Industry Awards
SBC Awards Europe: Meet the 2025 Winners

Betsson, Soft2Bet, and Novibet were among the standout winners at last night’s inaugural SBC Awards Europe ceremony.
The prestigious ceremony took place on the evening of Thursday, 12th June at the Hilton Malta in Saint Julian’s. The evening brought the industry together to recognise the people and companies driving progress and setting new standards in sports betting and gaming across Europe.
The evening was hosted by globally recognised sports broadcaster and football presenter, Alison Bender, who presented 34 distinct awards honouring the industry’s leading operators, affiliates, and suppliers, in front of an audience of 400 industry stakeholders.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “We launched SBC Summit Malta to better reflect the innovations and achievements shaping Europe’s entire gaming ecosystem. SBC Awards Europe builds on that mission, offering a platform to spotlight the industry’s best across all verticals.
“While casino operators and game studios continue to be recognised for their outstanding achievements, the introduction of new categories—covering key sectors such as sportsbook and payments—has enabled us to honour the full spectrum of talent driving progress across the industry.”
It was a standout night for Novibet, which secured two awards: ‘Operator Innovation in Gaming’ and ‘Sportsbook Operator of the Year’. Meanwhile, Betsson Group was named ‘Casino Operator of the Year’, Betsson Group Affiliates won ‘Best Affiliate Program‘, and 1xBet took home the ‘Marketing Campaign and Sponsorship of the Year’ award.
In the Operator & Supplier categories, Bragg Gaming was recognised for its commitment to safer gambling with the ‘Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year’ award. Additionally, BGaming picked up the ‘Best Exclusive Game Partnership’ award, and Alea took home the prestigious ‘Employer of the Year’ award.
Exceptional leadership across the industry was recognised through the coveted ‘Leader of the Year’ award, which was jointly awarded to Bilyan Balinoff (Co-Founder, Vegas Legends) and Jovana Popovic Canaki (CEO, iGP). The ‘Manager of the Year’ accolade was presented to Pierre Pulis (Head of Marketing, BETBY).
In the supplier categories, Soft2Bet walked away with two awards on the night: ‘Acquisition & Retention Partner‘ and ‘Industry Innovation of the Year’. Games Global was named ‘Casino Supplier of the Year’ while OpenBet secured the title of ‘Sportsbook Supplier of the Year’.
Other winners in the supplier categories included Oddin.gg, which won the ‘Live Betting Product‘ award; Sportradar, which was awarded ‘Sports Data Product’; and BetConstruct, which was named ‘Platform Provider of the Year’
The evening also featured a number of ‘Rising Star’ categories, highlighting the achievements of emerging European operators and suppliers. In the operator categories, Casumo Services Limited secured the ‘Rising Star in Casino’ award, whilst BETANDYOU was named ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’.
In the supplier categories, Octoplay was honoured with the ‘Rising Star in Casino’ and BETER won ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’.
In the affiliate categories, Casino Guru was recognised as ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’, while Flashscore was awarded ‘Sports Affiliate of the Year’.
Mindway AI and Payhound were celebrated for innovations in payments and compliance, taking home the ‘Compliance & KYC Partner of the Year’ and ‘Payment Solution of the Year’, respectively.
Continuing its predecessor’s commitment to celebrating advancements in gaming, the night also featured a number of ‘Game Developer’ categories. Relax Gaming was honoured with the ‘Game Aggregator of the Year‘ award, and Evoplay took home the ‘Game Design & Art Direction’ award. Meanwhile, Omnigame was awarded ‘Game Mechanic/Feature of the Year‘, and Mascot Gaming won ‘Game Music / Soundtrack’.
The coveted ‘Game of the Year’ award was claimed by Relax Gaming for their title ‘Ancient Tumble‘, in a category newly opened to public voting for the 2025 edition.
Highlighting the outstanding work of European game studios were the ‘SlotCatalog’ awards. Pragmatic Play won the ‘Game Studio of the Year – Large’, Hacksaw Gaming took home the ‘Game Studio of the Year – Medium’ and Reel Studio was named ‘Game Studio of the Year – Small’. The ‘Rookie of the Year‘ award went to Backseat Gaming.
“I would like to take the chance to thank our platinum headline sponsor, BetConstruct, along with all our premium and supporting sponsors, whose generous support allowed us to celebrate the industry’s accomplishments in a truly meaningful way,” 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 June 10-12.
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HERMES Climate Protection Prize
NOVOMATIC Wins Coveted HERMES Climate Protection Award

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NOVOMATIC was awarded the prestigious HERMES Climate Protection Prize for the construction of its photovoltaic system at its headquarters. Covering an area the size of three soccer fields and featuring more than 4600 solar panels, the PV system already caused a stir when it was inaugurated last fall in 2024.
By constructing the photovoltaic system on an area of 20,000 square meters, the company is sending a strong signal for climate protection and a sustainable future. The system generates around 2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enabling the gaming technology group to cover a significant portion of its energy requirements at the site with emission-free energy. This corresponds to carbon dioxide savings of more than 1100 tons per year, comparable to the compensation of over 90,000 trees. The project is the largest among the group-wide PV installations at international company locations, such as Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia, and impressed this year’s expert jury at HERMES.
Mag. Stefan Krenn, CEO of NOVOMATIC AG, said: “With the photovoltaic system at our headquarters, we have reached a significant milestone in our sustainability strategy and are sending a clear signal for a strong and environmentally conscious energy future. The HERMES award is therefore an important recognition of our efforts in the area of sustainability.”
At the festive “Gala of the Austrian Economy” on October 10 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, with around 400 invited guests, the HERMES Climate Protection Award was accepted by Christoph Neubauer, Director Group CR & Sustainability, and Florian Saiko, Director Group Finance.
The HERMES Climate Protection Award is presented annually to Austrian companies that are actively committed to a climate-friendly future through innovative projects. The climate projects submitted from all sectors of the economy show that climate protection and successful business can go hand in hand.
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2025 Global Regulatory Awards
Vixio Announces the 2025 Recipient of the Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award

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Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, is delighted to announce that Wes Himes will receive the Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award at the 2025 Global Regulatory Awards. This prestigious honour recognises individuals whose exceptional contributions have advanced the culture of compliance and regulatory standards across the gambling industry.
Throughout his distinguished career, Wes has been at the forefront of shaping modern gambling regulation, from founding the Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (iGGBA) in 2000 to serving as Executive Director of Standards and Innovation at the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and now as a Partner at Intrepid Partners. “I am truly humbled to be receiving this award… When I started in this industry 25 years ago, I had no idea how dynamic and exciting the sector would later become,” stated Wes Himes. Himes added: “It has been a privilege and a pleasure working with so many colleagues that I call friends, and I can not thank enough the operators and other stakeholders who have been so supportive of my work and career.”
As part of this announcement, Vixio has released a special episode of the Regulatory Radar Podcast. Vixio’s Chief Analyst, James Kilsby, sits down with Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award recipient Wes Himes to discuss his 25-year journey in the gambling sector, from navigating policy debates to building bridges between regulators, operators, and policymakers. Listeners will gain insight into how compliance has evolved into a cornerstone of sustainable growth and hear Wes’s perspective on the future of regulation and responsible gaming. A thoughtful and inspiring conversation with one of the most respected voices in the field, don’t miss this look back at a remarkable career and what lies ahead for the industry. To listen to the episode in full, please visit the Vixio website or follow the link here.
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Alpha Hub
Flutter and Beyond Sport launch global Tech4Good Awards to transform lives through the power of sport and technology

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Flutter Entertainment, in collaboration with Alpha Hub and Beyond Sport, has launched the Flutter Tech4Good Awards 2025 – a global initiative looking to uncover and accelerate bold, technology-driven solutions that harness the power of sport and physical activity to build healthier, more active communities.
Despite the well-documented benefits of physical activity, 31% of adults globally are not meeting recommended activity levels. This inactivity contributes to declining physical and mental health across populations.
The Awards will support bold, tech-driven innovations that go beyond addressing physical inactivity — they’ll push the boundaries of what’s possible for healthier, more connected communities. Whether it’s grassroots initiatives or scalable digital platforms, Flutter and Beyond Sport are seeking five standout organizations using technology to inspire movement, improve public health, and advance community wellbeing.
Kerry McNally, Head of Communities & Engagement at Flutter said: “The Flutter Tech4Good Awards reflect our commitment to using technology as a force for good, in line with the ambitions of our Positive Impact Plan. By backing innovative, tech-driven solutions, we aim to inspire healthier, more active communities and address the growing challenges of physical inactivity. Leveraging the Flutter Edge, we’re proud to support organizations that are using technology to deliver meaningful, long-term impact on health and wellbeing.”
The Awards will offer a total of £60,000 in funding, alongside a bespoke support program to maximize long-term impact and growth. The Awards are open to organizations around the world that are leveraging any sport or physical activity to drive health outcomes through technology-based innovation. Eligible applicants may include nonprofits, startups, social enterprises, or other mission-driven entities with a focus on public health and physical activity.
Applications for the Flutter Tech4Good Awards 2025 are open from Monday 6th October 2025 until Friday 31st October 2025, with the winners announced in January 2026. For more information on how to apply, visit https://beyondsport.org/awards/flutter-tech4good-awards-2025/criteria/.
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