SBC Summit Lisbon opens with Michael Jordan keynote
SBC Summit Lisbon opened on Tuesday with a Leadership in Sports Business keynote at MEO Arena, where Michael Jordan, Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl and DraftKings CEO Jason Robins spoke with broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher. The event is in its third year in the Portuguese capital and has 40,000 attendees.
Asked about a fan base that can now follow every statistic and betting market, Jordan said his own approach as a player would not have changed. “I just play the game. I can’t worry about what people are betting on. I can’t worry about what the stats are,” he said.
Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl, who welcomed the audience to the session, framed the discussion around the technology powering modern sports.
“We are now developing technologies for a high-speed sector, that is being powered by AI,” Koerl said.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins described the DraftKings Super App as the company’s principal technology project, bringing products that previously operated through separate apps together in one platform.
“The idea of the Super App was we’re going to take all these different products that we have… and bring them all into one single app,” Robins said.
The keynote followed an official ribbon-cutting attended by Lisbon and Portuguese officials.
Jordan also spoke about the companies he works with. He said his ties to DraftKings and Sportradar feel genuine to him and that he will not compromise on that. His stake in NASCAR is recent, and he said his interest began with family trips to the races. In his view, Sportradar and DraftKings could help the series find fans outside its established base.
Robins, for his part, said of Jordan’s career: “We all kind of wish we were Michael. We wish we were out there winning championships.“
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas gave the opening remarks at the ceremony. City and government representatives, SBC leadership and key sponsors then toured the exhibition floor at Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL), meeting exhibitors and partners.
Among the officials were Deputy Mayor for Innovation and Social Development Maria Luísa Aldim, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa CEO Rita Prates, FIL Vice President António Ramalho, Turismo de Lisboa Director-General António Valle, Turismo de Portugal President Carlos Abade and MEO Arena CEO Jorge Vinha da Silva. Sponsor representatives included SoftConstruct founder and CEO Vigen Badalyan, Digitain founder Vardges Vardanyan, Alea founder Alex Tomic, EGT CEO Vladimir Dokov and Amusnet CEO Ivo Georgiev.
SBC CEO and founder Rasmus Sojmark thanked the city for its support. “Year on year, Lisbon is proving to be the perfect fit, and we’re grateful for all the support we’ve received so far.“
SBC says the summit generated approximately €100 million in indirect economic benefit for Lisbon in its first year there. The organiser also says last year’s edition drew visitors from 150 countries. It estimates 85,000 room nights booked by attendees this year, with final attendance figures still being confirmed.
New this year are the Affiliate Leaders Summit, the Global Prediction Markets Forum, the African Gaming Forum and a structured networking programme. The Script performs at the Opening Party, football transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano and UFC champion Charles Oliveira are keynote speakers, and Tiësto headlines the closing Infinity Lisbon night.
SBC Summit returns to Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena on September 21-23, 2027.
