SBC Awards 2022 honor gaming industry in Barcelona; Betsson named Casino Operator of the Year

The ninth edition of the SBC Awards 2022 took place on the last day of SBC Summit Barcelona on Thursday and industry companies from around the world were honored in 45 different categories.

Among them is Betsson Group, which won a triple award. Apart from the Casino Operator of the Year award, Betsson also received the Best Affiliate Program of the Year title and the newly-introduced Western European Operator of the Year award.

Meanwhile, last year’s Sportsbook Operator of the Year winner, Bet365, also managed to hold the throne after the company secured a win in one of the most contested categories of the night. 

The ninth edition of the SBC Awards was co-hosted by news and sports broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher and former Valencia, Lazio, Barcelona, and Middlesbrough star Gaizka Mendieta. The winners of the 45 operator, affiliate, supplier, and payment categories were announced in front of 800 senior sports betting and iGaming industry executives. 

In a press release, Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC, said: "Some very fierce competitors and such a fun-filled ceremony! The Awards night is something I always look forward to as it reminds us that hard work pays off and teaches us to recognize the achievements of our peers. Congratulations to all the winners!"

Congratulations to Betsson Group for winning the Casino Operator of the Year award 🏆#sbcevents #sbcsummitbarcelona #sbcawards pic.twitter.com/HHuGdIMbc4

— SBC NEWS (@SBCGAMINGNEWS) September 23, 2022

The victors in the operator section of the awards also included Coolbet (Northern European Operator of the Year), Kaizen Gaming (Southern European Operator of the Year), and Parimatch Ukraine (Eastern European Operator of the Year). Betway Group extended its dominance in the Esports Operator of the Year category.

The affiliate section saw three companies coming out victorious: Raketech Group took home the Affiliate Product Innovation of the Year award, repeating its 2021 success. Gambling.com won the Casino Affiliate of the Year trophy, and Better Collective also stood its ground by securing the Sports Affiliate of the Year award two years in a row.

In the supplier section of the awards, the fiercely contested Sportsbook Supplier of the Year title went to Sportradar Group, and the Casino/Slots Developer of the Year award went to Relax Gaming.

There were also victories for Pinnacle (Esports Supplier of the Year), OpenBet (Land-based Betting & Gaming Product), Evolution (Live Casino Supplier), and Playtech (Platform Provider of the Year). 

Congratulations to Betsson Group Affiliates for winning the Best Affiliate Program of the Year award 🏆#sbcevents #sbcsummitbarcelona #sbcawards pic.twitter.com/WAaAtDIB6z

— SBC NEWS (@SBCGAMINGNEWS) September 23, 2022

Moving onto the rising stars, Uplatform was awarded the Rising Star in Sports Betting Innovation/Software trophy, while PopOK Gaming won the Rising Star in Casino Innovation/Software award.

In the four payment categories, IDnow was awarded the Fraud & Compliance Solution of the Year award, and OKTO was recognized as the Mobile Payment Solution of the Year. Trustly secured two awards as both the Payment Innovation of the Year and the Payment Solution of the Year. 

The ceremony also honored not one but two company leaders, as David Flynn from Glitnor Group and Katerina Biloruska from Parimatch Foundation both received the Leader of the Year award