reloaded: The Market on the Edge of a Major Reset: Unpacking how Mexico’s potential regulatory overhaul could reshape one of Latin America’s biggest gaming markets.
- LatAm’s Next Moves: Certainty, Chaos, and Quiet Winners: Identifying which emerging LatAm markets are offering genuine opportunity and where regulatory uncertainty continues to hold operators back.
Regulatory Gaming Meet-Ups: Smarter Networking Across Global Markets
Alongside the conference agenda, SBC Summit 2026 will introduce dedicated Regulatory Gaming Meet-Ups, a new networking format designed to connect delegates with the regulators, legal specialists, and industry professionals operating within the same regions, jurisdictions, and regulatory environments.
Bringing together regulators, operators, affiliates, suppliers, legal experts, and compliance specialists, these focused networking sessions offer opportunities to exchange insights, discuss market developments, and connect with professionals who understand the realities of each region.
The initiative also reflects SBC’s growing commitment to regulatory education and collaboration following its partnerships with the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL).
With EIGHT meet-ups taking place daily across Europe, LATAM, North America, Africa, the Nordics, Eurasia, and the UAE, attendees can join sessions tailored to their markets and interests.
Interested? Keep an eye on the website, where we’ll soon launch a dedicated page featuring the full meet-up schedule, timings, and registration details.
Access will be available to Networking, Business, and VIP pass holders only.
Final Thoughts
The global sports betting and iGaming market is full of opportunities, but identifying the right markets and navigating regional challenges is becoming increasingly complex.
SBC Summit’s ‘Global and Emerging Markets’ stage will bring clarity to the conversation through a three-day conference programme exploring the regional forces shaping the future of global gaming.
Want full access to the insights, debates, and market discussions across the Global & Emerging Markets stage?
To avoid missing out, choose between a ConferencePass, a BusinessPass (which also includes selected networking opportunities), or a VIP Pass.
All three passes also include post-event on-demand access via SBC Connect, allowing you to catch up on any sessions you missed or rewatch the ones that made the biggest impression.
For a full breakdown of ticket options and inclusions, visit the tickets page.
