Wednesday morning in Fort Lauderdale felt like the whole gaming industry had shown up at the same place at the same time. The Broward County Convention Center was already filling up with operators, regulators, tech providers, and media from across North and Latin America. Two days, five stages, nine content streams and enough topics on the agenda to keep every corner of the industry talking well into the evening. The SBC team on the ground included SBC Americas Editor Adam Candee, Senior Business Journalist Justin Byers, SBC Media Director Martyn Elliott, SBC Noticias Editor Lucia Gando, and several others covering the floor throughout the day.
The Day Started With a Podcast Before the Panels Even Began
Even before the first panel started, microphones were already out. The SBC team Justin Byers and SBC Noticias Editor Lucia Gando alongside host Fernando Noodt sat down for a live iGaming Daily preview episode right there on the floor. The conversation covered what to expect from the day ahead: prediction markets, responsible gambling, AI, sporting integrity, and inclusion. As it turned out, every single one of those topics delivered.
Women in Gaming Got Their Own Space to Connect
One of the morning’s first notable moments came through The Women’s Exchange, part of the brand-new SBC Connections networking program. Sponsored by Global Gaming Women, PayNearMe, and Segev LLP, it gave women across the gaming and betting world a proper space to meet and have honest conversations. Similar exchanges for payments, prediction markets, tribal gaming, and regulation were also running across both days of the event.
Patrick J. Kennedy Delivered the Talk of the Day
If there was one moment from Day 1 that people will still be talking about next week, this was it. Former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the man behind the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, walked onto the Leaders Stage and did not hold anything back.
Speaking during “Building a Public Health Response to Gaming Harm,” Kennedy drew from his own personal experience in a way that clearly hit home with everyone in the room.
“I’m an old-fashioned drug addict,” he said. “I had lots of DUIs and major jackpots. I knew intellectually that I was suffering from addiction, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Addiction is addiction is addiction is addiction. We are wiring our kids from the earliest of ages to be addicts.”
His message was clear gambling harm cannot keep being treated as a compliance exercise. Healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, and the industry itself all need to be working on this together, not in separate corners.
NCAA Called Out Prediction Markets Over Age Access
Sporting integrity got a serious hearing during the session “Lines, Limits, and Loopholes: Protecting the Future of Sports Wagering.” NCAA Managing Director of Enforcement Mark Hicks described the fact that some prediction market platforms allow users as young as 18 to trade on sports events as “terrible” and a public health crisis in the making.
Legacy Consulting Group CEO Tony Amormino added his take on how information flows in sport today. “Insider information has always been out there in the last 40 years,” he said. “People have always had it, but in the age of social media and technologies, it’s quicker to get access to that information. So, when you’re talking about athletes, trainers, even student managers, they have the ability to have that access.”
Bobby Soper Had a Simple Message About AI-Keep Up or Fall Behind
On the Leaders Stage, Sun Gaming and Hospitality CEO Bobby Soper did not sugarcoat where things stand with artificial intelligence right now. Speaking during “Land-Based Leaders: Navigating Shifting Demand in a Changing Gaming Landscape”, he told the room exactly what he thinks.
“That’s the necessity now,” Soper said. “You aren’t a leader anymore. You have to be able to optimise your data.”
He was joined by Soaring Eagle Gaming CEO Joe Nayquonabe and Desert Diamond Casino Director of Sportsbook Laurel Pittman, with the panel moderated by iGaming Capital Founder Melissa Blau.
Inclusion Was Not Just a Side Conversation
A session on diversity and inclusion asked something simple but important what does it actually take to build a gaming industry where everyone genuinely feels welcome? Sports Betting Hall of Famer Sue Schneider sat down with Seminole Hard Rock VP of People, Equity and Inclusion Brooke Thomas and Lotto.com Director of External Affairs Kweku Sapara-Grant. The conversation pushed gaming companies to stop looking outward and start asking harder questions about their own internal culture.
The Prediction Markets Panel Landed at Just the Right Moment
This was the session the whole room had been building toward all day. And it could not have been better timed the Commodity Futures Trading Commission dropped its proposed rules for prediction market regulation on the very same afternoon. SBC Americas Editor Adam Candee moderated “The Current State of Prediction Markets in the US” with DraftKings Predictions Senior VP and General Manager Jeanine Hightower-Sellitto, Sporttrade Founder and CEO Alex Kane, Optimove U.S. Lead Jeff Laniado, and Sidley Austin Partner Ian McGinley on the panel.
The central debate was whether sports event contracts actually compete with regulated sportsbooks or sit alongside them, and whether the rules in place today help or hurt innovation. Kane shared something that had not been widely known he had already gone to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission asking them to allow operators who offer prediction market products to run both services at the same time, with the argument that it would grow the player base and bring in more tax revenue for the state.
Responsible Gambling Got a Full Afternoon of Its Own
The Player Protection Symposium brought some of the most respected voices in responsible gambling into the same room. The first session, “Smarter Engagement, Safer Play: Rethinking Responsible Gaming”, looked at how the industry is moving past old compliance checklists toward personalised tools, real-time outreach, and behavioural data. Underdog’s VP of Responsible Gambling Adam Warrington and Colorado Division of Gaming Director Christopher Schroder were among those sharing their thinking.
That was followed by “Clearer Messages, Safer Players”, which brought together Sports Betting Regulators Association EVP Tom Sage, International Center for Responsible Gaming President Michael Soll, Responsible Online Gaming Association Executive Director Dr Jennifer Shatley, Responsible Gaming Council CEO Sarah McCarthy, Dabble Head of US Government Affairs Shane Saum, and Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Christopher Hebert.
Lottery Is Chasing a Younger, More Digital Crowd
The session “Lotto Couriers Under Review: Where Do States Draw The Line?” gave a clear picture of how lottery players are changing. Lotto.com Chief Legal Officer Rob Porter, who previously worked at the Iowa Lottery Authority, pointed out that their retail customers averaged 57 years old with an income between $45,000 and $55,000. Courier customers are a very different profile younger, more comfortable with technology, and generally earning more.
“Those are the people that lotteries need to reach if they are going to continue to fulfill their promises, not only today but 10 or 15 years down the line,” Porter said. He was joined by Jackpot.com Chief of Staff Mike Silveira and Lottofy CEO Fernando Ortega.
The World Cup Is Coming and the Industry Wants to Be Ready
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 being hosted across North America, the panel “World Cup 2026: Turning the Global Stage into Long-Term Growth” got into both the fun and the business side of things. Moderator Philip Canavan put the panel on the spot who wins the tournament? Codere CEO Aviv Sher backed Spain, Xtremepush CRO Rob Pryce went with France, Kambi VP of Sales for Americas David Bretnitz picked the United States, and Canavan also sided with Spain. The bigger business question was about what happens after the final how do you keep the new customers that a tournament like this brings?
On Thursday, attendees will be able to watch the opening match between Mexico and South Africa live from designated areas on the show floor at 3:00 p.m.
bet365’s CMO Was Honest About Where the Brand Wants to Be
bet365 Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie de Flora joined SBC Americas Editor Adam Candee for a one-on-one fireside chat. She talked through how she has helped build the brand’s footprint across North America, including the recent launch in Michigan. She spoke about the “Winning Is Everything” campaign and was refreshingly direct about the target third place in the U.S. sports betting market, sitting behind FanDuel and DraftKings.
Tribal Gaming Leaders Asked a Tough Question About Their Own Identity
The session “From Regulation to Representation: Giving Tribes a Voice in the Future of U.S. Gaming” produced one of the more thought-provoking conversations of the day. Tribal Council VP and Advisor Jacob Coin raised a concern he has been sitting with for over a decade that tribal gaming operations are slowly starting to think and act more like corporations than sovereign nations.
“Inevitably, your interests change from protecting rights, protecting sovereignty to protecting your market,” Coin said. He also pointed to how digital gaming has started creating competition between tribes themselves. “We have huge operators in Indian facilities and now suddenly their priorities have changed. Instead of focusing on protecting tribal government gaming rights and tribal gaming exclusivity in their respective states, we are now talking about how I offer a better game than my neighboring tribe.”
Day 1 Closed With Awards and a Look Ahead to Thursday
As the final panels wrapped up in the evening, the industry moved on to the SBC Awards Americas at Pier Sixty Six Coral Ballroom. BetMGM, Kaizen Gaming, and Sportradar led the night, each picking up two awards. Day 2 continues Thursday with sessions covering payments innovation, Latin American regulation, affiliate marketing strategies, and more on prediction markets.
Sources: This coverage is based on live reporting and event updates from SBC Americas and Yogonet International. All quotes and session details have been taken directly from their on-ground coverage of SBC Summit Americas 2026 Day 1 at the Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
