One Week Until SPARK 2026 Opens In Sofia

The inaugural SPARK (Software, Payments, Affiliates, Revenue Kickoff) 2026 will open in one week at the Hotel Marinela Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Taking place from 19–20 October, the two-day event will bring together representatives from the online and land-based gaming sectors, including operators, affiliates, regulators, payment specialists, marketing executives and technology providers.

The conference programme will cover regional regulation, player acquisition and retention, payments, AI integration and responsible growth.

The event also comes as Bulgaria considers changes to its gambling regulations, including proposals relating to advertising restrictions.

Regulation And AI Lead Day One

The first day will begin with Navigating MiCA: A Legal Roadmap for Crypto & Digital Assets in CEE, led by Konstantin Mikov of Mikov & Attorneys.

The session will examine compliance, AML integration and legal requirements surrounding the adoption of digital assets.

Georgi Kanev of Kanev Lukaev Tech Law, Mark McGuinness of CreateFuture and Martin Georgiev of Flutter Bulgaria will participate in Responsible AI in Marketing: Navigating the EU AI Act Without Killing Performance, covering the legal, marketing and safer gambling considerations surrounding the use of AI.

Robert Brassai of Sense4Gaming and Robert Stoica of WinBet will also discuss how land-based gaming businesses are adapting to an increasingly digital market.

Day Two Focuses On Operations And Growth

The second day will include Turning Strategy into Revenue: What Works in Modern iGaming Operations, featuring Atanas Popivanov of ImperiaBet, Georgi Stoianov of PaymentIQ and Nikoleta Hristova of Vegas Legends.

Olga Polishchuk, an iGaming Regulatory Compliance Consultant, will deliver a presentation examining channelisation, competition and tax yield across Central and Eastern European licensing models.

Hanna Plachkova of The Persona Lab and iGaming consultant Henk Wolff will conclude the programme with a session focused on resilient growth strategies and key takeaways from the two-day event.

Industry Speakers Confirmed For Sofia

Further speakers confirmed for SPARK 2026 include Chrysothemi Valanidou, Founder of Startwise Ltd; Kristiyan Kyulyunkov, CEO of Websa Ltd; Nicolo Valchev, Affiliate Marketing Manager at efbet; Martin Yakimov, Partner and Head of Gambling at Velchev & Co. Law Office; and Nikolay Tonev, CMO at Noreeva Technology Group.

Additional industry representatives are also scheduled to participate throughout the event.

Exhibitor, sponsorship and delegate packages remain available ahead of SPARK 2026.

Registration is available through the Eventus International website.