SBC partners with Conversion Conf ahead of Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026

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The Backstory

Affiliate marketing moves to the center of SBC’s agenda

SBC’s partnership with Conversion Conf ahead of Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026 fits into a broader shift in how the gambling industry is treating affiliate marketing: not as a side channel, but as a core part of customer acquisition, compliance and growth strategy. The Lisbon event, scheduled for Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2026, is being positioned as a specialist gathering inside the larger SBC Summit, which is expected to draw more than 40,000 industry professionals.

The move also reflects a practical reality for operators. Affiliate marketing remains one of the sector’s most important sources of player acquisition, but it has become more complex as privacy laws, advertising restrictions and jurisdiction-specific gambling rules evolve. By bringing Conversion Conf into the Affiliate Leaders Summit, SBC is seeking to deepen the event’s reach among performance marketers while adding a more focused affiliate network to its broader conference infrastructure.

That strategy builds on SBC’s recent effort to segment its events by market, discipline and seniority. The company has been expanding dedicated tracks for regions, leadership groups and industry verticals rather than relying only on large, generalist trade-show programming. Affiliate Leaders Summit is part of that approach, designed to give a fast-changing channel its own commercial and regulatory forum.

Regulatory pressure has changed the affiliate equation

The timing of the partnership is significant because affiliate marketing is under greater scrutiny in major gambling markets. At SBC Summit Americas, panelists warned that operators can no longer assume affiliates, vendors or third-party marketers are managing compliance on their behalf. The discussion, covered in an SBC Summit Americas analysis of affiliate marketing risks, framed the channel as one misstep away from crisis as more U.S. states pursue privacy legislation and regulators focus on advertising practices.

The central issue is accountability. Affiliates may range from large, professional media groups to small content creators or social channels, but operators typically remain exposed when marketing activity breaches rules. That has made oversight, onboarding, audit tools and data controls more important. The U.S. privacy landscape is also fragmented, creating operational challenges for companies active across state lines.

Those concerns mirror similar developments in other markets. Ontario has imposed tight rules on inducements and influencer marketing, Brazil has moved toward a stricter regulated framework and European regulators have taken a harder line on advertising standards. For affiliates, this means performance is no longer enough. Compliance capabilities, responsible marketing practices and documented controls are becoming commercial requirements.

Against that backdrop, a dedicated affiliate conference has a clearer purpose. It can serve not only as a networking platform, but also as a venue for operators, marketers, data providers and legal advisers to align on expectations. SBC’s decision to involve Conversion Conf suggests the event organizer wants to add more specialist knowledge at a moment when the affiliate business is becoming more professional and more heavily policed.

SBC has been building bigger platforms around narrower themes

SBC’s recent event strategy has emphasized scale, but also more targeted content. In Canada, the company is rebranding and expanding its Toronto event as SBC Summit Canada, with organizers expecting more than 3,000 industry professionals from May 19-21, 2026. The event will include a new leadership-focused content stream featuring executives from Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings and OLG, according to details of the SBC Summit Canada leaders track.

That Canadian agenda shows how SBC is using specific tracks to address market conditions. Alberta’s expected market launch, the 2026 World Cup and the competition between sports betting and igaming are all topics with direct implications for operators and suppliers. The event also includes tracks on affiliates and advertising, player protection, payments and compliance, underscoring how customer acquisition and regulation are increasingly connected.

The same model is visible in the Americas. SBC combined its North America and Latinoamérica events into SBC Summit Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a dedicated LatAm track focused on Brazil, the Caribbean, Peru, the Andean region and responsible gambling. The combined format, described in SBC’s launch of the Summit Americas format, was intended to let companies compare regional opportunities while still giving local issues sufficient attention.

For affiliate marketing, that structure matters because affiliates often operate across borders faster than regulators can harmonize rules. Brazil may restrict certain bonus messaging, Ontario may treat influencers differently and U.S. states may adopt varying privacy standards. A global affiliate summit attached to SBC’s flagship Lisbon event gives the company a forum to connect those fragmented market discussions.

Lisbon has become the company’s flagship stage

SBC’s focus on Lisbon has also raised the stakes for its 2026 programming. The city is hosting the company’s main global summit, and SBC has been using headline speakers, sports tie-ins and large attendance projections to position the event as a central meeting point for sports betting, igaming, payments, media, technology and affiliation.

For 2026, SBC has already announced a major keynote featuring Michael Jordan, Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl and DraftKings co-founder, CEO and chairman Jason Robins. The session, outlined in plans for the SBC Summit 2026 keynote in Lisbon, is set to examine sports, technology, media, data and fan engagement. That lineup reflects the convergence SBC is trying to showcase: sports culture, betting products, technology infrastructure and consumer engagement all feeding into the same commercial ecosystem.

The 2025 Lisbon summit also has been paired with a broader sports and philanthropy effort. SBC founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark announced a Legends Charity Game to be held one day before the 2025 summit, with a target of raising more than €1 million for four organizations. The match, described in plans for the Legends Charity Game ahead of SBC Summit 2025, is designed to draw global attention before the conference begins.

Those initiatives are not directly about affiliates, but they support the same business objective: making SBC Summit a destination rather than a conventional trade show. A larger flagship event gives specialized gatherings such as Affiliate Leaders Summit more commercial pull, while dedicated partnerships help prevent niche communities from being diluted inside a 40,000-person conference.

Why Conversion Conf adds leverage

Conversion Conf brings a community centered on affiliate and performance marketing, areas where relationships and trust are especially important. Operators want traffic that converts, but they also need assurance that acquisition partners understand local law, brand standards and responsible gambling rules. Affiliates want access to operators, payment companies, technology providers and data tools that can improve conversion rates without increasing regulatory exposure.

That is the gap SBC appears to be targeting. Its broader summit platform offers scale, while Conversion Conf can contribute a more concentrated network and subject-matter focus. The partnership may help attract speakers who can address tactical issues such as attribution, search strategy, media buying, compliance documentation, privacy-by-design systems and the changing economics of revenue-share or cost-per-acquisition deals.

The stakes are commercial as well as regulatory. In mature markets, customer acquisition costs remain high and organic growth is harder to generate. In emerging or newly regulated markets, affiliates can help operators build early visibility, but weak oversight can quickly draw regulator attention. As more jurisdictions adopt formal licensing models, the quality of affiliate partnerships may influence which operators scale sustainably.

By placing affiliate marketing inside the main SBC Summit while giving it a dedicated identity, SBC is acknowledging both sides of the channel’s future. Affiliates remain essential to growth, but the informal practices that once defined parts of the sector are giving way to a more disciplined model. The Conversion Conf partnership is a sign that the next phase will be shaped by networks that can deliver performance, withstand scrutiny and operate across markets where the rules keep changing.