ONE-ON-ONE
1 on 1
Koerl, CEO of Sportradar, and DraftKings Co-founder & CEO, Jason Robins.
the event is over. The bigger vision is for SBC to help connect the global gaming industry 365 days a year. Our events will always be incredibly important but we also have our news service, our iGaming Daily podcast that I know a number of IMGL members have been part of, we have webinars, we have our Leaders magazine. All of that adds up to better connections between operators, suppliers, regulators, associations, affiliates and other key stakeholders. More opportunities for people to meet and do business. More intelligence and knowledge. And much deeper relationships with the industry throughout the year. That takes investment from our side, but I think it's also at the centre of how events stay relevant. You can't simply build an exhibition floor, put up some conference stages and expect 40,000 people to keep coming. It’s a crowded calendar: people have too many choices. We have to answer a very simple question: "Why do I need to be there?" For an operator CEO, that answer is oftentimes completely different from a regulator, a lawyer, an affiliate or a startup founder. We want to create purpose, belonging, which happens when you deliver outstanding events with focus on hospitality that make people feel great, while achieving their business goals and objectives. SP: The Global Gaming Summit in Lisbon is just around the corner, but what’s coming up next year? RS: You’re right: Lisbon is a global event but I’ve been thinking for a while that we needed something focused just on Europe. So what’s next on the SBC journey is our European Summit in Amsterdam next April – SBC Summit Europe. This is a space carved out to just focus on Europe. And everyone loves going to Amsterdam, right? IMGL will be on that journey with us. We’ve always had a great relationship and we really appreciate the quality that IMGL members bring to our events. And we’re delighted to have you on board for that journey.
SP: So how are you going to top this year's lineup?
RS: Every year my team probably wishes I'd stop asking, "OK, what's bigger?" But that's part of SBC. I never want us to say, "That was good enough, let's just do it again." I don't know whether you necessarily top Michael Jordan by finding someone more famous. You top it by making the entire experience better – better people, better conversations, better networking, better content and more reasons for the most important people in the industry to be there. So, all I can say is “watch this space” SP: What’s next for SBC, youy vision for the future of the industry and how will your events stay relevant? RS: I would say that we started by connecting people, we grew by connecting more of the industry and our future is about connecting the entire gaming ecosystem. But we also know that we have to earn that place. You cannot take anything for granted. I have always had that mindset: I try never to get complacent, never think we’ve made it even when the business is approaching a couple of hundred people. Yes it’s a growth story, but at the same time, you can never take things for granted. SBC Summit is becoming the annual global gathering point for the industry. I love it when I see more and more people adding SBC to their yearly schedule as they’ve done with ICE for many years. In my opinion, and this is backed up by the people I speak to, SBC offers a far superior event experience and better content, and is more ideally placed in the calendar year with September compared to mid-January when it comes to budget and business planning for the coming year. So we have a lot going in our favor. But I don't want the relationship between SBC and the industry to start when somebody registers for an event and finish when
IMGL MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026
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