SBC Summit Barcelona 2023 recently took place at the Fira Barcelona Montjuic from September 19th to 21st, 2023. The conference allowed iGaming and affiliate marketing members from around the world, not just Europe, to connect and discuss the pertinent issues that are driving the industry forward.
Income Access was delighted to attend the conference, which gave us key insights into the current state of the iGaming world and where it’s evolving before our eyes.
With that in mind, we’ve put together this piece to breakdown the conference with the help of our friends at Legalbet, who also attended this terrific event. To gather valuable insights and takeaways from the conference, we interviewed with Borja Imbergamo, the Country Manager for Spain from the experienced Legalbet team. To get in touch with the Legalbet team, click on the link below!
Income Access (IA): SBC Summit seemed like a big success for all who attended! What stood out to you most about this latest conference within the iGaming world?
Borja Imbergamo (BI): Undoubtedly, the growth. The 2023 event was the biggest in recent years and it's an obvious signal of how much the sector is growing. More companies and more individuals directly involved with the iGaming industry attended the event, which is great for gaining insights into growing geos, regulations, or upcoming trends within the industry. This year, there were a lot of people from different countries with whom we could compare and discuss regulations and trends in the local market, including outside Europe.
IA: These conferences are a great chance for the iGaming world to come together, debate and push the industry forward. What are some exciting trends you flagged during the conference?
BI: Regulations are becoming stricter for both affiliates and operators, but they are also creating a safer and more established gambling system where the value of the player is much higher. Europe is already a very solid market with a lot of competition, making it challenging to compete with the big companies. However, there is a lot of potential in LatAm where regulations are starting to come into play, and the gambling industry is growing significantly, following Europe's lead.
Additionally, it has been quite interesting to observe how well the iGaming sector is adapting to all the new technologies and social trends. Nowadays, iGaming users are also interested in video games and streamers, so gambling companies are striving to become as visible as possible in those markets.
IA: As the conference was in Barcelona, what are your thoughts on how affiliate marketing is growing within the iGaming world in Spain?
BI: Spain faced a significant challenge with the new gambling laws in 2021, resulting in restrictions on gambling advertising. Contrary to global expectations, the sector continued to grow, and both operators and affiliates adeptly adapted to the new regulations, leveraging them to create a much more established market.
The casino segment has seen substantial growth in recent years and has now reached a point where the Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR) is even higher than that of Sports Betting, marking a historic milestone in the iGaming history of Spain. Operators, compelled to reduce their spending on partnerships and advertising, are reallocating budgets to affiliates, recognizing them as one of their most robust marketing channels in Spain. I believe that Spain presents a challenging market due to regulations and the strength of established companies. However, it also holds immense potential and is poised for continued growth in the next few years, solidifying its position as one of the main iGaming markets in Europe!
In this scenario, it is crucial for both operators and affiliates to maintain control over each marketing action and analyze as much data as possible. This is where Income Access significantly simplifies things for us: providing complete access and control over all campaigns, links, statistics, and a variety of useful tools.This enhances our collaboration with partners and supports our continuous growth in a challenging market like this one.
This is why an increasing number of operators, both within and outside Spain, are using it for affiliate marketing, and we as affiliates are highly satisfied with the platform.
Key Takeaways
As mentioned previously by Imbergamo of Legalbet, the Spanish market is flourishing despite growing regulations, presenting themselves as a strong example for the rest of the iGaming world. Additionally, the added interest from geos outside of Europe at a conference taking place in Barcelona proves how global our industry is and how wide it’s growing!
Big thanks again to Legalbet for their insights here. To connect with Legalbet, click on the link below!
