Spotlight Sports Group Triumphs with the Affiliate of the Year Award, Solidifying Position as Industry Leaders

Spotlight Sports Group (SSG), a world-leading technology, content and media company specialising in sports betting, was named the winner of the EGR Operator Award’s headline category, Affiliate of the Year. This achievement underscores SSG’s successful development and growth of its four leading sports betting affiliates.

The winning submission included data on differentiation and quality of offering, quality and scale of traffic, audience growth innovation and strong partner relationships, including a particular focus on the promotion of safer gambling measures.

The Affiliate of the Year award is the first award that SSG has received recognising the success of its affiliate brands on a global scale. In the UK, SSG is led by the Racing Post, which is the unrivalled leader in horseracing news and tips, in addition to being the largest horseracing affiliate in the world.

In North America, SSG’s flagship brand is Pickswise, which has grown the largest audience of any affiliate launched in the market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018.

Spotlight Sports Group also owns and operates leading affiliates, myracing and Free Super Tips. Myracing is a trusted resource for every horseracing and greyhound race in the UK and Ireland. Free Super Tips specialises in providing football tips for matches and leagues around the world and has developed large audiences in the UK, Ireland and other regulated markets globally.

Combined, the four properties provide operators with a hard-to-match combination of platforms that boast extensive and loyal audiences in a variety of markets.

Discussing the award win, Spotlight Sports Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Renshaw, said: “We are thrilled to have won this award from EGR. In addition to it being an especially prestigious award, it is something that our entire company can take pride in and look to as proof that our hard work is being recognised by our industry peers. The award win helps solidify SSG as one of the few super affiliates in the industry as all of our affiliate brands have taken major strides forward in the past year by growing their audiences and increasing engagement.

He continued: “We are also honoured that this is our second industry award win of the year from EGR, following being named winner of the Sports Data Supplier award at their B2B ceremony in June. We look forward to continuing to go above and beyond the odds for our audiences and unlocking audience value for our partners through all of our products and services.’’

The EGR Operator Awards winners were announced on Thursday, 26th October, at the Grosvenor House in London.

The international igaming affiliate community has until 20 October to provide their submissions for the coveted iGB Affiliate Awards, which recognise the outstanding achievements and groundbreaking innovations that have taken place throughout the sector over the last 12 months. 

The winners across 20 categories will be unveiled at a futuristic fantasy-themed, black-tie celebration taking place following the second day of iGB Affiliate (8 February) at the Troxy, a Grade II-listed 1930’s Art Deco music venue which is situated just a short journey from ExCeL London.

Previewing the Awards, iGB Portfolio Director Naomi Barton said: “This is the event where the igaming affiliate community is able to collectively let its hair down after an action-packed opening day at the premier show for the sector, and recognise the success of colleagues and competitors in the sumptuous surroundings of one of London’s most-loved Art Deco entertainment venues.

“Recognised for being the Oscars of the industry, the iGB Affiliate Awards comprise 20 categories, 19 of which are open to the industry to enter or vote on. The remaining category – for Affiliate Idol (aka Lifetime Achievement Award) – is selected by an in-house panel but in a change for 2024 we are now inviting suggestions from the industry. The Awards are free to enter. There is no limit on the number of categories you can put yourself or your company forward for – if you feel you meet the entry criteria, then we want to hear from you!

“As iGB Affiliate prepares to say goodbye to London ahead of the show’s 2025 relocation to Barcelona, we want to ensure that the 2024 Awards will be the best edition yet. Which is why we are pulling out all of the stops with a theme which brings together the worlds of cyberpunk and fairytale as the backdrop to showcasing the creativity which runs through the sector.”

With something for everyone to enter, the Affiliate Awards Categories comprise: Best Casino Affiliate, Best Sports Betting Affiliate, Best Bingo Affiliate, Best Poker Affiliate, Best Crypto Affiliate, Best Streaming Affiliate, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Affiliate Employer of the Year and Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year. Individual Categories: Best Affiliate Manager and Affiliate Idol (Lifetime Achievement Award). Programme/Network Categories: Best Affiliate Programme and Best Affiliate Network. Service Provider Categories: Best Tech for Affiliates, Best Tech for Affiliate Programmes, Best Digital Agency and Game of the Year (Public Vote). All Companies: Rising Star, Best Newcomer and Innovator of the Year.

The iGB Affiliate Awards are decided by an external panel of  industry judges selected for their expertise on both the igaming affiliate sector and in specialist areas relevant to individual awards, such as safer gambling. All 18 confirmed judges have signed an NDA to keep submitted information confidential and the winners’ names secret until the event has taken place. They are also obliged to declare any potential conflicts of interest prior to judging. Judges are allocated categories aligned to their areas of industry experience and knowledge, and to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Access to submissions is restricted to the judge’s allocated categories.

The Casino Guru Awards Ceremony is just a week away with the grand date set for Wednesday, February 22 at 13:00 CET. The event will take place online and reunite casino experts and companies, distinguishing them for their efforts and hard work in making the gambling industry a safer place for everyone.

Casino Guru Awards 2023 will reveal the names of the winners of each of the seven categories online during a YouTube live stream hosted by the team. During the event, each of the seven categories will be discussed and a winner – finally announced. 

The inaugural edition of the Awards focuses on distinguishing brands across seven core categories that are considered the linchpin of safe and responsible gambling in the industry. Those categories are as follows:

• The Fairest Bonus Policy
• The Fairest General T&Cs
• The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative
• The Best Implementation of RG Tools
• The Most Transparent Casino
• The Most Effective Handling of Complaints Voice of the People

To judge each of the categories, Casino Guru Awards turned to some of the most prominent names in the gambling industry who sat as judges across the panels and sought to distinguish the most worthwhile and deserving gambling companies. The event’s schedule is as follows:

• 13:00 Event Begins
• 13:10 Panel with industry expert judges 
• 13:30 Winner of ‘The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative’ category
  announced 
• 13:30 Winner of ‘The Best Implementation of RG Tools’ category announced 
• 14:05 Short Break
• 14:10 Winner of ‘The Most Effective Handling of Complaints’ category announced 
• 14:30 Winner of ‘The Fairest Bonus Policy’ category announced 
• 14:50 Winner of ‘The Fairest General T&Cs’ category announced 
• 15:10 Winner of ‘The Most Transparent Casino’ category announced 
• 15:30 Short Break
• 15:35 Winner of the ‘Voice of the People’ category announced

The nominees include prominent operators, international gambling and entertainment giants, safe and responsible gambling specialists, tech and data companies, and others. 

Apart from the seven core categories judged by the expert list of specialists, Casino Guru Awards 2023 features a “Voice of the People” category voting for which has been going since December 1, 2023. The category’s winner, driven solely by people’s votes, will also be revealed during the upcoming ceremony next week. 

Casino Guru proudly invites you to the Casino Guru Awards 2023 ceremony, which you will be able to attend virtually. Viewers are encouraged to ask questions, and should they want to, open discussions using the Slido platform. Do not miss the biggest iGaming event next week – tune in to watch Casino Guru Awards 2023!