SBC Summit Americas to spotlight player protection as gambling safeguards gain focus

SBC Summit Americas will place player protection at the forefront of its 2026 conference agenda, as gambling operators across the Americas face increasing pressure from regulators and stakeholders to identify gambling-related harm earlier and strengthen responsible gaming measures.

The industry's approach to player safety will be examined during the dedicated Player Protection Symposium on June 10, where operators, regulators, responsible gambling specialists and technology providers will discuss how technology, communication and coordinated self-exclusion frameworks can help move the sector beyond compliance-focused obligations toward more proactive safeguards.

The symposium is part of SBC Summit Americas' broader six-stage conference program covering sports betting and casino, affiliation, leadership, payments and technology, and regulation.

"Player protection works best when it is fully integrated into the player  experience. Players need clear information, timely support, and tools that are easy to understand before problems escalate," said Rasmus Sojmark, Chief Executive and Founder of SBC.

"For operators, that means considering responsible gambling at every stage of the player journey, from the first message a player sees to how support is provided when risk appears. This symposium will explore what that looks like in practice and how the industry can build safer, more consistent player experiences across the Americas."

A key focus of the discussions will be the growing role of technology and data analytics in responsible gambling programs.

One panel, titled Smarter Engagement, Safer Play: Rethinking Responsible Gaming, will examine how operators can use artificial intelligence, behavioral data and cross-department collaboration to identify potentially harmful gambling behavior earlier and provide support throughout the customer journey.

The session will feature speakers including Cristhian Cardenas (Compliance director at Rushbet), John Parsons, (Chief business officer for gaming at Trustly), Paula Murphy, (Head of commercial at Mindway AI), Christopher Schroder (Director of the Colorado Division of Gaming), Phil Sherwood, (Senior director of responsible gaming at PrizePicks) and Adam Warrington (Vice president of responsible gaming at Underdog).

Another panel, Clearer Messages, Safer Players: Streamlining Responsible Gambling and Self-Exclusion through Coordinated Communication and Smarter Technology, will focus on whether operators, regulators and industry groups can work together to create a more unified and accessible player protection framework, particularly for self-exclusion programs aimed at at-risk gamblers.

Participants in that discussion include Christopher Hebert (Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board), Tom Sage (Executive Vice President of the Sports Betting Regulators Association), Shane R. Saum (Head of U.S. government affairs at Dabble), Dr. Jennifer Shatley (Executive Director of the Responsible Online Gaming Association) and Michael Soll (President of the International Center for Responsible Gaming).

Beyond conference sessions, the event will feature companies offering compliance, identity verification, fraud prevention, payments and risk-management technologies designed to support safer gambling environments. Exhibitors such as Advanced Compliance Tech, GBG, GeoComply and SEON are expected to showcase tools related to risk detection, identity checks and regulatory compliance.

SBC Summit Americas will be held from June 9 to June 11, 2026, at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Readers interested in attending SBC Summit Americas 2026 can register using promo code YOGOPARTNERVIP through this link.