The 13th edition of the SBC Awards 2026 handed two trophies each to Pragmatic Play, Kaizen Gaming, Sportradar and BetConstruct AI, closing the summit in Lisbon.
SBC Awards 2026 winners were crowned on the final day of SBC Summit 2026 at Lisbon’s MEO Arena. The ceremony covered 39 categories across operators, suppliers and individuals. Pragmatic Play led the supplier side with three titles, Kaizen Gaming took two operator awards, while Sportradar and BetConstruct AI each collected two.
- SBC Awards 2026 Winners on the Operator Side
- Pragmatic Play and the Supplier Shortlist
- Rising Stars, Leadership and Rising Costs
- What the 2026 Awards Signal for Suppliers
SBC Awards 2026 closed with a clear picture of who is winning the current cycle: four names, each with two trophies, plus Pragmatic Play taking a third for Live Casino. The ceremony ran on the final day of SBC Summit 2026 at Lisbon’s MEO Arena and recognised achievements across 39 categories, spanning operators, suppliers, payments, marketing and player protection. Edgar Davids and Kirsty Gallacher hosted the event.
Rasmus Sojmark, founder and CEO of SBC, said the awards programme works because it rewards teams as much as companies. “One of my favourite parts of these awards is seeing the teams behind the achievements get their moment on stage,” he said. The win counts matter when suppliers are compared across categories, since a single trophy can skew the reading of a year that runs on hundreds of launches.
SBC Awards 2026 Winners on the Operator Side
Kaizen Gaming retained both Operator of the Year – Large and Sportsbook Operator of the Year, and is the largest single haul on the operator side. Betsson Group held Casino Operator of the Year for a second year, while Coolbet took Operator of the Year – Medium and Vegas Legends Operator of the Year – Small. These results point at a crowded field where repeat wins matter more than breakout surprises.
Innovation in Casino & Gaming Entertainment went to Novibet, which retained the category. 1xBet defended Marketing Campaign of the Year, and the marketing result is notable given how much of the current cycle depends on paid acquisition rather than organic growth. The awards therefore track where supplier revenue is actually coming from in 2026: retention, campaign execution and product novelty.
The ceremony also highlighted the scale of the industry it rewards. SBC Summit 2026 brought together operators, suppliers and individuals across three days of networking, business discussion and education in Lisbon, with the awards programme spanning leadership, culture, payments and compliance rather than product alone. For suppliers tracking what the market pays for, the shortlist is the clearest signal of where budget is being spent.
Pragmatic Play and the Supplier Shortlist
Pragmatic Play led the supplier column with Casino / Slots Developer of the Year – Large, its third consecutive win in the category, plus Live Casino Supplier of the Year. Pascal Gaming took Casino / Slots Developer of the Year – Medium, Gameburger Studios the small-developer award, and Digitain Platform Provider of the Year. The spread shows the size gap in the supplier market: two of the five large and medium slots winners already had a repeat title, while the smaller tiers are still open contests.
The rest of the shortlist tracks where supplier growth is actually happening. BetConstruct AI took both Sportsbook Supplier of the Year and Land-Based Betting & Gaming Product, while Sportradar reclaimed Live Betting Product, a category it won in 2024, and added Marketing & Services Provider of the Year. Incode took Fraud & Compliance Solution of the Year, and Optimove Industry Innovation of the Year, so compliance and personalisation now sit alongside product launch in the awards programme.
SOFTSWISS won Aggregator of the Year, Amusnet Multi-Channel Supplier of the Year, White Hat Gaming White Label Supplier of the Year, and Yaspa Payment Solution of the Year, with OKTO Payments taking Payment Innovation. SPRIBE’s Aviator won Crash Game of the Year after also taking the title in 2025, while Xtremepush received Acquisition & Retention Partner and Kanggiten Innovation in Mobile. AGBrief tracks how those supplier awards line up with the regional revenue mix, where AI tooling and sportsbook products are carrying more weight than pure slots launches.
Rising Stars, Leadership and Rising Costs
The Rising Star categories gave a second set of names to watch. Interplay Tech won Rising Star in Casino, Megapari Rising Star in Sports Betting, Insightplay AI Rising Star in Sports Betting Innovation / Software, and TaDa Gaming Rising Star in Casino Innovation / Software. Stat Perform took the Sports Data Product and Oddin.gg Esports Supplier of the Year, while Playbook Fusion collected Virtual Sports Supplier of the Year.
Leadership and culture awards added names outside the product discussion. Vladimir Dokov, CEO of EGT Digital, took Leader of the Year – Operator, and Alina Mihaela Popa, CCO of ICONIC21, Leader of the Year – Supplier. David Natroshvili received the Nico Jansen Vision to Reality Award. Alea was Employer of the Year – Supplier, Allwyn Hellas Employer of the Year – Operator, and Alea and Allwyn Hellas both featured on the shortlist for culture rather than revenue.
The pattern is worth reading as a market signal. Operator and supplier awards now include fraud and compliance, payments, player protection and personalisation alongside product innovation, which reflects how much of supplier revenue depends on keeping customers rather than adding them. That mix is also where rising costs land: marketing spend and AI-enabled operations are now part of the award categories themselves, not just line items in a budget.
What the 2026 Awards Signal for Suppliers
Four repeat wins in the 13th edition of the SBC Awards 2026 tell a straightforward story: the cycle rewards companies that have already scaled a category. Pragmatic Play, Kaizen Gaming, Sportradar and BetConstruct AI each secured two awards, while Soft2Bet extended a three-year run in Innovation in Casino Entertainment. The 39 categories give suppliers more routes to recognition than product launches alone, with payments and fraud tools now sitting alongside slots and sportsbook titles.
The practical read is that supplier differentiation in 2026 runs through retention and compliance, not just acquisition. SBC’s own framing puts the emphasis on the teams behind the products, which is the part of the market where budgets are shifting. Whether suppliers convert those wins into regional revenue depends on where the awards align with actual demand — a point the category mix makes harder to ignore this year.
SBC Summit 2026 concluded in Lisbon on the final day of the event, leaving the industry with a shortlist that spans operators, suppliers, rising companies and individuals. The winners list is the closest proxy available for how 2026 supplier spending is being divided: product, sportsbook, retention, compliance and AI tooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the most SBC Awards 2026 prizes?
Pragmatic Play won three awards, taking Casino / Slots Developer of the Year – Large, Live Casino Supplier of the Year, plus a third title. Kaizen Gaming won two, and Sportradar and BetConstruct AI each also secured two.
Where were the SBC Awards 2026 held?
The ceremony took place at Lisbon’s MEO Arena on the final day of SBC Summit 2026, hosted by former Dutch footballer Edgar Davids and broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher.
How many awards were recognised?
The 13th edition of the SBC Awards 2026 recognised achievements across 39 categories covering operators, suppliers, individuals and product innovation in the global betting and gaming industry.
What is the largest operator win in the 2026 awards?
Kaizen Gaming retained both Operator of the Year – Large and Sportsbook Operator of the Year, giving it the biggest operator-side haul. Betsson Group retained Casino Operator of the Year, while Coolbet and Vegas Legends took the Medium and Small categories.
Who won the supplier developer awards?
Pragmatic Play won Developer of the Year – Large for the third consecutive year, Pascal Gaming Developer of the Year – Medium, Gameburger Studios the small-developer award, SOFTSWISS Aggregator of the Year, and Digitain Platform Provider of the Year.
Which emerging companies won Rising Star titles?
Interplay Tech won Rising Star in Casino, Megapari in Sports Betting, Insightplay AI in Sports Betting Innovation / Software, and TaDa Gaming in Casino Innovation / Software. Stat Perform took the Sports Data Product, while Oddin.gg won Esports Supplier of the Year.
What does the 2026 awards mix say about the industry?
A third of the categories cover payments, compliance, marketing, personalisation and player protection rather than product launches. That mix points to supplier revenue now depending on retaining customers as much as adding them, with AI tooling and sportsbook products carrying more weight than slots alone.
This article has been thoroughly researched and reviewed by the CasinoBait editorial team to ensure accuracy and relevance for Asian casino players.
