Changes Afoot for 2026 Canadian Gaming Summit

The FIFA World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada next year will have a significant impact on the local areas where the games will be played.  However, SBC claims that the annual Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto is also being impacted by the world's top soccer competition.

Date of the SBC Moving 2026 Summit

On June 11, 2026, the World Cup begins in Mexico City, with the opening game taking place the following evening in Toronto.  On July 19, the competition comes to a close at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre hosted the Canadian Gaming Summit from June 17–19 of last year.

SBC, which organizes the event in collaboration with the Canadian Gaming Association, plans to reschedule it for May of next year.  This is to make room for the soccer match.  The specific dates have yet to be set.

World Cup Matches in Toronto

“This was the final event on our calendar that hadn’t yet carried the ‘SBC Summit’ name,” said Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC. “Given its growing impact, it was only natural to bring it into the fold. We’re really proud of how far this event has come. After three successful years with SBC and a rich legacy behind it (28 years), the Canadian Gaming Summit has truly reached a point where its future clearly belongs within the SBC Summit series.

"The rebranding isn’t just symbolic. It reflects the quality, scale, and consistency that the Canadian Gaming Summit now shares with all other SBC Summit events globally.”

Over 3,000 delegates, 1,000 operators, 200 affiliates, 75 exhibitors, and 150 presenters participated in a series of panel discussions during the two days of the event last month.  For the past 28 years, the Canadian Gaming Summit has been hosted every year.

Show Continues To Expand

“This is a chance for the industry to get together,” said CGA President and CEO Paul Burns told Casino.org. “It’s the one time of the year that you see most of the Canadians [in the industry] in one room, at one time. In this industry, it’s a chance to share and learn. And I remarked this year in particular, for the first time, we had three ministers responsible for various parts of the gambling sector from this country – two from Ontario, Doug Downey [Attorney General of Ontario] and Minister [Stan] Cho [Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Gaming] – and Minister Dale Nally, who is leading the regulated market in Alberta. We never had that before.

"And so the event shows where the gaming industry is in Canada, where it’s growing, and how it’s expanding. I think those are the things I take away from this week. Where we are as an industry, where we’re growing. This show is probably one of the best attended ones we’ve ever had. It continues to grow. SBC has been a great partner with us. We’ve seen the growth in the sector and suppliers and people still wanting to see how they can do business here. So, it’s a great week for them.”