With just three weeks remaining, the 7th Annual Strategic Platform for iGaming Conference & Exhibition (SPiCE South Asia 2026) is set to welcome senior policymakers, operators, investors, and technology providers to Sri Lanka for three days of high-level dialogue, deal-making, and strategic insight.

Held from 23 – 26 March 2026 at the renowned Shangri-La Colombo, the summit will examine how investment and technology are shaping sustainable gaming ecosystems, with a clear focus on responsible growth and long-term market confidence.

Anchored by the theme “Responsible Growth. Regional Progress,” the agenda is designed to reveal the practical opportunities of building compliant, scalable models across both emerging and established markets.

Exclusive Previews: What to Expect at SPiCE South Asia 2026

SPiCE South Asia 2026 will feature a diverse lineup of senior decision-makers and subject-matter experts offering on-the-ground insight into regulation, operations, technology, and market expansion. Among them are the following speakers, who will be addressing some of the most pressing issues facing the region today.

Joe Pisano, CEO, Jade Entertainment & Gaming Technologies Inc.

Positioning integrated resorts as strategic levers for tourism, investment, and long-term economic resilience, Pisano explained:

            “The integrated resort of the future must be conceived as national infrastructure – not simply a
            gaming venue, but a catalyst for tourism, investment, employment, and urban transformation.
            Gaming remains an anchor revenue driver, yet the true resilience of an IR lies in diversification:
            destination entertainment, MICE, luxury hospitality, wellness, retail, sports, and cultural
            programming – all supported by sophisticated digital architecture.

Jurisdictions such as Singapore have demonstrated how disciplined regulation, strong compliance frameworks, and long-term capital planning can turn integrated resorts into pillars of national economic strategy. The next phase for South Asia is to replicate that model with regional nuance – aligning IR development with tourism corridors, aviation expansion, and digital modernisation.

The IR is no longer just a property; it is a platform.”

Emphasising the role of technology in unifying operations, compliance, and customer engagement across complex resort environments, he noted:

“Technology now serves as the operating system of the integrated resort. A unified digital backbone connects gaming, hotel operations, retail spend, entertainment programming, compliance systems, and customer intelligence into a single, dynamic ecosystem.

Through AI-driven analytics, predictive risk modelling, cashless payments, and omnichannel loyalty architecture, operators can shift from transactional engagement to lifetime value management. Leading platform providers illustrate how modular platforms can unify land-based and digital ecosystems, creating seamless guest journeys while strengthening regulatory transparency.

In a region where regulatory credibility will determine capital inflows, integrated technology is not optional – it is foundational. The IRs that win will be those built with digital integration at their core from day one.”

Reflecting on the timing of SPiCE South Asia as regional markets move toward formalised, investment-driven gaming frameworks, Pisano observed:

            “SPiCE South Asia comes at a pivotal inflection point. South Asia is transitioning from
            fragmented, informal gaming structures toward formalised, investment-driven integrated resort
            frameworks. The jurisdiction that moves first – with regulatory clarity, investor confidence, and
            technological alignment – will set the benchmark for the region.

            That first mover is poised to be Sri Lanka.

With its geographic position along major aviation and maritime routes, placing it is naturally at the centre of a future South Asian IR corridor connecting India, Southeast Asia, and the Gulf. The country combines a mature tourism brand, high-end hospitality capacity, and a government actively prioritising foreign direct investment and economic diversification.

More importantly, Sri Lanka has the advantage of timing. As it recalibrates its economic model, it has the opportunity to design a modern, compliance-led IR framework from inception – integrating technology, responsible gaming standards, and capital safeguards in ways that older markets struggled to retrofit.

If structured correctly, Sri Lanka can establish the regulatory, technological, and operational template that neighboring markets observe – and eventually align with. That is how corridors are formed: through leadership, not scale.

SPiCE South Asia matters because it is where the needed leadership dialogue is taking place. It convenes policymakers, capital providers, operators, and technology innovators at the precise moment when South Asia’s IR blueprint is being drafted.

In strategic terms, Sri Lanka is not simply another emerging market – it is the potential anchor node of a formalised South Asian integrated resort corridor. And the conversations happening now will determine whether that opportunity is seized.”

After exploring the operational and strategic frameworks that position integrated resorts as multi-sector platforms and igaming affiliate programs the conversation shifts to Harmen Brenninkmeijer, whose global experience in gaming investment and destination development offers insight into how regions can translate early gaming-led activity into sustained economic growth.

Harmen Brenninkmeijer, Executive Chairman, NYCE International

Analysing what separates high-performing destinations from the rest, Brenninkmeijer observed:

            “Destinations that succeed treat casinos as a catalyst layered onto three things: a large, nearby
            feeder market with easy, repeatable access; a broad non-gaming proposition; and strong local
            capture of spend.”

Examining the conditions required for startups and operators to scale beyond early success, he explained:

“For startups and operators, scaling really begins when you shift from fast early growth to building something that lasts. To make that jump, a few things need to be in place: you’ve got to manage your cashflow carefully to stay liquid, land the right first client(s) who not only believe in your product but help shape it, and – in the case of B2B – use that partnership to fine-tune and package your offering for the market. For the B2C operators, the goal becomes driving steady revenue and building a business that can sustain itself – turning early wins into long-term success.”

Highlighting why SPiCE South Asia is central to aligning capital, regulation, and innovation in the region, Brenninkmeijer stated:

“Attending SPiCE events gives us a real feel for the challenges and opportunities buyers face across the region. It’s about understanding what makes each of these local markets unique and how using those insights can shape solutions, even tiny changes that truly stand out.”

Jared Valarao, Managing Director, Lakandula Holdings

Highlighting the often-overlooked dimensions of responsible entertainment beyond the resort walls, Valarao observed:

            “The gap is not where most people think it is. We have world-class compliance for what happens
            inside an integrated resort. We have almost nothing for the communities outside it.
            Recent events made this painfully visible. Major shipping lanes closed in hours. Airspace shut
            down across an entire region. Some of the most sophisticated entertainment corridors in the
            world found their surrounding communities – the workers, the families, the small businesses –
            with no resilience infrastructure to fall back on.

            When a worker’s family member has a medical emergency during a regional crisis, they arrive at
            a hospital with no organised health records. When supply chains fracture, there is no system
            connecting CSR investments to actual outcomes on the ground.
            These are solvable problems.

Technology can create verifiable impact infrastructure at the family level. Imagine every family in a host community with a digital health passport – funded by the operator, with every enrollment and every health outcome tracked and reportable.

One link to share with any doctor. One card to show in any emergency room. That is not just compliance. That is community resilience by design. Verifiable and sustainable corporate social responsibility at its finest.”

Framing responsibility as an operational imperative rather than a compliance checkbox, Valarao advised:

“Responsibility that only exists on paper evaporates the moment it is needed most. We have all seen this recently. Stop measuring responsibility by what you spend. Start measuring it by what survives a disruption. Operators who treated sustainability as a capital strategy – not a cost centre – saw 2.5 times better returns through lower security costs, faster permits, and organic community advocacy. Their communities rallied around them during disruption rather than turning against them.

Three steps any operator can take now:

Deploy health security infrastructure in host communities. Emergency health records for families – something physical, like an emergency card a mother can show in any hospital, whether for a routine visit or a crisis evacuation. These function when everything else fails.

Build a real-time community impact dashboard. Employment created, vendor revenue generated, health outcomes improved – and make it public. Transparency-focused operations raise capital at 30 per cent better valuations.

Create career ecosystems, not just jobs. Every employee trains three community members within 18 months – measured, tracked, and marketed. I have implemented this in previous operations – it made us the employer of choice while cutting recruitment costs by 60 per cent.

In this industry, that is not social responsibility. It is operational superiority.”

On why SPiCE South Asia provides the ideal platform for aligning global capital with local innovation, Valarao observes:

            “Because the landscape just shifted, and South Asia needs to be ready. The disruptions we have
            witnessed in major entertainment corridors are stress tests for every operator in the broader
            region. Energy prices are spiking. Travel corridors are fractured. Communities are asking a
            simple question: what happens to us when the world outside your resort walls becomes unstable?

            Global stakeholders bring capital and scale. Local innovators bring something irreplaceable –
            the ability to design solutions that communities actually trust and adopt. Solutions that work not
            just in  stable times, but under stress. SPiCE South Asia forces both sides into the same room at
            precisely the moment this collaboration matters most.

            From my work spanning Singapore, the Philippines, and the broader ASEAN region,
            purpose-driven partnerships consistently outperform transactional ones. When an entertainment
            operator and a local health technology company co-invest in community infrastructure, they
            create something no competitor can replicate.

            An ecosystem where the community becomes your most powerful advocate, your most resilient
            asset, and your first line of defence when the next disruption arrives. SPiCE South Asia is where
            those partnerships begin.”

Together, these voices will contribute to a programme that balances policy insight with commercial reality, offering attendees actionable perspectives on regulation, sustainability, technology adoption, and growth strategies tailored to South Asia’s evolving landscape.

Celebrating Excellence: SPiCE South Asia Eventus Awards 2026

The SPiCE South Asia Eventus Awards 2026 will take place during the summit, celebrating excellence in leadership, innovation, and contribution across the gaming and technology ecosystem. The awards spotlight individuals and standout achievements that have influenced market confidence, regulatory maturity, and responsible growth throughout the 2025/2026 period.

Categories include Operator of the Year, Technology Provider of the Year, Innovation of the Year, Legal Adviser of the Year, Affiliate Platform of the Year, and the prestigious SPiCE Speaker of the Year Award. Award recipients will be announced during the official awards ceremony in Colombo.

Secure Your Place at SPiCE South Asia 2026

With final preparations underway and demand continuing to build, SPiCE South Asia 2026 offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with policymakers, investors, and industry leaders shaping the region’s future.

The final registration window is now open for attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors.

Register now: