Brazil’s ban and Big Tech bashing – what was on the industry’s mind at SBC Summit in Lisbon?

With the 2026 SBC Summit in Lisbon now behind us, SBC News looks back on the five key takeaways from the blockbuster event in Lisbon which played host to keynotes from stars including Michael Jordan and Charles Oliveira. Both on and beyond the main stage, there were plenty of big talking points which our editorial team picked up on throughout the week. And the first of those was always going to be an obvious one given recent developments… 1. Brazil backlash even greater than initial expectations Just days before SBC Summit 2026, there was huge news coming out of Brazil, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declaring an outright ban on online betting just less than two weeks before election voting. While stats may show that a change in rules on Brazil’s gambling sector has only affected voting for very few citizens, at SBC Summit, the discourse was entirely different. ANJL Legal Counsel, Bernardo Cavalcanti Freire, said Lula’s ban is illegal, though he did affirm that he remains “very optimistic” of an intervention. Meanwhile, Beatriz Melges Lopes, LATAM Director at BetConstruct AI, raised concerns about pushing players towards the black market, adding that the global industry “needs to be together” as Brazil “isn’t doing anything properly”. Flutter Entertainment’s Chief Strategy Officer, Tom Bowry, expressed huge disappointment due to the company’s investment in the country, but perhaps the most striking and passionate comments came from Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Chief Executive Officer of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA). Macedo de Medeiros, a firm supporter and representative of exclusively Brazilian sports leagues rather than the betting industry, said: “We and the global community that we represent do not support a blank prohibition on Brazil’s regulated sports betting market. Dismantling the regulated market is not the answer. “No industry deserves to set its own rules, but the state must act responsibly with evidence and proportionality, and a credible transition. This is not what we have witnessed.” 2. We’re not far away from predictions becoming a norm in Europe Thursday saw the Global Prediction Markets Forum play out at SBC Summit, with delegates flooding in to see speakers from companies including Kalshi, Betr and WagerWire as the future of predictions in Europe lay high on the agenda. And many within the space seemed very confident of prediction markets landing in Europe – beyond Gibraltar. This was made very clear by Charles Mizzi, CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority. “They [prediction market operators] are applying,” he commented. “There is a lot of interest. “Over the last months, we’ve seen huge interest from operators. We’ve had a lot of discussions with them.” Perhaps the question for the predictions sector now is not about whether they get the green light from regulators, but how they entice European citizens who have been exposed to regulated sportsbook frameworks for far longer than those in the US. Alex Gowar, Chief Growth Officer at Matchbook, explained: “I think it all comes down to how it’s presented to the customer, and I don’t see that there’s an overwhelming demand for it in a world where sportsbook opportunities are there. “We’re going to have to educate customers into a new way of betting, where there isn’t necessarily a particular benefit.” On Kalshi’s potential European expansion, Chief Risk Officer, Udesh Jha, commented. “We would love to. We are talking to regulators across the pond like ESMA and others. “You can’t get the regulation clarified in one go, it’s going to be a process.” Credit: SBC News 3. SBC agrees to host in Lisbon until 2030 A major development on Day 3 was SBC signing a long-term agreement with Turismo de Portugal, the Municipality of Lisbon and Lisboa FCE, to ensure Lisbon remains as the host city of SBC Summit until 2030. SBC’s Founder and CEO, Rasmus Sojmark, was joined by Gonçalo Reis, Vice President, City of Lisbon; Maria Luísa Aldim, Deputy Mayor for Innovation Social Development; António Ramalho, President of the Executive Board, FIL; Carlos Oliveira, member of the Executive Board, FIL; and Teresa Monteiro, Member of the Board, Turismo de Portugal, to sign the deal on site during the early afternoon on Thursday. Sojmark later commented: “We are very happy to have the support of the city we have chosen to host our biggest and most ambitious event. “Year on year, Lisbon is proving to be the perfect fit, and we’re grateful for all the support we’ve received from the city so far.” Credit: SBC 4. Michael Jordan will only sign deals authentic to him Michael Jordan was the standout act of the 2026 SBC Summit, drawing in a bumper crowd on the Super Stage at the MEO Arena. It was the first time that the basketball legend had spoken at an event in Europe. He didn’t hold back, either, during a panel discussion with Sportradar CEO, Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings CEO, Jason Robins – two companies in which he is invested in. Those are two businesses which he fundamentally believes in and ones which he clearly thinks fit his profile, if his comments in Lisbon are anything to go by. “When I get involved in deals, be it with Sportradar or DraftKings, I need to know it’s authentic to what represents me,” he said. “I know I’ll be used as a marketing vehicle. The consumer has to connect to that.” Jordan also touched on the fact that the commercial side of sports is much different today than it was back when he was playing. He continued: “Before, the fans would live seriously through the athletes. Now the fans are the athletes in terms of how they compete within the game. There’s a little bit more added pressure in sport. Today, you have to build a brand. “Ultimately, all we cared about was that we wanted to make the Chicago Bulls the best team in the NBA. Whereas today, you have got guys thinking about their brands, their namesake, their logos and all these other things which they need to cater to.” Credit: Sportradar 5. Big Tech has to get involved in global black market battle Conversations around illegal operators were rife in Lisbon last week, and it all pointed in one direction – social media giants like Meta, X and ByteDance have to lend a hand to the licensed market. Björn Fuchs, Chairman at Dutch industry trade body VNLOK, touched on the organisation’s decision to sue the former. He explained: “You can see how much advertising there is on Meta platforms. We have tried to communicate but they have only offered automated responses. “We don’t see any improvement – in fact, it’s getting worse. Now is the time for them to uphold their responsibility.” However, Finland’s gambling industry may hold a different view on Meta ahead of a groundbreaking move to an open regulated market in July next year. Jesper Eliasson, Director at PAF, revealed a potentially new approach to tackling illegal gambling at SBC Summit – and one that is in partnership with Zuckerberg’s global conglomerate. The experimental deal, Eliasson revealed, will include sharing certain parameters, including license documents and URLs. This is in an attempt to help Meta create a clearer picture of which operators and affiliates are regulated, and which ones aren’t. The black market conversations continued throughout the week across the entire SBC Summit, with Richard Clarke, Managing Director for Paddy Power Betfair, adding: “I don’t think people actually always can see what that looks like. “Educating in that space is really important, but I think we really need to start taking action.” Credit: SBC News