William Scott, Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Meridian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MRDN), will speak at the 2026 SBC Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, the company announced. Scott will participate in a panel titled “The Africa Advantage: High Growth, Fast Regulation, Huge Potential,” which opens the Global & Emerging Markets Stage on Tuesday, September 29 at 13:00 local time. The summit runs from September 29 to October 1 at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa.
The panel will examine how player preferences vary across African markets, which countries are expanding fastest, and how regulations are shifting activity from the grey market to licensed operators. Scott will be joined by Christopher Coyne, CEO of 888Africa; Jason Gibson, Chief Commercial Officer of SportPesa; Aggrey Sayi, CEO of Maybets; and Ronnie Whelan, CEO of Kingmakers.
Africa has emerged as one of the fastest-growing regions in global iGaming. According to iGaming Business, the continent's online betting and gaming market is projected to grow from $12.7 billion in 2026 to $19.4 billion by 2030. The panel will explore the role of mobile money platforms in player conversion, as well as regulatory developments in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, and Uganda.
Meridianbet, Meridian Holdings’ flagship sports betting and gaming subsidiary, maintains an established presence across several African markets. Scott will bring insights from his experience navigating the continent’s regulatory landscape in addition to his oversight of Meridian’s broader international operations.
“Africa represents one of the most compelling growth stories in our industry right now, and it’s an opportunity we’ve been building toward for years,” said Scott. “I’m looking forward to sharing perspective alongside operators who, like Meridian, are working directly with regulators and players across these markets and discussing what it takes to build a sustainable, compliant business as this region continues to mature.”
The discussion comes as international operators increasingly focus on Africa’s potential, driven by rising mobile penetration and evolving regulatory frameworks. For industry stakeholders, the panel offers a timely look at how licensed operators can capitalize on growth while navigating complex compliance requirements. Meridian’s participation underscores its commitment to expanding in regulated markets and could signal further strategic moves in the region.
Meridian Holdings Inc., headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, operates as a B2B and B2C gaming technology group across more than 25 international regulated markets. Its B2C division is led by Meridianbet Group, an online sports betting and gaming operator founded in 2001 and licensed across Europe, Africa, and South America. The B2B division includes game developer Expanse Studios and iGaming platform GMAG. Additional subsidiaries include RKings Competitions in the UK, MexPlay in Mexico, and Classics for a Cause in Australia. The company’s software automatically declines gaming or redemption requests originating in the United States, in strict compliance with U.S. law.
For more information, visit www.meridian-holdings.com. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com.
