SBC Summit Tbilisi 2026 Targets Bigger Crowd with Sports and Regulation in Focus
TBILISI, Georgia – SBC Summit Tbilisi 2026 will return on July 15-16 with plans to welcome more than 2,500 delegates to the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The event could give operators, suppliers and regulators in Eastern Europe and Central Asia a larger platform for dealmaking, compliance talks and sports betting strategy.
SBC is staging the summit in partnership with SMH Global after last year’s edition drew more than 2,000 delegates from 44 countries. Organisers now want to push the event further as the region’s gambling markets become more visible and more competitive.
Bigger Ambitions After 2025 Growth
The 2026 edition is being pitched as a step up rather than a repeat. Organisers say the summit will feature more than 70 speakers covering regulation, operations, technology, affiliate marketing and partnerships across adjacent industries.
That broader range matters because the region is no longer being treated as a niche corner of the industry. Operators are watching regulatory change more closely, suppliers are looking for new footholds, and local stakeholders are trying to build markets that can keep pace with international demand.
For attendees, that means the event is trying to be more than another conference stop. It is positioning itself as a meeting point for businesses that want to understand how Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia are developing, and where the next pressure points may emerge.
Regulation Moves to the Centre
One of the strongest themes for 2026 will be regulation. The SBC Regulators Summit is set to play a central role, bringing together officials and policy voices from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The focus will be on compliance, responsible gaming and how gambling frameworks should adapt to technological change. That is an increasingly important discussion in markets where governments are trying to balance growth, tax revenue and player protection at the same time.
Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC, said the regulatory strand will sit at the heart of the event.
“Following 2025’s set benchmark, SBC Summit Tbilisi 2026 targets over 2,500 attendees and features over 70 renowned speakers diving into operations, technology, affiliate marketing, and synergies with sports and adjacent industries,” Sojmark said. “The SBC Regulators Summit will be front and center, promoting strategic dialogues for progressive policies.”
That language gives the summit a slightly different feel from a purely commercial expo. The message is that growth alone is no longer enough. Markets in this region are also being judged on how well they regulate.
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Sports Betting Gets a Deeper Push
Sports will again be one of the event’s strongest commercial hooks. Organisers say the 2026 agenda will go deeper into fan engagement, sponsorship strategy, media partnerships and the growing links between clubs and betting operators.
That emphasis reflects the reality of the region. In many markets, sports betting is still the most visible and politically relevant segment of the industry. It also gives the conference something broader to talk about than odds and product alone.
Lasha Machavariani, Founder of SMH, said sports would be one of the key pillars of the event.
“In 2026, we are expanding the sports focus even further – with deeper conversations on fan engagement, sponsorship strategy, club partnerships, and the business side of sports”, he said.
He added that another high-profile guest is being prepared after the 2025 edition featured football legend Alessandro Nesta, whose appearance drew strong interest.
Networking, Exhibition and Regional Value
Away from the stage, the event will also lean heavily on networking. Evening gatherings across Tbilisi, alongside the SBC Connect App, are expected to help delegates line up meetings and continue conversations beyond the conference floor. The exhibition area will bring together operators, affiliates, providers and technology companies, giving the summit a practical commercial layer rather than just a policy-facing one.
That combination is part of why Tbilisi is becoming more relevant on the industry calendar. It sits in a region where regulation is shifting, sports betting remains commercially important, and international companies are still trying to decide where to place their next bets.
For organisers, the aim is clear: make the summit feel regional in location, but international in consequence.
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