Inside SiGMA Rome 2025

This year, SiGMA pulled an unexpected move: instead of its traditional Malta setting — practically a second home for the iGaming industry — the conference landed in Rome. For three days, the Alfaleads Group team immersed themselves in one of the world’s oldest cities to see whether the change of scenery would shake up the scale, pace, and quality of networking. Here’s what left the strongest impression.

Roman Manuylov, CEO, Alfaleads Group

Coming off a huge SBC, I didn’t expect SiGMA to surprise me — but the Rome edition felt even stronger than the one in Portugal. It was great catching up with old friends and partners and hearing that things are going well on their side. I also got a lot of positive feedback about our team, which is always energizing.

A few observations:

• This SiGMA made one thing clear: there’s still plenty of money in arbitrage, and the iGaming market has handled global shifts and new regulations far more calmly than I anticipated.
• Companies still have room to grow, even if they now have to rethink familiar strategies.
• I also noticed a wave of new deal formats — several partners are already moving away from classic CPA.

And Rome genuinely surprised me with the number of side events. Each one could have passed for a standalone mini-conference. I personally dropped by the gatherings from 1xBet, Pin-up, and Colibrix — all were excellent. I’m convinced of one thing: conferences are worth attending. They give you a real feel for where the market is heading.

Photo source: 1xBet photo recap

Olya Potapova, Head of Partnership at alfa:search

SiGMA Rome turned out to be big, fast-paced, and a very clear snapshot of where the industry stands today: there’s plenty of money in the market, and competition for high-quality traffic has become the defining battlefield.

The venue added its own flavor — the conference took place in a former airport terminal, which sounded cool on paper but turned navigation into a nightmare: six halls, endless corridors, and a constant sprint from meeting to meeting. Everyone struggled with the hotel situation, too: stay close to the venue and you’re far from the events; stay in the city center and you lose two hours a day in transit. The logistics were messy, the organization struggled — but the quality of conversations made up for everything.

Here’s what stood out for me:

• SiGMA Rome 2025 proved the industry is on solid footing. SEO is front and center, and advertisers increasingly care about traffic quality, not volume.
• Facebook remains the primary channel for about 70% of advertisers.
• In-app is growing, and ASO is gaining momentum — even though everyone’s bracing for new Google restrictions.
• PPC is barely breaking even, though there are exceptions.
• Crashes are eating into profitability, Tier 1 is overheated, and Tier 3 is opening up new opportunities.

SiGMA Rome 2025 made one thing absolutely clear: the industry feels confident, SEO is a priority, and the conversation has fully shifted toward quality traffic. As for us, we’re returning home with dozens of new contacts, ideas, and potential deals. Now it’s time to turn all of that into growth.

Photo source: BetConstruct account Facebook

Julia Gerlein, CEO, Alfaleads Network

After meeting partners face-to-face, I saw confirmation of a trend that’s been building over the past few months: the market is returning to large affiliate networks. After the wave of “diversify at any cost,” it’s become clear that endlessly juggling brands and offers only hinders analytics and the ability to build long-term strategies.

Advertisers and webmasters alike are increasingly realizing that working through an affiliate program isn’t just about intermediaries — it’s a deliberate strategy. It allows you to consolidate traffic, test products systematically, and deliver real results for both sides.

As for SiGMA Rome 2025 itself:

• The quantity and quality of participants were top-notch, more than making up for logistical headaches and long queues.
• The 1xBet booth acted like a beacon across the massive venue — everyone used it as a point of orientation.
• PPC is struggling under constant updates.
• The 1X, Pin-Up, and Titan events were strong and productive, though the choice of headliners was a bit niche. On the bright side, people were finally choosing events based on guest and sponsor lineups, not just the star power.

SiGMA reflected just how fast the market is changing. As Google updates and abuse campaigns ramp up, companies are focusing on analytics and leaving chaotic traffic dumps behind. And of course, I couldn’t miss noticing that there was simply an overwhelming amount of crash traffic at this conference.

Photo source: SiGMA World account Facebook

Up Next

SiGMA Rome 2025 proved one thing: the arbitrage market is alive, adapting, and constantly looking for new paths. Our team returned with dozens of fresh ideas and plans that will be put into action in the coming months. We’ll be sharing some of these cases publicly.

Stay tuned for updates — and see you at AW in Bangkok!