This May, SBC will unite industry professionals from both the North American and Latin American gaming industries for the very first SBC Summit Americas!
From May 13th to 15th, 10,000 industry professionals will convene at the Broward County Convention Center, to enjoy three days of transformative networking opportunities, dedicated summits on affiliation and payments, and the chance to explore 250,000 square feet of cutting-edge technologies, products, and services.
A notable feature of the event will be its educational programme, set to provide delegates with deep insights into the worlds of technology, sports betting, iGaming, affiliation, payments and regulation for both the North American and Latin American regions.
With eight distinct educational verticals spread across two action-packed days, there’s no shortage of thought-provoking content for delegates to sink their teeth into.
That said, figuring out which sessions best align with your goals can feel a bit overwhelming—even for the savviest event-goer.
That’s where this blog comes in!
Over the course of this two-part series, we’ll give you a closer look at each of the conference tracks featured in SBC Summit Americas’ educational framework.
Expect an exploration of the hottest themes and topics set to be covered, a spotlight on must-see panels to guide your journey to educational enlightenment, and a sneak peek at some of the inspiring speakers who’ll be taking the stage.
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Player Protection Symposium: Establishing a Robust Safer Gambling Framework
This year, the American market witnessed a historic moment in the drive for more robust safer gambling initiatives.
Seven of the largest betting companies – BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital, and PENN Entertainment – came together to establish the ‘Responsible Online Gaming Association’ (ROGA).
The companies involved – which account for a staggering 85% of the legal online sports betting and iGaming market in the US – each pledged at least $20 million to aid in promoting responsible gambling initiatives and address problem gambling.
Following the establishment of robust regulatory frameworks, Latin American markets have significantly enhanced player protection measures. For instance, Brazil has introduced restrictions on aggressive advertising practices, which are often associated with problem gambling. Meanwhile, Colombia’s regulatory authority, Coljuegos, requires licensed operators to implement self-exclusion programs and offer resources to support responsible gambling.
In spite of these powerful initiatives, North and Latin American markets still have much work to do.
A recent report indicates that 10% of young men in the U.S. show behaviour that indicates a gambling problem, compared to 3% of the general population, whilst a recent report revealed that 10% of the population in Brazil has endured financial problems from gambling.
These continued issues highlight the work that still needs to be carried out in educating and safeguarding bettors and athletes alike.
The upcoming ‘Player Protection Symposium’, a limited capacity, pre-day conference dedicated to safeguarding bettors, will seek to explore some of these issues and more.
Player Protection Symposium: Key Takeaways
Providing a detailed exploration of key safer gambling topics, discussions will seek to answer questions such as:
- How can I implement financial risk checks to aid in safeguarding bettors, without deterring them?
- How can responsible gambling initiatives be utilized to drive long-term growth and customer retention?
- How can the industry better utilize emerging technology to protect at-risk players?
Player Protection Symposium: Notable Panels
- Financial Risk Checks – An Essential Tool for Player Safety or The Black Market’s New Best Friend?: Financial risk checks play a vital role in protecting vulnerable players, yet bettors are more hesitant than ever to share their financial details. This panel will explore the impact of risk checks, whether improved onboarding might be the answer to better safe guarding, and how we can stop at-risk players from turning to unregulated markets.
- From Obligation to Opportunity: Driving Success Through Responsible Gambling: Promoting responsible gambling initiatives is not just essential for player welfare, but if utilised correctly, can be a powerful tool for brand awareness and instilling trust and loyalty with players. This panel will bring together leading experts from operators and responsible gambling associations to discuss how involving key commercial stakeholders in proactive responsible gambling strategies can drive long-term benefits for the industry in both regions.
- RG Tech: Potential Game Changer or Panacea?: The transformative power of technology is limitless, but how can it be used to safeguard players? This panel will bring together leading player protection experts to explore how technology can be utilised to reduce problem gambling rates, raise awareness, and encourage the use of safer gambling tools.
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US Sports Betting: Paving the way to Sportsbook Innovation
Since its legalization in 2018, sports betting in the U.S. has quickly become one of the dominant pastimes for sports fans.
In October of 2024, New York City sportsbooks reported an incredible $2.3 billion in bets shattering its previous year’s national record. It also became the second consecutive month New York City sportsbooks saw over $2 billion in wagers, highlighting the incredible enthusiasm and adoption of the American bettor.
With the American Gaming Association also expecting a record $35 billion in legal wagers to come this NFL season – up 30% from last year – it seems from the outside looking in, that operating a sportsbook in the North American market is plain sailing.
However, the market’s landscape tells a different story. Dominated by powerhouse brands like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook, breaking through the noise and carving out a competitive position is a significant challenge for both newcomers and established operators.
What does it take to stand out and succeed in this competitive and lucrative industry? How can operators enhance user experiences, strengthen brand recognition, and fuel sustainable growth?
The ‘US Sports Betting’ track will tackle these pressing questions, diving into essential topics such as the symbiotic relationship between betting and sports, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to elevate offerings, promoting women’s sports through betting initiatives, and seizing opportunities presented by major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
US Sports Betting Stage: Key Takeaways
Providing delegates with a comprehensive overview of the current US sports betting landscape, delegates can anticipate answers to questions such as:
- What factors are driving the growth of daily fantasy sports (DFS) over traditional sportsbooks?
- How can I effectively integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into my operations while balancing the potential risks against the rewards?
- What strategies can I implement to ensure my sportsbook is fully prepared to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the FIFA World Cup?
US Sports Betting Stage: Notable Panels
- DFS vs Traditional Sportsbooks: Addressing the Competition: A recent study revealed that in 2024, 21% of Americans played fantasy sports in the last 12 months. With such an impressive player base, this panel will explore the growth of Daily Fantasy Sports, why some of the top talent in the industry have moved to DFS and how operators can learn from this highly adopted game format.
- AI vs Sports Books: What Are The Odds?: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world, but it’s not without its fair share of skeptics. This panel will explore how businesses can integrate AI effectively, weighing the benefits—like enhanced user experiences, optimised odds setting, and personalised offers—against concerns such as job displacement, over-reliance on technology, and trust issues. By addressing both the opportunities and the risks, this discussion will help attendees understand how to adopt AI in a way that balances innovation with responsibility.
- FIFA World Cup 2026 – How Does North America Prepare?: The recent Copa America showcased just how passionate American bettors are about soccer events. With the next World Cup set to take place across the U.S., this panel will explore key strategies to handle the anticipated surge in betting activity. Experts will dive into how these preparations could reshape the future of sports betting and address the challenges they might present for sportsbook operators.
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Payment Expert Summit: Banking on the Future of Payment Solutions
Innovative payment solutions are becoming increasingly more affordable, accessible, and easier to integrate, enabling thousands of brands to enhance security, streamline user experiences, and innovate their offerings.
Advancements in payment technology are transforming the gambling industry, offering faster and more reliable transactions for players and operators alike.
However, a “one-size-fits-all” approach to payments across the Americas comes with significant risks. Each market is shaped by unique player preferences, regulatory frameworks, and technological infrastructures, requiring customized solutions for success.
In Latin America, for example, Brazil’s reliance on Pix—an instant payment system managed by the Central Bank—has revolutionized transactions for players while supporting government efforts to curb illegal gambling by blocking payments to unauthorized operators.
In North America, operators face the complex challenge of navigating a fragmented regulatory landscape across states. This patchwork of rules complicates compliance, creating hurdles such as increased payment declines from cautious financial institutions, challenges with cross-border transactions, and heightened exposure to cybersecurity risks.
The Payment Expert Summit, a new addition to the SBC Summit Americas, will address these pressing issues.
With a payments-focused educational curriculum, sessions will tackle crucial topics such as safeguarding players while maintaining engagement, how minimizing payment decline rates and refining payment mixes can boost customer acquisition, and exploring the evolving role of cryptocurrencies in the industry, among other key insights.
Payment Expert Summit: Key Takeaways
Bringing together payment experts from across North and Latin America, the Payment Expert Summit will address critical questions such as:
- How can payment processes be optimized to drive growth and enhance customer retention?
- What are the best methods for identifying and blocking fraudulent users while ensuring seamless experiences for customers?
- What trends are emerging in acquisitions across North and Latin America, and how are they reshaping the gambling sector?
Payment Expert Summit: Notable Panels
- Strategies For Growth and Cost Reduction in Digital Transactions: Ensuring customer loyalty and successful acquisition are critical components in capturing greater market share in today’s competitive landscape. This panel will examine how optimizing payment solutions can drive higher acquisition rates, strengthen loyalty, and increase revenue across diverse markets. Additionally, it will explore strategies for reducing decline rates, leveraging payment data for actionable insights, and enhancing transaction reliability to create seamless and cost-effective payment experiences.
- Payments Leaders: Blocking Bad Customers While Streamlining Good Transactions: Finding the right balance between security and accessibility is key to a good user experience. This panel will explore the strategies operators can implement to foil fraudulent users and enhance fraud prevention, without alienating or blocking loyal, frequent customers. Experts will explore the future innovation in fraud prevention, whilst also weighing up the pros and cons of heightened security.
- Acquisitions Update: Movers Since the Last Shake-Up: With key markets like Brazil set to achieve full regulation in January 2025, Latin American markets have become a dynamic hub for both successful and challenging acquisitions. This panel will delve into the most significant deals of the past 12 months, examining how companies have adapted to shifting political, sporting and regulatory landscapes. Experts will analyze the outcomes of these acquisitions so far and provide insights into their potential long-term impacts on the industry.
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LatAm Stage: Harnessing Local Insights to Drive Regional Growth
The Latin American region is a rich tapestry of unique markets, each featuring distinct regulatory frameworks, player preferences, and leading game formats.
The rapid increase in mobile penetration across Latin America, combined with the rise of online digital platforms, has fueled remarkable growth in the region and encouraged many markets to seek regulation.
Alongside the much-documented Brazilian market – which generated the highest global traffic share to betting sites in 2024 (10.95 billion visits to be precise) – markets such as Mexico and Colombia are flourishing.
Colombia, the first Latin American market to regulate iGaming, is reporting a projected revenue of US$1.29bn for its iGaming market in 2024. Whereas Mexico is expecting revenue as high as US$2.72bn in 2024.
It is not just iGaming that is showing signs of success in the region. Sports betting is another betting format that has seen remarkable growth over the past decade, with the number of active bettors in 2024 reaching 8.3 million, over double the recorded number in 2019.
However, incredible growth does not guarantee instant success.
Any brand seeking to master their desired markets must first be equipped with the relevant market knowledge, player behaviours and regulatory and technological frameworks to truly make a lasting impact.
The upcoming ‘LatAm’ conference track is set to provide delegates with this essential regional insight. Discussions will dive into optimal strategies for enhancing market presence in Latin American markets, the most effective ways to tailor campaigns to regional audiences and a deep dive into the Andean region.
LatAm Stage: Key Takeaways
Bringing together regional experts, the LatAm educational track will aid delegates in answering questions such as:
- What are the key factors that make a partnership between a gambling company and a sports organization thrive in Latin America?
- Beyond Brazil, what other key markets in Latin America are showing significant growth potential?
- What proactive strategies can the industry adopt to effectively prepare for the potential legalization of land-based casinos in Brazil?
LatAm Stage: Notable Panels
- Enhancing Your LATAM Presence Through the Perfect Partnership: For any brand seeking to establish itself in a Latin American market, forging partnerships with sports teams and leagues has become almost essential – heightening brand awareness and cementing itself as a dominant market player. This session will explore the importance of partnerships between brands and sports organizations, highlight the key elements that make these collaborations successful, uncover common pitfalls to avoid, and share standout success stories
- All Eyes on the Andes: What’s Next?: The Andean region, home to exciting markets like Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador, is quickly becoming a hotspot for growth in Latin America’s gambling scene. This session will explore the current regulatory landscape of these markets, dive into how brands can tap into the potential of these markets, while also exploring how these markets can learn from Colombia’s success.
- Brazil’s Land-Based Casino Debate: What’s at Stake?: The industry is buzzing with anticipation as Brazil edges closer to a pivotal vote on legalizing and regulating land-based casinos—a move that could transform the market. This panel will unpack the potential impact of this decision, from economic benefits to the challenges operators might face, as well as what the regulatory landscape could look like. Join industry experts as they provide insights into how to prepare for and capitalize on this significant development in Brazil’s gaming market.
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Final Thoughts:
The conference content at SBC Summit Americas promises to deliver a truly comprehensive Pan-American educational experience, equipping delegates with the insights and strategies needed to thrive in these dynamic and diverse markets.
Covering essential topics such as sports betting, player protection, and payments, the SBC Summit Americas conference will equip attendees with strategic insights, regional trends, and emerging technologies crucial for success. With region-specific tracks dedicated to US sports betting and Latin America, delegates will have the opportunity to explore the unique dynamics and nuances shaping these key markets, ensuring a well-rounded understanding to drive growth and innovation.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your presence in a particular vertical or tap into new regional markets, SBC Summit Americas’ educational program has you covered.
With an impressive lineup of expert speakers, real-world case studies, and valuable takeaways, SBC Summit Americas is a must-attend event for anyone ready to thrive in the ever-evolving gaming and betting industry across the Americas.