Casino Guru Awards 2026 winners revealed

The Casino Guru Awards 2026 brought together some of the biggest names in iGaming. The awards celebrated achievements in innovation, player protection and responsible gambling. The annual event was held in partnership with NEXT.io and recognised operators, suppliers and industry leaders that have made a positive impact over the past year.

Industry leaders recognised

One of the evening’s top honours, iGaming Changemaker of the Year, went to Marina Ostrovtsova, CEO of BGaming. Judges said her role had helped the company adapt to changing player preferences. This was recognised particularly the growing demand for mobile-first and casual gaming experiences.

The Rising Star in Responsible Gaming award was presented to GambleAware Nigeria. The organisation was recognised for building a large gambling addiction recovery network across Africa. It has supported thousands of people seeking help.

Flutter UKI received the Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative award. This was in recognition for its Customer Safety Centre of Excellence. This focuses on embedding safer gambling principles throughout the business.

Focus on transparency and player protection

Several awards showed the growing importance of transparency and fair treatment of customers.

iWild Casino had a particularly successful evening. The brand won the Fairest Bonus Policy Award, Most Effective Handling of Complaints and the Voice of the People Award. Judges praised improvements to its bonus terms and its approach to resolving player disputes.

The Fairest General Terms & Conditions Award went to LuckyHills. This was for providing clear player terms and integrating responsible gambling tools into customer accounts.

Gamblezen Casino won the Most Transparent Casino Award. It was recognised for offering players greater visibility over transactions, promotions and responsible gambling features.

Celebrating people and culture

Individual achievement was also a part of the ceremony.

Valentina Bagniya won Woman Leader of the Year. Irina Veselkova received the Young Changemaker Award. Judges said they had great contributions to business growth, marketing innovation and industry development.

SOFTSWISS collected the Industry Culture Shaper award. This was for creating a strong workplace culture and improving employee engagement.

The Players’ Choice Award was awarded to Pragmatic Play. The company received the highest number of public votes for the fourth consecutive year.

Looking ahead

This year’s Casino Guru Awards showed how the industry’s priorities continue to develop beyond commercial performance alone. Transparency, responsible gambling, workplace culture and player trust were all key themes among the winners.

As regulatory scrutiny increases across major markets, the companies and individuals recognised at the 2026 ceremony provide an indication of where industry standards are heading next.

All of the winners