Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl and Jason Robins to Open SBC Summit 2026
Expertise: US Gaming, European Gaming Industry, iGaming
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LISBON, Portugal: SBC Summit 2026 will open with a leadership keynote featuring Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl and Jason Robins.
The session gives the Lisbon event a high-profile sports business opening focused on technology, media, data, betting, iGaming and fan engagement.
The keynote, titled “Leadership in Sports Business”, will take place on Tuesday, September 29, the first day of SBC Summit 2026. It will be hosted by former Sky Sports News presenter, broadcaster and journalist Kirsty Gallacher.
Sports Business Leaders Set for Opening Keynote
The session will bring together basketball icon, investor and philanthropist Michael Jordan; Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl; and DraftKings co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board Jason Robins.
SBC said the discussion will examine the evolution of sports, technology, media, data and fan engagement. The session will also look at the connection between sports betting and iGaming, including how the two sectors are increasingly operating in parallel and in collaboration.
Broader leadership themes are also expected to be covered. Those include building global businesses at scale, decision-making under pressure and navigating change across fast-moving sports and technology markets.
SBC CEO and Founder Rasmus Sojmark described the session as a defining moment for the event. “This is the kind of conversation that transcends our industry”, Sojmark said.
“To have Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl, and Jason Robins on stage together is something truly special. These are individuals who have each changed the way people engage with sports and business in completely different ways – through performance, technology, innovation, and vision. Bringing them together at SBC Summit reflects both the scale of where this industry is today and where it is heading”, he said.
Lisbon Event Expected to Draw 40,000
SBC Summit 2026 will take place in Lisbon and is expected to welcome more than 40,000 industry professionals. The audience is expected to include executives and decision-makers from sports, betting, gaming, payments, marketing, affiliation, technology and media.
The Lisbon keynote adds to SBC’s wider 2026 event activity. The company has also said SBC Summit Tbilisi would target 2,500 attendees with a sports focus, showing how its conference calendar is being built across both global and regional markets.
SBC Summit is SBC’s flagship global event. It brings together senior executives and decision-makers from across the sports, betting and gaming industries for networking, exhibition and conference content. Additional details about the keynote session, including timing and attendee access, will be announced in the coming months.
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