Event Details
- Name: AI Match Sessions, Sunset Edition
- Date: Today, Monday, 25 May 2026
- Location: Malta (seaside venue)
- Format: Invite-only, curated networking
- Organiser: AI Match
- Host: Valentina Diaco, Founder of Profit Matches and AI Match
- Applications: https://luma.com/p3bzseu8
AI Match Sessions, Sunset Edition is a curated, invite-only networking event taking place today in Malta. Hosted by Valentina Diaco, Founder of Profit Matches and AI Match, the event is organised alongside the launch of AI Match, a matchmaking platform designed to vet, showcase, and connect AI solutions with business needs in iGaming. The format is structured around facilitated conversations between operators, AI solution providers, and strategic decision-makers. Attendance is intentionally limited.
What AI Match Is
AI Match describes itself as a matchmaking platform for AI solutions in the iGaming sector. The stated aim is to vet and showcase AI providers and connect them with operators who have identified specific business needs, rather than running a general-purpose directory or marketplace. The platform sits at the intersection of two trends in the industry: operator demand for practical AI implementation guidance and the growing number of AI-adjacent solution providers entering the iGaming space.
The event, branded as the Sunset Edition, is positioned as the physical counterpart to that platform, designed to facilitate the kind of conversations that are difficult to replicate online or in large expo hall settings.
Format and Approach
The organisers describe the event as intentionally smaller than a typical industry conference. The format centres on curated networking rather than staged presentations, with the stated objective of facilitating substantive dialogue around AI adoption, implementation workflows, and operational readiness.
The target audience is operators evaluating or implementing AI and LLM-driven solutions, AI solution providers serving the iGaming sector, and strategic decision-makers involved in technology procurement and operational transformation. The invite-only model is designed to control the mix of attendees and preserve what the organisers describe as a focus on quality over volume.
Set against a seaside location in Malta, the evening programme combines networking with food and music in what the organisers frame as an environment intended to encourage natural interaction rather than transactional exchanges.
The HER PLAY Collaboration
The event includes a collaboration with Karolina Pelc and HER PLAY. The organisers describe the collaboration as intentional, positioning it as a counterpoint to the technology-focused agenda: while AI adoption is the event’s primary theme, the HER PLAY element is intended to preserve space for human instinct, reflection, creativity, and emotional intelligence in the conversation.
The programme includes an activation called “AI Message in a Bottle,” in which attendees are invited to anonymously share short reflections connected to AI, leadership, change, and the future of work. The stated purpose is to bring the conversation back to the human side of organisational transformation.
Industry Context
The event reflects a broader shift in how the iGaming industry is approaching AI. The initial wave of AI-related activity in the sector was characterised largely by experimentation, proof-of-concept projects, and marketing-driven positioning. What operators are increasingly seeking, based on industry conversations and recent conference themes, is practical guidance on implementation, operational clarity around workflow integration, and access to partners with verifiable track records in delivering measurable results.
Malta, as the jurisdiction hosting the largest concentration of iGaming companies in Europe, is a logical location for an event aimed at operators and AI providers evaluating partnerships. The curated, smaller-format approach also aligns with a trend visible across the events calendar in 2026, where several organisers have moved toward invite-only or limited-capacity formats in response to feedback that larger conferences can make substantive B2B conversations more difficult.
How to Attend
Attendance is by application only. The event takes place today, Monday 25 May 2026, in Malta. Applications can be submitted through the event’s listing page at https://luma.com/p3bzseu8. The organisers have indicated that attendance is intentionally limited to preserve the curated format.
Gamblers Connect Perspective
The positioning of AI Match Sessions sits at the intersection of two real needs in the iGaming B2B space right now. On the operator side, there is genuine demand for structured evaluation of AI solutions that goes beyond marketing claims. On the provider side, there is a need for access to decision-makers in environments where the conversation can move past introductions and into specifics.
Whether the curated format delivers on that promise is something that will become clearer after the event itself. Small, invite-only gatherings can produce high-quality dialogue when the attendee mix is well managed, but the format is also dependent on the organisers’ ability to match the right people in the room. The launch of AI Match as a standalone platform suggests a longer-term play in this space, with the event serving as the initial touchpoint.
The HER PLAY collaboration is an unusual addition to an AI-focused event, and the inclusion is worth noting. As the industry moves deeper into AI-driven workflows, the question of where human judgment, creativity, and emotional intelligence fit into those workflows is a legitimate one, even if it is rarely addressed at industry events.
For operators and AI providers based in Malta or in town this week, the event is worth attending. We will cover any notable developments or themes that emerge from the evening.
