• The Esports Awards will return later this year for its 2026 edition, taking place in North America and honouring the outstanding players, teams, creators and innovators of the past year in esports
• Last year marked a major milestone for the Esports Awards, celebrating 10 years of excellence at the HyperX Arena, alongside the one-off Decade Awards, which reached 36.25M live views globally
• The Esports Awards Golf Invitational will also return, bringing together industry leaders, creators and competitors for a day of networking and competition ahead of the main ceremony
• Full details on the venue, date, nominees and voting will be revealed in the coming months

The Esports Awards has announced the return of its annual ceremony for 2026. Bringing together the global esports community under one roof, the Esports Awards will once again recognise the players, teams, creators and innovators who have defined the past year. The ceremony will take place in North America later this year, with exact dates and venue to be revealed in the coming months.

Last year’s edition of the Esports Awards marked a significant milestone, celebrating 10 years of esports excellence at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas. The ceremony honoured some of the industry’s most recognised figures, including Mathieu “Zywoo” Herbaut, iShowSpeed and Animesh “Thug” Agarwal, while welcoming six new inductees into the Lifetime Achievement in Esports: Class of 2025 award. Earlier in the year, the Esports Awards also hosted the one-off Decade Awards in August, presented by Trevor “Quickshot” Henry, Jessica “JessGOAT” Bolden and Barney Banks, reaching 36.25M live views globally.

For the 2026 edition, fan-favourite categories including Esports Game of the Year, Esports Personality of the Year, Streamer of the Year and Esports Team of the Year will return, giving the community a voice in recognising the moments and individuals that shaped the past year in esports.

Winners will be determined through a combination of community voting and input from the Esports Awards Panel, a group of industry veterans, broadcasters, creators and players, ensuring the integrity and credibility of the awards.

In addition to the main ceremony, the Esports Awards Golf Invitational will return, bringing together industry leaders, creators and competitors for a day of networking and competition ahead of the awards.

“The Esports Awards continues to shine a spotlight on the very best in esports and gaming, and we’re pleased to return for 2026” said Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. “Following the success of the Decade Awards and our 10th anniversary celebrations, we look forward to recognising the individuals, teams and moments that defined the past year in esports.”

Further updates regarding the venue, date, nominees and voting will be announced in the coming months. Fans are encouraged to follow the Esports Awards’ X account for the latest updates.

Optimove, the creator of the Positionless Marketing concept and the number one solution for player engagement in iGaming and sports betting, today announced the acquisition of Smartico, the company that pioneered the combination of CRM and gamification in the iGaming segment.

As part of the agreement, both Optimove and Smartico will continue to operate as fully independent companies, maintaining their own brands, teams, product strategies, roadmaps, and market approaches. Smartico’s founders will remain at the helm, with full autonomy over strategy, product development, and day to day operations. Other specific terms of the transaction will remain confidential by mutual agreement.

The acquisition comes at a time of continued global growth in the online gaming sector. According to the report Online Gambling Market: Global Trends, Regulation & Forecast 2025–2033, the global online betting market reached $95.3 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $185.17 billion by 2033.

At the same time, complexity is increasing across all major regions, from mature European markets facing regulatory evolution, to a fragmented landscape in the United States, as well as fast growing regions such as Latin America, Africa, and Asia. For operators navigating this environment, having reliable CRM platform options has never been more critical.

Optimove pioneered marketing CRM for iGaming, creating the category and helping structure the market. Over time, other companies entered the space. One stood out: Smartico, which introduced the combination of gamification with marketing CRM, a truly innovative approach at the time, and built a strong business around it.

This acquisition brings together two of the leading platforms in the sector, reinforcing Optimove’s leadership at a time when the iGaming CRM market is evolving from a growth phase into a more mature stage.

The two companies have distinct origins. Optimove was built on a foundation of data analytics and today leverages advanced intelligence to power AI driven decisioning agents that help operators understand, segment, and engage players with personalized messaging.

Smartico, on the other hand, revolutionized CRM by embedding gamification directly into the player experience, driving deeper and more meaningful engagement. The company is now expanding this advantage by integrating internally developed generative AI across its entire platform, further elevating its level of innovation. Together, they represent two foundational approaches to iGaming CRM. As independent companies, they will continue to innovate and strengthen the sector.

“What impressed us about Smartico was the combination of product strength, service excellence, and the way the company was built,” said Pini Yakuel, Founder and CEO of Optimove. “Like Optimove, they built a strong business independently, without external capital.

What started as a project among four enthusiasts driven by the challenge of player retention quickly became something highly significant. They made smart investments, built a high caliber team, and delivered real value to their customers.

Smartico stood out as the most notable competitor because they did something original. They were the first to combine gamification and marketing CRM as a clear competitive advantage for iGaming operators. Today, this category has two leading platforms. We built one and now support the other.”

Arman Gal, CEO and Co founder of Smartico, said, “We are proud to join forces with Optimove at such an important moment for CRM in iGaming.

From the beginning, we built Smartico with a clear product vision, strong execution capabilities, and a genuine commitment to delivering real value to our clients. We appreciate the trust that Pini and the entire Optimove team have placed in what we have built.

What makes this moment even more meaningful is that Smartico remains fully independent, with the same leadership, the same team, and full control over our strategy and product roadmap. This allows us to continue advancing with our identity while expanding our growth capacity.

This partnership gives us even greater strength to scale দ্রুত, better serve the market, and continue innovating in the player engagement space we helped shape.”

Independent operation and competition

Smartico will continue operating as an independent business unit. Its founders will remain responsible for strategy, product roadmap, and daily operations, and its clients will continue to receive the same team, product, pricing structure, and service model. The difference is that the company now benefits from the support of a strong investor.

Both companies will continue investing in their respective platforms and competing in the market. Optimove, for example, will keep advancing Optimove Gamify, its loyalty and gamification platform, while driving CRM forward in the era of Positionless Marketing. Smartico will continue executing its own roadmap independently. This dynamic is intentional, as both companies believe that competition drives innovation and delivers better outcomes for iGaming operators.

Leadership in iGaming CRM and artificial intelligence

As the pioneer of marketing CRM for iGaming, Optimove created this category and continues to lead its evolution. The company has been at the forefront of AI driven marketing innovation since 2012, when it began embedding artificial intelligence directly into its platform, paving the way for today’s AI powered decisioning agents that shape the industry.

Today, its Positionless Marketing platform enables marketers to break free from traditional role limitations by managing AI agents across the entire workflow, orchestrating highly personalized campaigns in real time and at scale. This approach has already been proven to increase campaign efficiency by 88 percent.

This agreement marks a defining moment for the iGaming industry, demonstrating that the category created by Optimove has become one of the most dynamic and relevant disciplines in modern marketing.