Welcome back to SBC Media’s live coverage of SBC Summit Malta! Yesterday was a brilliant day of content, meetings and networking, topped off by out VIP affiliate and operator dinners, and the official party at Infinity by Hugo’s!
Our team of roving reporters are ready and raring to go, and we will be keeping you up to date on all the breaking news and best quotes from the show floor. The team on site today includes Martyn Elliott, Ted Menmuir, Craig Davies, Joe Streeter, Jyoti Rambhai, Viktor Kayed and Luke Miles who will bring you all the latest from SBC News, iGaming Expert and Affiliate Leaders.
Keep checking back through the next couple of days for the latest insights from the conference halls, the best quotes and breaking news from SBC Summit Malta.
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17:05 – That’s all, folks!
And with that, our coverage of SBC Summit Malta 2026 comes to a close. We’ve learned a lot about the future of AI, regulation, tax, marketing and much, much more over the last couple of days of conference content.
iGaming Expert, SBC News and Affiliate Leaders will continue to deliver some of the biggest talking points from the Summit over the course of the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, thank you for tuning into our live coverage and thanks to ELA Games for supporting the blog.
The event as a whole isn’t over yet, though. The official closing party will be at Open Water from 8pm. Pour us a drink!
17:00 – What’s been your highlight?
Our man on the ground Luke Miles has been speaking to delegates about their experiences at SBC Summit Malta 2026 as the show begins to wind down.
From networking parties to high-quality leads and top notch conference content, it’s safe to say that the show has gone down well with attendees. Check out what people had to say below!
16:40 – Data literacy key for iGaming talent
Caroline Butler, Head of Global Markets at Initiate International, framed the evolution of careers around a simple reality impacting all industries and workforces.
“Roles are changing faster than the people performing them.” Butler told the audience of her presentation on Future-Proofing Your Career: The Skills, Roles and Opportunities Shaping the Next Workforce.
Audiences should except this blunt reality she argued as “future-proofing is no longer about experience alone, but about aligning skills with where roles are heading not where they have been.”
Central to this shift is data literacy, which Butler described as a “non-negotiable across all functions.”
“This is not about becoming a data scientist, but about understanding how individual actions translate into commercial outcomes.”
Employees who can interpret performance metrics, link activity to revenue impact, and communicate results in measurable terms are significantly more valuable than those who just execute tasks.
The significance of data literacy is compounded by the importance of cross-functional thinking as a new career discipline. Butler emphasised that modern organisations no longer operate in silos, and value is increasingly created at the intersection of departments.
“Professionals who understand how marketing, product, CRM and acquisition teams interact — and how each contributes to overall business performance are better positioned to drive impact and progress into strategic roles.”
Generational shifts are also driving the emergence of new role profiles, particularly within marketing and retention.
Positions such as lifecycle growth managers and advanced CRM specialists are becoming central to operator strategy, reflecting a deeper focus on customer journeys, segmentation and long-term value optimisation.
The roles demand a blend of analytical capability, commercial awareness and multi-funcational execution and are likely to succeed those characteristics of the traditional roles of the marketing manager, campaign coordinator,
Butler’s concluding message is simply forward looking: “The industry is moving away from rewarding effort and towards rewarding impact. Those who can combine data awareness with cross-functional insight — and articulate their contribution in tangible business terms will define the next generation of iGaming talent.
Reporting from Ted Menmuir
16:30 – Aquapony?
Have you heard about the sport called Aquapony? No? Did you know that it was featured in the 2024 Olympics? You were following them closely, but your memory still betrays you?
Well, why not ask AI if you don’t believe me? Perplexity and Copilot will both confirm that I’m right and you are wrong.
And still, I can assure you that your memory is still as good as it’s ever been. Aquapony is a term made up by Alan Cladx, CEO of H1seo.
In a matter of six months, he managed to create a term and infiltrate the online algorithm with it enough that two of the most used LMs in the world are now swearing by a sport that doesn’t exist – going as far as claiming it was an official Olympics discipline.
Someone who didn’t watch the Olympics is now being lied to that Aquapony was in the center of the spotlight. But that’s not the worst part when you factor in that millions of people globally trust AI unconditionally – regardless whether it’s about politics or important life decisions. Scary, right?
By manipulating history singlehandedly, Cladx perhaps highlighted one of the most crucial lessons delivered at our SBC Summit Malta Conference – the importance of education and making an informed decision.
Reporting from Viktor Kayed
15:35 – Deal me in…
Meanwhile, back on the show floor, Joe Streeter reports a buzz around table games and the live dealer vertical in Malta.
As iGaming continues to evolve and new tech emerges, Streeter says, the role of live casino within an operator’s portfolio continues to be crucial for player engagement.
Lots of discussions around how to maximise the social element of live casino and bring them to a new audience from the show floor at the Summit. That said, the Blackjack Lounge in Malta has proven popular among attendees.
Reporting from Joe Streeter
15:20 – Too much choice with AI?
AI has been a hot topic throughout SBC Summit Malta this week, but are we reaching saturation point with the nascent technology?
“AI is exposing and amplifying problems in a company,” says Roberta Nicholls, Head of Chapter at AiCollective, in her presentation at conference room 2 titled Invisible Costs: The AI Blind Spots in Affiliate & Marketing Strategy.
With marketers blindly bringing AI into their workflows more than any other sector, it can raise some issues if the tools don’t “speak to each other”.
Nicholls points out speed is making AI very attractive for marketers, particularly when it comes to creating more content, more reports and even more dashboards.
But more content, doesn’t necessarily mean better or the “best way forward”. Nicholls describes as going to a restaurant, which has a lot choice on its menu – “when there’s a lot of options, I assume it might not be as good”, she says.
Therefore, marketers need to remember that “AI doesn’t fix conversion judgment” and for those using it in abundance, it could be giving an illusion of progress.
Reporting from Jyoti Rambhai
14:30 – Affiliates in the trenches…
Some call it an adjustment, others a rightsizing – but affiliates in iGaming media recognise that they have entered a “war economy”.
The battlefield is more cut-throat than ever, as SBC Summit Malta audiences were warned that “survival hinges on speed, diversification, and not having your budget quietly torched by bots,” as explained by Vadim Aidlin, CEO of Mamuta Media.
At the whim of Google and whether it applies an algorithm change or geographic shift, agility and speed of response are now dictating strategy.
2024 and 2025 have been years of cold exposure, with Aidlin noting that for many “most campaigns are running just to break even.”
The US remains a high-stakes arena where expensive paid channels can still be rewarded, dependent on negotiation. Copy the same approach in Brazil or the wider LatAm market and you’ll burn cash fast – efficiency and low-cost traffic are non-negotiable.
“If you’re risking all that budget just to stay even, you’re not in control of the risk – you’re absorbing it. And in this market, risk doesn’t hold steady – it almost always moves against you. One shift in traffic quality, a spike in costs, or a drop in conversion, and that fragile balance disappears. Without margin, there’s no protection – just exposure.”
Search is trench warfare.
Search has devolved into a constant battle of “black-hat, grey-hat and parasite tactics,” explains Emma-Elizabeth Byrne, Head of Publishing at Gentoo Media.
“Ranking first is no longer an outright win — it’s an invitation to be attacked,” as competitors drain ad budgets, inflate clicks through bots, and exploit an algorithm that remains unpredictable. Guarantees on rankings? Not in this market… As Byrne bluntly puts it: “When you’re number one, you’re not happy… you know people will start attacking you sending over those bots and content will be duplicated by parasites.”
Reporting from Ted Menmuir
13:45 – Keeping players coming back
Player acquisition is important, but how do you then retain those players and keep them with your brand for the long-term?
In conference room 1 this morning, we dived into why retention is a key driver for profit and how best to stop players from churning.
13:40 – It’s all about telling a story
Media and messaging can make or break your brand. And in conference room 1, conversations explored the best ways to create and curate messaging strategies that balance regulation, reputation, and resonance in a rapidly changing media landscape.
13:30 – Here is the AI framework
With Malta prepping up to become the first country to launch a dedicated AI framework for iGaming, it is an imperative that details are ironed out given the amount of operator data involved in the process.
Representatives from the Malta Gaming Authority have assured that the charter has been drafted with fairness and robust responsibility in mind.
Francois Piccione, Chief Technology Officer, MGA, highlighted that operators will be required to treat the charter as a core priority to ensure that their AI infrastructure is effective.
“In a gaming context, an AI model designed to detect problematic behaviour may begin to disproportionately flag players because they engage with the product differently.
“Over time this will continue to be reinforced by the model.
“A model that appeara to be balance six months ago might be not today.
“The charter makes it clear that operators need to treat fairness as an ongoing responsibility.”
Once the charter is adopted, operators will need to contact the MGA for enquiries about how AI affects the gaming sector.
Meanwhile, the Malta Digital Innovation Authority will be the point of contact for any questions about how Malta’s AI charter fits into the wider EU context.
More details on the charter were promised for next week, starting 4 May.
Reporting from Viktor Kayed
12:30 – Meanwhile, on the show floor
SBC Summit Malta is known for it’s conference content, but there’s also the exhibition taking place.
Luke Miles reports that crowds are gathering around the Betwinner booth here on the floor, with games and prizes, including an iPhone 17, on offer.
12:20 – AI takes centre stage…
We all know that AI is changing the way that industries work. But how? And how will these changes impact iGaming and the way the sector is governed?
Perhaps more importantly, how will legislation impact the way iGaming can actually use AI?
The EU’s AI Act is one of the first global pieces of legislation to regulate AI, and its ramifications could be severe.
Over in conference room 3, representatives of the the Malta Gaming Authority are talking about how the body is developing the industry’s first AI Gaming Charter to translate broad EU requirements into practical, gaming-specific standards.
11:35 – Looking into the future
An interesting switch-up at SBC Summit Malta’s Day 2 Conference, where the audience becomes the panel!
Hosted by Arjan Korstjens, Principal at Casino Marketing Academy, and Dan Phillips, CEO at NEL Advisory, audience members were taking turns to share their views of what the casino sector will look like in 10 years’ time.
What will be the biggest market? Well, China surprisingly came in as a suggestion, although historically anti-gambling. However, again due to history, the owner of this prediction likened gambling to a wave which has already passed through the West and is moving towards the East.
Of course, it will all boil down to politics, but the audience member was sure of one thing – all economics factors in China are in favour of that.
Another view pulled the rope in the opposite direction, giving LatAm as an example in large part due to the regulatory landscape in Brazil. In fact, in 2036 the biggest market competition – in the member’s opinion – will be between the US and LatAm.
China, they suggested, is less likely to emerge as a competitor because of theoretically more centralised regulation compared to the segmentation in LatAm, which naturally drives more competition and innovation.
Reporting from Viktor Kayed
11:30 – You won’t learn this at school…
Affiliate management is something marketers learn on the job… it’s not taught at university, Elaine Gardiner, managing director at TAG Media, points out. As a result, “there’s no uniform terminology… everyone call these things different things”.
Gardiner went out to test how different LLMs would respond to an affiliate prompt. One of the queries she posed was: “I’m looking at my affiliates’ stats. They have 4 NDCs and 5 FTDs. What does that mean? What is the difference?”
“ChatGPT is the most disappointing,” she explains, which is “frustrating as it most common one people are using”.
“It just gave me a lot of fluff,” she says, “[…] It said I should check the IP addresses.”
While Claude “could not understand the small nuances in the industry”.
But “well done Elon Musk (with Grok) and Gemini”, Gardiner claims, showing how those had the most relevant answers.
Reporting from Jyoti Rambhai
11:20 – DMCA fraud
“The scale is the weapon”
Ivana Flynn kicking things off by sharing knowledge on the rise of DCMA SEO fraud that is plaguing global markets at an alarming rate.
As attackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated it’s vital that legitimate affiliates get ahead of the curve when it comes to the threat of site scraping.
Reporting from Joe Streeter
10:00 am: Welcome back!
We’re back and ready to go for day two at SBC Summit Malta! With plenty of workshops and insightful panel discussions, we’ll be bringing you the biggest stories from throughout the day, delivered to you live by ELA Games.
The audience is the panel
Check out Viktor Kayed’s clip of the panel below:
