SBC has officially announced the shortlisted nominees for the 12th edition of the SBC Awards, set to take place at Lisbon’s MEO Arena on Thursday, 18 September, the final day of SBC Summit 2025.

Celebrating excellence across the global betting and gaming industry, the ceremony will spotlight standout achievements from operators, industry leaders, and suppliers across a broad spectrum of sectors, including payments, marketing, and platform innovation.

This year’s edition has already broken records, with the highest number of nominations ever received across its 37 diverse categories, reflecting the industry’s growing commitment to delivering exceptional performance.

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Leading the shortlist are Pragmatic Play and Sportradar, each earning seven nominations. Close contenders include BetConstruct and Betsson Group with six nominations apiece. Other standout nominees include Bragg Gaming, Campeon Gaming, Novibet, Playtech, and Top Bet, each securing five nominations.

Returning to co-host the ceremony is football legend Peter Schmeichel, former Manchester United goalkeeper and UEFA European Championship winner, who previously brought his trademark charisma to the stage in 2024.

The 2025 edition of the SBC Awards will also mark the first year without dedicated affiliate categories. Instead, SBC will host a dedicated and expanded Affiliate Leaders Awards on Wednesday, 17th September, at the same venue.

Commenting on the upcoming SBC Awards ceremony, Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “This industry never stands still. New talent, ideas, and technologies are constantly changing the game. The SBC Awards are our way of recognising those who are making a real impact and giving the community a moment to celebrate together.”

In the operator categories, alongside Betsson Group’s notable six nominations,  TotoGaming also stands out with four nominations, including Marketing Campaign of the Year and Innovation in Casino & Gaming Entertainment. Meanwhile, Kaizen Gaming and Campeón Gaming return to defend their titles in the Operator of the Year – Medium and Large categories, respectively.

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The hotly contested Casino Operator of the Year category includes names such as  LeoVegas, Bally’s, Codere Online, and Winbet. 1xBet, EstrelaBet, and Sportsbet.io are among the frontrunners for Sportsbook Operator of the Year.

In the operator and supplier categories, competition for Employer of the Year includes Alea, Flutter Entertainment, Parimatch, and Play’n GO, all aiming to take the crown from reigning champions SOFTSWISS. The Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year category features nominees such as Associação de Mulheres da Indústria do Gaming (AMIG), BGaming, EveryMatrix, and Pay4Fun.

The highly anticipated Leader of the Year award will be kept under wraps until the night, with nominees and the winner to be revealed live during the ceremony.

In the payments and compliance categories, Noda and payabl. lead the way with nominations in all three awards: Payment Solution of the Year, Payment Innovation of the Year, and Fraud & Compliance Solution of the Year. MiFinity, Monnet Payments, OKTO, Pay4Fun, Paysecure, and Trustly have also earned multiple nods across the categories.

The supplier categories, which will span 22 awards, will include several new additions this year, such as Aggregator of the Year and Crash Game of the Year.

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Fast Track and BETBY will look to retain their titles in Acquisition & Retention Partner and Esports Supplier of the Year, respectively. Meanwhile, Delasport, Evolution, Evoplay, iGP, Optimove, and Spotlight Sports Group are among the fifteen companies competing for the Industry Innovation of the Year award.

Soft2Bet will return in pursuit of back-to-back wins for Innovation in Casino Entertainment and Innovation in Mobile, while Digitain will aim to defend its title as Sportsbook Supplier of the Year.

The sought-after Platform Provider of the Year award features a strong field of contenders, including EGT Digital, GiG, GR8 Tech, Sportingtech, and White Hat Gaming.

Continuing SBC’s commitment to shining a light on the future stars of the industry, the evening will once again feature four ‘Rising Star‘ awards: Rising Star in Casino, Rising Star in Sports Betting, Rising Star in Sports Betting Innovation / Software, and Rising Star in Casino Innovation / Software.

GR8 Tech is accelerating its presence in the MENA region with a focused growth strategy and the strategic appointment of Sarkis Basmajian as Regional Sales Director.

As one of the fastest-growing iGaming regions, MENA presents immense potential, especially where demand for agile, tailored platforms quickly overtakes legacy solutions. With its Heavyweight tech and deep geo-specific expertise, GR8 Tech is ideally positioned to lead this evolution.

With nearly a decade of experience leading sales and key account operations in iGaming, Sarkis brings deep regional insight and proven commercial leadership across Tier-2 markets. He will spearhead GR8 Tech’s growth by forging strong partnerships and delivering locally relevant, high-impact solutions from day one.

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“What excites me most about joining GR8 Tech is the clarity of vision. We’re building the infrastructure for the next era of iGaming. MENA is evolving fast, and operators here need more than localization. They need strategy, speed, and serious tech muscle. That’s exactly what we’re bringing to the table,” said Sarkis Basmajian.

GR8 Tech’s platform is already renowned for its geo-specific presets, from language and currency to payment integrations and performance optimizations, that adapt perfectly to diverse markets. Whether optimizing for low-bandwidth Africa or football-passionate Latin America, GR8 Tech’s sportsbook DNA and flexibility make it a natural fit for MENA’s market.

“Our goal is simple: expand smart, launch fast, and deliver Heavyweight performance wherever we go,” said Yevhen Krazahan, CSO at GR8 Tech. “With Sarkis leading our regional efforts, we’re set to unlock our platform’s massive potential across the Middle East and North Africa.”

The strategic hire marks the next milestone in GR8 Tech’s mission to power iGaming growth across various markets with Heavyweight infrastructure, local-first execution, and proven regional expertise.