Why does a global igaming brand still need an exhibition?

1xBet at SBC Summit: Why face-to-face still matters in a digital igaming world.

Press release.- A global igaming operator can now run almost every core function online. Teams work across time zones, negotiations happen over video calls, new partners are sourced through digital channels, and market data updates in near real-time. That’s the reality for 1xBet, which operates across dozens of markets, engaging players and partners worldwide, with digital infrastructure running its day-to-day operations.

So why does a digital-first brand still book a booth at a major industry exhibition?

The answer is not nostalgia for old-school business travel. Some things — reading a market’s mood, building trust with a partner, spotting where a technology is actually heading — are still done better in person than on a screen.

SBC Summit, running September 29 to October 1 in Lisbon, is a useful case study: this year’s edition brings together an expected 35,000 industry professionals and around 800 exhibitors across the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena.

1xBet will be present with two booths — C301 in the main exhibition area and B816 in the additional zone. The separate B816 zone will showcase the 1xBet and PSG collaboration not only through the brand but also through direct interaction with guests. The entire area will be decorated in the 1xBet | PSG style, where visitors can view co-branded merchandise and participate in football-themed activities. Hostesses will welcome guests, and winners will receive items from the co-branded collection.

For a brand with this scale, presence isn’t just a checkbox. SBC Summit is where 1xBet’s digital reach meets real people, ideas, and opportunities.

Here’s what three days on the ground actually deliver that a dashboard or a video call can’t — broken down into five reasons.

1. To listen

Data shows scale — transaction volumes, traffic patterns, regional growth curves — but it rarely shows context. It doesn’t explain why a regulator in one market is tightening rules while another is opening up, or why player behaviour shifts differently across regions that look identical on paper.

SBC Summit brings operators, regulators, suppliers, and affiliates from across the industry together, giving a brand like 1xBet a direct read on what different segments are dealing with right now. Sessions such as the Regulatory Gaming Meet-Ups are one example of where these conversations happen — a chance to hear directly from the regulators, legal experts, and decision-makers shaping compliance requirements, rather than piecing it together from reports weeks later.

The discussion on emerging markets will be particularly relevant. As part of the session “The Africa Advantage: High Growth, Fast Regulation, Huge Potential” on the Global & Emerging Markets Stage, 1xBet Strategic Advisor Simon Westbury will join industry experts to discuss how changing player behaviour, a mobile-first approach, regulatory developments, and payment solutions are transforming the igaming market in Africa.

For 1xBet, participating in this discussion is a two-way process: it’s an opportunity to share its experience in international markets while also hearing first-hand the perspectives of participants who are at the heart of one of the fastest-changing regions in the global igaming industry.

2. To connect

An exhibition is not only about meeting partners but also about communicating directly with the audience. 1xBet is strengthening this aspect of its presence at SBC Summit with Mamadou Sakho, a PSG Legend.

On September 30, Mamadou Sakho will appear at the brand’s booth and take part in an exclusive experience. His role goes beyond that of a typical guest appearance: he helps link the brand to football, his career, and his personal experiences, making interactions with the audience more engaging and memorable.

For 1xBet, this is another way to draw attention to its booth, strengthen its connection with football fans, and build a more direct relationship with the brand.

3. To explore

An exhibition is where trends stop being slide-deck talking points and start being demoed products. Walking the floor at SBC Summit means seeing, in a matter of hours, how AI is being applied to player engagement, where fintech is simplifying payments, and which martech tools are actually gaining traction — not just which ones are getting the most press coverage.

The event’s guided show tours are built for this: connecting attendees with the companies, technologies, and discussions most relevant to their business goals. For 1xBet, that’s a fast, concentrated way to scan an entire industry’s direction in a few days instead of months of separate calls and research.

4. To build

Partnerships are central to how 1xBet grows — and a partner network isn’t built through technology and automated tools alone. It still runs on relationships: a partner manager who understands a specific market, a conversation that resolves a problem faster than a support ticket, a level of trust that only comes from meeting in person.

That’s the foundation of 1xPartners, 1xBet’s affiliate program. It already works with over 500,000 partners worldwide, offering lifetime commissions of up to 50%, automatic weekly payouts, over 250 payment methods, and dedicated account managers.

Events like SBC Summit give 1xBet a chance to strengthen relationships with existing affiliates and open conversations with new ones — the kind of groundwork that digital outreach alone struggles to replicate at the same pace.

This work will continue beyond the exhibition floor. 1xBet is a partner of the SBC Leaders Dinner and the SBC Summit Opening Party, creating additional opportunities to network with industry representatives in a more informal setting. While business meetings help establish new connections, these events provide a space to develop further and strengthen those relationships.

5. To shape

Showing up at an industry event this size isn’t just about observing where the market is going — it’s about being part of the room where those decisions get discussed. Regulatory direction, product standards, and industry norms are shaped as much in these conversations as in any boardroom. For 1xBet, being at SBC Summit means staying inside that conversation, not reading about it afterwards.

The bottom line

Digital tools give a global operator speed, scale, and constant reach. They don’t replace what happens when the industry is in one room: hearing the market directly, building trust that outlasts a single deal, and spotting a new partner or technology before it shows up in a quarterly report.

SBC Summit isn’t a return to an older way of doing business — it’s the part of the ecosystem that digital tools were never designed to cover. For 1xBet and its 1xPartners network, that’s the point of being there.

Digital-first does not mean digital-only.