The largest edition of iGB Affiliate to date officially opened at Fira Gran Via Barcelona on Tuesday, marking a major milestone for ICE’s sister show and reinforcing Barcelona’s position as a new epicentre for the global iGaming calendar.
Now 20% larger than the 2025 edition and almost double the size of the 2022 show, iGB Affiliate 2026 has expanded into Halls 8 and 8.1, reflecting sustained demand from both new market entrants and established players scaling up their presence. The event, which concludes on Wednesday, features 203 exhibitors and sponsors, surpassing the 200 mark for the first time, including 73 first-time exhibitors, a clear signal of continued momentum in the affiliate sector.
Alongside the show floor, a packed conference agenda delivers 17 sessions featuring 48 speakers, covering performance marketing, regulation, innovation and growth strategies across mature and emerging markets.
Naomi Barton, Portfolio Director for iGB Affiliate, describes the event as “the heartbeat of the global iGaming affiliate community,” highlighting its unique positioning as the world’s only event fully dedicated to iGaming affiliates.
“The growth of iGB Affiliate has been phenomenal,” Barton said. “It reflects the popularity and status of the brand as one of the key business events on the affiliate calendar, bringing together ambitious affiliates, operators and technology providers to build long-term, trust-based partnerships.”
Inclusion and diversity take centre stage at ICE 2026
Beyond scale and dealmaking, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) emerged as a defining theme of ICE Barcelona, embedded across both the conference programme and a series of dedicated networking initiatives.
Over three days of panels, workshops and meetups, ICE is reinforcing its commitment to helping the industry better recognise new player segments, engage more diverse audiences and foster inclusive cultures within organisations. The programme explores how inclusive leadership and representation are not only ethical imperatives, but also critical drivers of sustainable growth.
DEIB-focused networking events play a key role in shaping the week’s agenda, including receptions centred on collaboration and community, and Tuesday’s African Americans in Gaming Multicultural Mixer, which brought together professionals to celebrate the multicultural identities shaping the industry.
On the conference side, sessions range from leadership and neurodiversity to the political and cultural challenges surrounding inclusion. Day two featured the timely discussion “DEIB Culture Clash: What Happens When Inclusion Gets Political?”, examining how polarisation impacts boardrooms, workforces and player communities. Speakers included Kelly Kehn, co-founder of Defy the Odds, and Tracey Wiley, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Bally’s.
This was followed by “Beyond the Numbers: The Meaningful Gender Equity Shifts Needed in Gaming”, a session questioning whether progress on gender balance has been substantive or largely cosmetic, with contributions from Globant’s Adrianna Samuels and Jo Abergel of the Ethical Gambling Forum.
Clarion Gaming’s Conference Manager Damien Ashton-Wellman emphasised that DEIB at ICE is not treated as a standalone topic, but as a core business consideration.
“We have a responsibility to ensure we’re championing diverse voices, discovering the next generation of talent and providing them with the environment to nurture and grow,” he said, noting that themes such as neurodiversity, leadership and the impact of AI were deliberately contextualised within broader industry trends.
Star power and spectacle add a human dimension to ICE
ICE Barcelona also demonstrated its ability to blend business with spectacle, drawing packed crowds for appearances by global sports and mind-sport legends.
One of the most talked-about moments of the show was a blindfold chess exhibition featuring world No.1 Magnus Carlsen and world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura, hosted by BETBY. Played entirely from memory, the rare head-to-head captivated attendees and is believed to be the first publicly staged blindfold match between the two top-ranked players.
The match was accompanied by live commentary from Levy “GothamChess” Rozman, whose accessible breakdown of elite-level play drew both seasoned chess fans and casual observers. A subsequent fireside chat explored strategic thinking, mental discipline and the evolution of chess as both a competitive sport and a digital entertainment phenomenon.
Football icons also took centre stage, with Luís Figo and Alessandro Del Piero appearing in front of an enthusiastic audience at Digitain‘s booth. The former Ballon d’Or winners took part in a Q&A covering their careers, the role of technology in modern sport and broader lessons on performance and success.
The session sparked chants, applause and visible fan excitement, with shirt raffles and autograph-seeking supporters underlining the emotional pull of sporting legends within a business environment.
ICE concludes today, Wednesday. Check out today’s program below:
Morning Sessions (10:00)
- Entering New Markets Workshop – CC5.1
- Safer Gaming Workshop – CC5.2
- Cybercrime & Fraud Workshop – CC4.1
- Beat the Pro – Esports Arena
Mid-Morning (10:30)
- GGW Brunch – Pitch Stage
Late Morning (11:00)
- Academia América Latina – Enterprise Stage
Afternoon / Closing (15:00)
- Casa Brasil Closing Drinks & Networking Reception – CC1.1 – Casa Brasil
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/01/21/117236-igb-affiliate-breaks-records-in-barcelona-as-ice-doubles-down-on-growth-inclusion-and-star-power
