The SBC Awards Europe 2026 brought SBC Summit Malta to a close, with Kaizen Gaming leading the winners after securing three awards.
The ceremony took place on 30 April at Xara Lodge in Malta, bringing together industry stakeholders to recognise the people and companies driving progress and setting new standards in sports betting and gaming across Europe.
The evening was hosted by renowned sports broadcaster Alison Bender, who presented 36 awards, honouring the industry’s leading operators, affiliates, and suppliers.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “Every year, the industry raises the bar, and this year is no different. The winners are the people, teams, and products that have not only kept pace with change, but adapted quickly and continued to push that bar even higher.”
It was a standout night for Kaizen Gaming, which took home the Sportsbook Operator of the Year, Casino Operator of the Year, and Operator Innovation in Gaming awards, recognising its strong performance and continued growth.
In the affiliate categories, Flashscore retained its title of Sports Affiliate of the Year, while Gentoo Media won the Casino Affiliate of the Year award. Meanwhile, 1xBet was recognised for its affiliate programme, taking home the Best Affiliate Programme award.
On the supplier side, Delasport was named Sportsbook Supplier of the Year, while BGaming secured Casino Supplier of the Year. EveryMatrix was recognised as Platform Provider of the Year, while Sportradar and Fast Track were honoured for Sports Data Product and Industry Innovation of the Year, respectively.
Shining a light on leadership and workplace culture, Betsson Group was named Employer of the Year, while Leader of the Year was awarded to Alexandre Tomic (CEO, Alea) and Elena Rousseva (CEO, Playtech). Yaroslav Soloshenko (Business Development Team Lead, ELA Games) was also recognised as Manager of the Year.
Excellence in game design, long a core focus of the SBC Awards Europe, was once again recognised on the night, with Peter & Sons winning Game Studio of the Year (Small), as well as Best Game Soundtrack. Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming were also recognised across the Game Studio of the Year categories, while Play’n GO secured Game of the Year for Reactoonz 100. Additional awards went to Creedroomz for Game Design & Art Direction and TaDa Gaming for Game Feature/Mechanic of the Year.
In the payments and compliance categories, Yaspa was named Payment Solution of the Year, while GBG secured Compliance & KYC Partner of the Year. Gaming1 was also recognised for its commitment to safer gambling, taking home the Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year award.
The night also featured a range of Rising Star categories, recognising the emerging companies making an impact across the industry. 18Peaches was named Rising Star in Casino, while Odds88 secured Rising Star in Sports Betting on the supplier side. Among operators, 247Bet (by Casimba Gaming) was recognised in sports betting, while Impressario Casino took home the casino award.
“I would like to take the chance to thank our headline sponsors, 1xBet and Spribe and Official Partner, Gaming Malta, alongside our supporting sponsors. Their support has made it possible to deliver a memorable celebration of the industry’s achievements,” said Sojmark.
The awards ceremony concluded the final night of SBC Summit Malta, which saw 6,000 industry stakeholders convene at the InterContinental Hotel, Malta, from April 28-30.
Erin Gallagher
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