This April, our team visited SBC Summit Malta, a premier event that gathered 6,000 betting and iGaming professionals at the InterContinental Hotel for strategic discussions, networking, and hands-on learning in multiple workshop experiences.
Three days, from 28 to 30 April, were filled with warm catch-ups with industry experts, making new network connections and learning more about the state of regulated gambling and gaming across regions. As a media partner, PaySpace Magazine Global had a chance to witness this welcoming, niche-focused gathering with a concentrated audience firsthand. The blended theory-practice format and well-curated boutique-style atmosphere encouraged more personalised engagement among attendees.
Malta’s role as the global iGaming capital
Malta was not accidentally chosen as the SBC Summit location this year. This country’s online gaming industry took off in the early 2000s, when it became the first EU member state to regulate online gaming. In other words, Malta provided a structured licensing system that gave companies legal certainty at a time when most countries did not. That head start only compounded over decades, as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has built a strong worldwide-acknowledged reputation for fairness, transparency, and strict regulatory enforcement.
Taken together with favourable local tax incentives, Malta’s regulatory clarity has attracted hundreds of gaming companies, including online casinos, sports betting platforms, and software developers, to build their operations here. In fact, last year, 47% of the SBC Summit audience was based in Malta. However, the platform also offers a strong opportunity for international attendees to connect and do business.
Fintech & payments in gaming
While Malta offers regulatory transparency and clear rules, some other global destinations are not so straightforward with regard to iGaming. Therefore, fintech and payment providers offering services to regulated gambling businesses face fragmented compliance environments and numerous challenges accompanying the absence of unified requirements.
Being focused on the financial aspects of the summit discussions, our team has visited several sessions dedicated to these themes.
At the conference sessions focused on payments, risk, and marketing in regulated gaming markets, speakers discussed the challenges operators face in improving transaction flows, preventing fraud, and maintaining customer trust.
Influence of payment flows on customer experience
During the session “Payments & Transaction Flow — Fast, Frictionless and Future-Ready,” panelists examined how payment experiences affect player retention. The discussion referenced survey data showing that 27% of players abandoned deposits when their preferred payment method was unavailable, while 44% said fast withdrawals were the main factor when choosing an operator. Speakers discussed why many operators still require several days to process payouts and how delays can lead users to switch to competitors or offshore platforms. The panel also covered compliance requirements, fraud prevention, operational efficiency, and the difficulties involved in updating or expanding payment systems in regulated environments.
Speakers in this session included Rolands Grancovskis, Nataly Shpak, Ian Perrygrove, and Olena Demchenko.
Risk management is crucial for the gaming sector: what should the industry learn from payment fraud prevention
In “Payment Fraud Detection: Lessons from Fintech,” speakers focused on fraud risks facing the gaming sector and compared them with fraud prevention approaches used in fintech. The session referenced estimates that online gaming fraud reached $2.8 billion in 2024, including $1.2 billion linked to mobile betting platforms. Panelists discussed the increasing use of AI-based behavioural analytics, biometric verification, and real-time risk scoring tools. The conversation also covered anti-money laundering controls, regulatory expectations, and whether gaming operators can keep pace with increasingly sophisticated fraud methods.
The speakers included Husnain Bajwa, Piotr Lisak, Alexandra Körner, Megan Easey, and Fiorentina D’Amore.
Marketing vs compliance debate
Another session, “The CMO Review: Campaigns Under the Spotlight,” focused on marketing strategy in regulated gambling markets. In this particular industry, as well as in other segments where potential financial gains border on high risks, there’s often a thin line between legally acceptable advertising and misleading impressions. Therefore, marketing strategies here are more nuanced and challenging, requiring sophisticated expertise best learned in practical workshops.
At SBC Summit Malta, marketing executives reviewed acquisition, retention, and brand campaigns from the gambling and other industries. Discussions covered campaign creativity, audience engagement, compliance considerations, and how brands can differentiate themselves in competitive regulated markets. The session also explored common marketing mistakes and examples of campaigns that resonated with audiences.
Participants included Nikola Jellacic, Marco Trucco, Sam Behar, moderated by Martyn Elliott.
Final thoughts
For the fintech community, SBC Summit Malta highlighted how payments, fraud prevention, compliance, and marketing remain closely interconnected in regulated gambling markets. Discussions throughout the event reflected the growing pressure on operators and service providers to balance fast and seamless customer experiences with increasingly complex regulatory and risk management requirements. The summit also demonstrated Malta’s continued importance as a global hub for the iGaming industry and as a meeting point for professionals navigating evolving market and compliance challenges across different regions.
