iGaming News Awards 2026 celebrates innovation and excellence at iGB Live

The first-ever iGaming News Awards took place during iGB Live London. They recognised the companies and individuals that have made a significant impact across the global gambling industry over the past year.

There was everything from affiliate marketing and sportsbook technology to casino platforms, payments and responsible gambling covered. The awards celebrated organisations that have shown innovation, commercial success and industry leadership.

The ceremony showed the continued growth and maturity of the iGaming industry. Winners came from both established brands and emerging businesses from across multiple regulated markets.

Affiliate marketing and sportsbook winners

Affiliate businesses featured prominently throughout the awards. The Gambling.com Group took home the Betting Affiliate of the Year title thanks to its continued expansion across regulated markets and data-driven marketing strategy.

Big Betty Partners was named Affiliate Programme of the Year, while N1 Partners collected Marketing Campaign of the Year for its high-profile N1 Puzzle Promo. This attracted attention through a €500,000 prize pool and a Robinson R22 helicopter giveaway.

In the sportsbook categories, GR8 Tech secured Sports Platform of the Year for its sportsbook technology and flexible operator solutions.

UK operator Midnite continued its impressive rise by winning Independent Sportsbook of the Year, adding another industry accolade after recently expanding its football sponsorship portfolio with Middlesbrough and Sheffield United ahead of the 2026/27 Championship season.

Casino, payments and responsible gambling recognised

The casino categories highlighted innovation across platforms and game development.

NuxGame was named Casino Platform of the Year, while Boomerang Casino received the Casino of the Year award. Belatra Games won Casino Game of the Year for Slatters Battle: Orcs vs Elves, and 1spin4win collected the Slot Studio of the Year title.

In payments, Rapyd won Payments Provider of the Year for its international payment infrastructure, while Daw Global was recognised as Crypto Banking Company of the Year.

Safer gambling also featured prominently. Gamecheck received Responsible Gambling Brand of the Year for its work promoting player protection and responsible gambling tools.

Individual achievements also honoured

Several awards recognised individuals and organisations making a wider contribution to the industry beyond commercial performance.

Kate Marsden of Yaspa was named Woman of Influence, while recruitment specialist Apercon won the iGaming People Award.

Community-building was also celebrated. iGaming Roundtable received the iGaming Connector Award for its networking initiatives, and Alexey Nasybullin recognised with the Gaming Community Builder Award for organising influential iGaming and Web3 events.

The breadth of this year's winners demonstrated the increasingly diverse nature of the sector, with recognition extending beyond operators and suppliers to include affiliates, technology providers, recruitment specialists and responsible gambling initiatives.

Selected iGaming News Awards 2026 winners

Looking ahead

The awards formed part of a busy week for the international gambling industry as thousands of delegates gathered in London for iGB Live. The event followed several other major networking and exhibition dates on the 2026 calendar, including NEXT Summit Valletta and will be followed later this year by iGaming Club Lisbon. This shows the continued importance of face-to-face events for partnerships, product launches and industry recognition.