Dual honours with awards for both “Sportsbook Operator of the Year – Latin America” and “Casino Operator of the Year – Latin America”

 Kaizen Gaming, one of the world’s biggest GameTech companies and owner of the Betano online sports betting and gaming brand, has been named both “Sportsbook Operator of the Year – Latin America” and “Casino Operator of the Year – Latin America” for the second year running at the SBC Awards Americas 2026. The ceremony took place on Wednesday, 10 June, on the second day of the SBC Summit Americas at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The repeat double award wins reinforce Betano’s position as a leading force in online betting and gaming across the region. Betano is arguably considered the no 1 igaming brand, with the biggest market share in Brazil, South America’s largest market, while it is also one of the market leaders in other South American countries, including Argentina and Peru.

Kaizen Gaming continues to set new benchmarks with customer experience at the core of its offering, underpinned by its proprietary technology, elite football partnerships, and ongoing product innovation. This includes a range of player-centric features, such as increasingly sophisticated AI-powered personalisation, trending content, enhanced in-play experiences and social functionality, alongside a wide selection of engaging rewards and offers.

Christos Tzalavras, Kaizen Gaming’s Chief Product Officer commented: “We are very happy about this distinction, especially since it recognizes our focus on providing our customers with the best possible experience, both through our Sportsbook and our Casino offerings. And of course, it’s equally important that these awards concern the Latin American region, which has totally embraced us and to which we owe a large part of our success. With the World Cup now upon us, South America is a hugely strategic region for the industry, and we remain committed to setting new standards for innovation, trust, and customer experience.”

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is a significant moment for Betanο, which has been named an Official Tournament Supporter for Europe and South America. This will see Betano provide fans with many unique and exclusive opportunities to experience the excitement of the FIFA World Cup through exclusive fan activations, while also promoting responsible play through dedicated tools and 24/7 customer support.

Betano was also recently announced an Official Regional Sponsor of the Argentine National Football Team – the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 champions. At the same time, it remains the title sponsor of both Brazil’s top domestic competitions, Brasileirão Serie A and Copa Betano do Brazil, the Presenting Partner of the Argentine Liga Profesional de Fútbol and Copa Argentina, as well as the principal and front-of-shirt partner of top flight South American clubs, including Clube de Regatas do Flamengo and Club Atlético  River Plate. Furthermore, Kaizen Gaming is an Official Partner of CONMEBOL, with the partnership starting through the CONMEBOL Copa America2024 and since then continuing with other tournaments including the CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina 2025 and the CONMEBOL Liga de Naciones Femenina.

Additionally, Betano has an extensive Corporate Social Responsibility footprint in the region, supporting the work of organisations like FADeC (the Argentine Federation of Sports for the Blind), Fundación Empate (which supports the inclusion and development of people with Down syndrome in Argentina), Afroesporte (which empowers Black athletes in Brazil to develop their careers) and Fundação Laço Rosa (which supports women’s fight against breast cancer in Brazil).

Earlier this year, Kaizen Gaming also underscored its focus on customer-centric technology innovation with the acquisition of GameplAI, a provider of AI-powered sports trading and analytics. The deal enables the integration of GameplAI’s technology into Betano, enhancing capabilities across sports trading, player markets and performance analytics, for users globally.

B2B games provider Incentive Games, through its real-money gaming division Incentive Studios, has partnered with BetMGM, a leading iGaming and sports betting operator, to launch four real-money titles in Ontario. BetMGM will be first to market with these titles in the province.

The partnership has seen four of Incentive Studios’ titles, Velocity, Mega Flight, Kicker and Squid Game Red Light Green Light Cashout, go live on the BetMGM platform, bringing the studio’s portfolio of crash and arcade experiences to players across the province.

As one of North America’s leading betting and gaming operators, BetMGM has built a strong reputation for delivering premium player experiences across regulated markets. Ontario remains a key market within its growth strategy, with a continued focus on high-quality content, innovation and responsible gambling.

The launch further strengthens Incentive Games’ position in North America and marks another important milestone in the company’s continued expansion across regulated gaming markets, building on its recent securing of licences in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ontario.

Ahmed Baker, Chief Commercial Officer at Incentive Games, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with BetMGM and to see four of our real-money titles go live in Ontario. From the outset, it’s been clear that we share a strong focus on delivering engaging, high-quality player experiences, making this a natural collaboration for both teams. This launch marks an exciting milestone for Incentive Studios as we continue our expansion across regulated markets, and we look forward to growing our relationship with the BetMGM team.”

Rob Passerino, Director of Gaming, BetMGM said, “BetMGM is focused on delivering the best online casino experience possible. As crash and arcade-style games continue to see significant growth, Incentive Studios’ portfolio strengthens our ability to meet evolving player demand, especially in key markets like Ontario.”

• Host state home to $2bn in annual gaming revenue

• Legal sports betting launched in Missouri in December 2025, with operators including bet365, FanDuel and BetMGMnow active in the state.

• Missouri sportsbooks handled more than $543 million in wagers during their first month following launch.

England’s World Cup home for at least the group stage is Kansas City, Missouri – a city famous for elite sport, barbecue, jazz and now one of America’s fastest-growing gambling industries.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are staying at the Inn at Meadowbrook and training at the Swope Soccer Village and leading online betting community OLBG has done a deep-dive into the city that will play host to the Three Lions stars for their World Cup campaign.

Gambling growth in Kansas

While not necessarily carrying the same global profile of New York, Miami or Los Angeles, Kansas City has become one of the biggest sports and entertainment hubs in the US and a particularly attractive destination for casino enthusiasts.

Missouri currently operates 13 fully licensed casinos across the state with the industry generating close to $2 billion annually in gaming revenue.

Legal sports-betting was only launched back in December 2025 but demand exploded almost instantly with reports that Missouri sportsbooks handled more than $543 million in wagers during their first month after launch.

There are several brands familiar to UK bettors that are now licensed or operating in Missouri following the launch of legal sports betting.

Missouri’s newly regulated sports betting market features some familiar brands to England fans with several major UK-facing operators now licensed in the state. bet365, FanDuel (owned by Flutter) BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook are all part of the state’s sportsbook rollout.

The soccer capital of America

Kansas City will offer up a different flavour of World Cup experience for England fans compared to Qatar and Russia.

The City has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into football infrastructure over the past 15 years and has become one of FIFA’s most important US host cities.

Arrowhead stadium, home to the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs will host six World Cup matches including a quarter-final. The stadium is regarded as one of the loudest stadiums in world sport for atmosphere and will host over 70,000 fans for World Cup fixtures.

Along with Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs, the city is home to MLS side Sporting Kansas City, NWSL club KC Current and MLB franchise Kansas City Royals.

OLBG’s top five experiences for visitors

1. Bally’s Kansas City – A two-level riverboat casino with 900 slots and a 45,000 sq ft casino

2. Arrowhead Stadium Experience – The home of the Kansas City Chiefs one of America’s most iconic sporting venues

3. Kansas City Barbecue – Embrace the barbecue culture with iconic restaurants including Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, Gates Bar-B-Q and Q39

4. Jazz District – Visit the historic 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District, home to the American Jazz Museum and legendary live music venue The Blue Room.

5. National WWI Museum and Memorial – The Liberty Memorial area will also host Kansas City’s official FIFA Fan Festival during the tournament.

With elite sporting infrastructure, billion-dollar casinos and one of America’s fastest-growing betting markets, England’s World Cup base could become one of the tournament’s biggest off-pitch attractions.