SBC Awards Europe reveals 2025 finalists

The inaugural SBC Awards Europe has unveiled its 2025 finalists, recognising the best and brightest shaping the future of betting and gaming in Europe. 

As part of the upcoming SBC Summit Malta, the newly rebranded SBC Awards Europe reflects the event’s broader focus, moving beyond its CasinoBeats Summit roots to represent every corner of the industry. Taking place on Thursday, 12 June at the Hilton Malta, the prestigious ceremony will welcome 300 industry guests. 

This year’s awards feature 34 categories recognising excellence among operators, affiliates, game developers, payment providers, and other suppliers. Leading the shortlist is Betsson Group with seven nominations, closely followed by Campeon Gaming with five.  

The ceremony marks SBC’s first awards event fully dedicated to the European region, and has attracted a record-breaking number of entries, creating a highly competitive selection process for the independent judging panel. 

Maintaining its predecessor’s tradition of honouring innovation in game development, five dedicated ‘Game Developer Awards’ will be presented. EveryMatrix will look to defend its ‘Game Aggregator of the Year’ title, while the coveted ‘Game of the Year’ award will be decided by a public vote.  

The game developer categories also see multiple nominations for companies such as  Bragg Gaming, Light & Wonder, Belatra Games, Booming Games, Gamzix, and Slotmill. 

Another returning feature at SBC Awards Europe will be the ‘SlotCatalog’ categories. Play’n GO and Fortune Factory Studios will look to defend their titles of ‘Game Studio of the Year – Large’ and ‘Game Studio of the Year – Small’ respectively, while Push Gaming, Relax Gaming, Spribe, and Wazdan are among the contenders for the ‘Game Studio of the Year – Medium’ award. 

Affiliation will also take centre stage with categories such as ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ and ‘Sports Affiliate of the Year,’ where Blue Window Ltd, Gambling.com Group, and Gentoo Media are among those nominated across both awards. 

Highlighting commitment to player protection, the ‘Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year’ award features nominations for 1win, BetBlocker, EPIC Global Solutions, iGaming Academy, Mindway AI, and Play’n GO, among others..  

Contenders for the prestigious ‘Employer of the Year’ title include companies Alea, BGaming, Fast Track, RubyPlay, and SOFTSWISS.  

In the operator categories, Novibet stands out with four nominations, whilst Mate Affiliates and Megapari will go head-to-head for three separate awards: ‘Best Affiliate Program’, ‘Casino Operator of the Year, and ‘Sportsbook Operator of the Year’.  

In the payment and compliance categories, PAYSTRAX could be in for a landmark evening, nominated in both areas. The company faces stiff competition from BetComply, NexaCompliance, and OpenBet for ‘Compliance & KYC Partner of the Year’ and will battle companies such as Nuvei, OKTO, Paysafe, and Trustly for ‘Payment Solution of the Year.’  

It could also be a momentous evening for Sportradar and EveryMatrix, each shortlisted in four supplier categories, while Soft2Bet, Playtech, and BetConstruct are each nominated across three awards. 

Additionally, the evening will shine a light on emerging talent with four dedicated ‘Rising Star awards’. The awards will be presented to prominent operators and suppliers making waves in the casino and sports betting realm.  

The complete list of shortlisted companies is available on the SBC Awards Europe website. 

Please note that a separate ticket is required for attending the ceremony. Table and ticket options can be found here.