SiGMA World 2026 opens in Rome with 65 regulators, 30,000 delegates and Italy’s online gambling regime under scrutiny

SiGMA World 2026 started on 2 November at Fiera Roma and runs until 5 November, turning Rome into a temporary meeting point for iGaming, payments and regulation. For high-risk PSPs, the useful part is not the trade-show theatre; it is the concentration of regulators, operators and license holders in one place, with Italy’s online gambling framework high on the agenda.

1. The event is taking place at Fiera Roma, on Via Portuense, under the theme “Advancing Regulated Gaming.” The format is the usual industry all-in-one: exhibition floor, conferences, networking spaces, startup activities and specialist meetings, all inside the same venue.
2. Organizers expect more than 30,000 delegates over four days, with about 85% travelling from abroad. The event also brings together more than 1,200 sponsors and exhibitors and more than 550 speakers across five stages.
3. The show covers 120,000 square metres across nine pavilions. The five-stage programme focuses on strategic and regulatory issues, affiliate marketing, artificial intelligence and blockchain, fintech and digital assets, and the Italian market.
4. One of the main data points for payment companies is the presence of 65 regulators and representatives of regulatory authorities, according to the organizers. Europe is represented by 14 regulators from 12 countries, plus the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). Italy appears as host country through its national gambling authority, while Malta, Spain, Cyprus, Montenegro, Greece, Czechia, Armenia, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark and Bulgaria also provide regulatory input.
5. The agenda includes political speakers such as Adolfo Urso, Italy’s Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy; Tulia Ackson, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; and Mauro D’Attis, an Italian lawmaker. Operators with a presence in the country, including Novomatic Italia and Eurobet, are also on the speaker list.
6. This edition also brings four brands under one roof: SiGMA World, AIBC, FX World and AGS. In practice, that means the programme crosses online gaming with emerging technology, finance and affiliate marketing, with futurist Brett King among the headline speakers discussing autonomous banks and the transformation of financial services.

Italy gets a dedicated slice of the agenda. Panels will cover the current state and outlook of the public gambling market, with land-based gambling reform on the horizon, as well as the online gambling regime one year after it entered into force. That licensing framework cut the number of license holders from about 90 to 46, and operators are set to discuss what that has meant for competition, compliance and market dynamics. For PSPs and acquirers, that is the kind of regulatory shift that changes who can be onboarded, on what terms, and with how much appetite from local partners.