Petition asks SiGMA to reconsider Conor McGregor's appearance at Rome summit
The Change.org petition appeared a day after SiGMA said McGregor would attend on 3 November as a guest of 1xBet. It had 151 verified signatures on 5 October.
In brief
- What happened
- A petition opened on Change.org on 25 September 2026 asks conference organiser SiGMA to reconsider Conor McGregor's appearance at its Rome event on 3 November.
- Why it matters
- The authors also want SiGMA to set clear standards for celebrity guests at future events, a demand that reaches beyond this one appearance.
- Who it affects
- SiGMA and 1xBet, whose guest McGregor is due to be at the event; the petition invites operators, affiliates, suppliers and regulators to sign.
A petition on Change.org is calling on SiGMA to reconsider the appearance of Conor McGregor at SiGMA World Rome 2026. It was created on 25 September 2026 and had 151 verified signatures on 5 October.
SiGMA said on 24 September that McGregor would be at Fiera Roma on 3 November, the second day of the summit, as a guest of 1xBet. The betting company made him its global brand ambassador this year, according to SiGMA, and will exhibit at the event.
The petition is written on behalf of "members and supporters of the Women in iGaming community". Its starter is listed only as "a woman in igaming"; no person or organisation is named.
The authors point to a civil case in Ireland. A jury in a civil trial in 2024 found that McGregor raped Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018 and awarded her just under €250,000 in damages, RTÉ reported. The Court of Appeal said no member of the jury could have been in any doubt about what they were being asked.
The Court of Appeal dismissed McGregor's appeal in its entirety in July 2025. The Supreme Court refused him leave to appeal further in December 2025.
The petition says its objection is not to McGregor's record as an athlete. It argues that an industry which talks about diversity and inclusion should apply the same standards when choosing whom to give its platforms to.
Key details
- Event: SiGMA World Rome 2026, 2–5 November, Fiera Roma. SiGMA expects more than 30,000 delegates.
- The petition asks SiGMA to reconsider promoting McGregor as a special guest.
- It asks SiGMA to explain how the decision fits its stated commitments to its professional community, including the women who work in it.
- It asks for clear standards for high-profile ambassadors and celebrity guests at future industry events.
The petition page showed no response from SiGMA on 5 October.
Drafted with AI assistance from the company's official announcement or filing, fact-checked automatically against that source and reviewed by our editors before publication. How we work