The Affiliate Leaders Summit will return to Rio de Janeiro from March 3–5, 2026, as affiliates and betting operators adjust strategies to reflect the realities of Brazil’s increasingly mature regulated gambling market.
The event, introduced in the second year of SBC Summit Rio, was created as operators and affiliates reassessed how global performance models translate to local consumer behaviour, culture and compliance requirements. It has since become a key meeting point for Brazil’s gambling ecosystem.
The 2026 edition will bring together more than 6,000 operators and 2,500 affiliates, supported by a dedicated conference programme and show floor focused on acquisition strategies, partnership models and compliant growth in Brazil.
Industry participation has risen sharply. The most recent summit welcomed all but four licensed operators active in Brazil, with operator attendance up 59% and affiliate participation increasing by 224%, highlighting the growing role of affiliation in Brazil’s regulated betting market.
“Brazil’s affiliate market is moving quickly from experimentation to maturity,” said Rasmus Sojmark, founder and chief executive of SBC. “What matters now is not speed, but alignment between commercial ambition, compliance, and local consumer behaviour. The Affiliate Leaders Summit creates the space for those conversations, grounded in how the market actually operates.”
The Affiliate Leaders Summit show floor will connect affiliates, operators, networks, media groups, technology providers and compliance specialists, with organisers noting that 25% of attendees are expected to be senior decision-makers. Companies confirmed to attend include Betwinner, Blaze, Clickadu, Jumio, My Affiliates and Sofascore. Networking features will include dedicated lounges, a meeting-enabled event app and a food festival on the show floor.
The conference programme will focus on the commercial and regulatory forces shaping Brazil’s affiliate market, including how local affiliate agreements are structured, how commercial terms are negotiated in practice and the role of cultural nuance in building long-term partnerships.
Panels will also examine the impact of AI-driven search, shifts in SEO and paid media strategies, and sustainable acquisition models as advertising standards tighten. Influencer-led partnerships will be discussed within the context of Brazil’s evolving marketing framework.
A dedicated marketing track will be held on March 5, reflecting the close links between affiliation and marketing in Brazil’s regulated market. Sessions will include perspectives from the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (CONAR) and Meta, focusing on the application of advertising rules, sports sponsorship restrictions and compliant campaign execution.
Confirmed speakers for the marketing track include Juliana Albuquerque, vice president of CONAR; André Megale, director of integrity and governance at SIGA; Ana Paula Castello Branco, chief marketing officer at BetMGM Brazil; Sandro Cachiello, head of RMG at Meta; Marco Elias, responsible for compliance marketing and responsible gaming at Flutter Brazil; and Ricardo Peixoto, country manager Brazil at Sofascore.
The Affiliate Leaders Summit forms part of SBC Summit Rio 2026, the third edition of SBC’s flagship event in the city, which is expected to attract 15,000 attendees. Launched in 2024, the summit has outgrown its original venue and will again be held at Riocentro, one of South America’s largest convention centres.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/01/14/117105-affiliate-leaders-summit-returns-to-sbc-summit-rio-as-brazil-betting-market-matures
