Pragmatic Play, Kaizen and Sportradar among repeat winners at SBC Awards 2026 in Lisbon

Pragmatic Play, Kaizen Gaming, Sportradar and BetConstruct AI each left Lisbon with two awards at the SBC Awards 2026, presented at the MEO Arena on 1 October. The ceremony closed the thirteenth SBC Summit and covered 39 categories spanning company leadership, player protection, payments and product innovation.

Repeat winners dominate the SBC Awards 2026 winners list

Pragmatic Play completed a notable streak by winning Casino / Slots Developer of the Year – Large for a third successive year. The studio also added Live Casino Supplier to its trophy haul. Kaizen Gaming retained both Operator of the Year – Large and Sportsbook Operator of the Year, continuing its run among operators. Sportradar reclaimed Live Betting Product and collected Marketing & Services Provider of the Year. BetConstruct AI secured Sportsbook Supplier of the Year and Land-Based Betting & Gaming Product, taking its own two-award haul.

The event again produced a mix of incumbents and fresh names. Betsson Group defended Casino Operator of the Year, Novibet repeated as Innovation in Casino & Gaming Entertainment winner, and 1xBET held on to Marketing Campaign of the Year. Soft2Bet won Innovation in Casino Entertainment for the third year running, and SPRIBE’s Aviator earned Crash Game of the Year following its 2025 victory in the same category.

Who won which supplier and platform prizes

Several infrastructure and platform vendors were recognised across the night:

• Digitain won Platform Provider of the Year.

• SOFTSWISS was named Aggregator of the Year.

• Amusnet took Multi-Channel Supplier.

• White Hat Gaming collected White Label Supplier of the Year.

• Stats Perform won Sports Data Product.

• Oddin.gg was named Esports Supplier of the Year and Playbook Fusion won Virtual Sports Supplier.

Optimove secured the headline technology award, Industry Innovation of the Year, while Kanggiten won Innovation in Mobile and Xtremepush was named Acquisition & Retention Partner.

Operators, rising stars and workplace awards

Kaizen Gaming’s wins reflected its position as the Betano owner and a leading operator in the region. Coolbet was named Operator of the Year – Medium, and Vegas Legends took Operator of the Year – Small. The Rising Star categories put newer businesses on stage: Interplay Tech won Rising Star in Casino and Megapari took Rising Star in Sports Betting. Supplier-focused rising-star awards went to Insightplay AI for Sports Betting Innovation / Software and TaDa Gaming for casino.

Workplace culture and social responsibility were also recognised. Alea won Employer of the Year – Supplier and Allwyn Hellas collected Employer of the Year – Operator. EPIC Global Solutions received Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year.

Payments, fraud and compliance awards

Payments suppliers and fraud-prevention vendors featured in the awards roster. Yaspa was named Payment Solution of the Year and OKTO Payments took Payment Innovation of the Year. Incode won Fraud & Compliance Solution of the Year.

Leadership and special honours

The Leader of the Year honours were shared between Vladimir Dokov, Chief Executive Officer of EGT Digital, and Alina Mihaela Popa, Chief Commercial Officer of ICONIC21. David Natroshvili received the Nico Jansen Vision to Reality Award.

"One of my favourite parts of these awards is seeing the teams behind the achievements get their moment on stage," said Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC. "We know how much work goes into building a successful business or bringing a new product to market, and tonight was an opportunity to celebrate that together. Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists."

Event context and next steps for winners and finalists

The SBC Awards are now in their thirteenth edition and were staged this year as the closing gala to SBC Summit, which ran for three days in Lisbon. Dutch football great Edgar Davids hosted the night alongside broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher.

SBC has signed a long-term deal to keep its flagship summit in Lisbon until 2030. Pragmatic Play, Soft2Bet and Kaizen Gaming will return next autumn aiming to extend their winning runs. For this year’s rising stars, organisers and delegates flagged the commercial test ahead: turning visibility from a night on stage into operator deals and measurable market share against suppliers that repeatedly win the same categories.

What operators and suppliers should note about the SBC Awards 2026 winners

The awards highlighted continuity in supplier selection by operators: several categories went to repeat winners, underlining operator reliance on established vendors for platform, data and live betting solutions. For suppliers chasing operator business, the practical implication is straightforward — persistent product development and visible commercial traction at events like SBC Summit remain critical to convert recognition into contracts.

Pragmatic Play’s third consecutive Casino / Slots Developer of the Year – Large win and Kaizen Gaming’s retention of two operator titles are measurable achievements that vendors and operators can cite in commercial pitches and RFPs. The night also signalled opportunity: Rising Star winners now face a concrete challenge to translate awards momentum into growth against incumbents.

(The ceremony and awards listing were presented at the MEO Arena on 1 October as part of SBC Summit.)