Awards
Recognising the Powerhouses of Performance: SBC Launches Affiliate Leaders Awards
This year’s SBC Summit will see the premiere of the Affiliate Leaders Awards – a bold new addition spotlighting standout contributions in the affiliate marketing industry.
The Affiliate Leaders Awards will take place on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, from 19:00 to 24:00 at the MEO Arena, marking the first time SBC is hosting a standalone ceremony dedicated entirely to celebrating the achievements of affiliates, their operator partners, and the suppliers driving the affiliate ecosystem.
The new ceremony builds on the incredible momentum generated by the Affiliate Leaders Summit, which was first introduced during last year’s SBC Summit and has since been rolled out at SBC Summit Rio and SBC Summit Americas. This event has quickly become a flagship feature within the broader SBC Events portfolio, offering a highly focused environment for affiliates and their partners to connect, learn, and do business.
According to SBC Founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark, the creation of the Affiliate Leaders Awards is a natural next step in SBC’s ongoing efforts to elevate and support the affiliate community within the iGaming and sports betting industries.
“Over the last year, we’ve doubled down on providing dedicated spaces and meaningful content for the affiliate community,” said Sojmark. “We’ve listened closely to what this community needs and the Affiliate Leaders Awards is the next phase – not just recognising their contributions, but celebrating them in the way they deserve.”
The Affiliate Leaders initiative – which includes the summit, community, magazine, news portal, and now the awards – has always been about empowering the affiliate sector and making business easier for its members. Whether it’s curated expo zones for affiliates and their partners, deep-dive content on SEO, AI, and acquisition strategies, or networking formats built for deal-making, SBC continues to create spaces where affiliates thrive.
Historically, affiliate-focused awards were limited to just a handful of categories within the broader SBC Awards. The introduction of a standalone ceremony enables SBC to significantly expand the recognition offered to this important segment of the industry.
This year’s Affiliate Leaders Awards will feature multiple categories, covering three key stakeholder groups:
- Affiliates – Featuring categories that showcase the full spectrum of affiliate excellence, from top networks and niche verticals to standout campaigns, content leaders, and rising stars.
- Operators – Celebrating operator teams and strategies that actively support, engage, and collaborate with affiliates.
- Suppliers – Honouring the platforms, tools, and service providers that drive affiliate performance and innovation.
Award categories include Affiliate Network of the Year, Affiliate Content Manager of the Year, Affiliate Campaign of the Year, Social Media Campaign of the Year, and Affiliate Technology of the Year — all designed to spotlight the creativity, strategy, and innovation fueling affiliate success.
“With the launch of the Affiliate Leaders Awards, SBC adds a new layer of visibility and recognition. We want to highlight the innovation happening across the affiliate world – not just from the biggest names, but from rising stars, emerging content formats, and the tech providers enabling it all,” added Sojmark. “And we want to do that in a setting that brings everyone together – affiliates, operators, and suppliers – in a night of celebration, inspiration, and connection.”
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Applications Now Open
Entries for the Affiliate Leaders Awards are now officially open and will be accepted until Friday, 4 July. Entrants are invited to submit their applications via the Affiliate Leaders Awards website, where they can also review the full list of categories and entry criteria.
To attend the Affiliate Leaders Awards, participants must purchase a separate ticket. Attendees can choose between individual tickets or book full tables for their teams. For ticket information, please visit the Affiliate Leaders Awards website or contact [email protected] directly.
The Affiliate Leaders Awards will be followed the next evening by the long-established SBC Awards, now in its 12th year, continuing the tradition of honouring excellence across the entire sports betting and iGaming ecosystem.
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Wins “Best Affiliate Management Platform” at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026
ReferOn has been named the Best Affiliate Management Platform at the prestigious iGB Affiliate Awards 2026, marking another major milestone in the company’s growth. Announced live at iGB LIVE, the recognition follows a year of relentless product innovation, customer growth, and a continued focus on simplifying affiliate operations.
Turning Complexity into Clarity
Managing high-volume affiliate programs requires processing millions of data points every day. ReferOn was built to eliminate that complexity through automation, real-time insights, and streamlined workflows.
This year also marked the introduction of Refie, ReferOn’s integrated UX layer. Instead of forcing affiliate managers to navigate complex backend data, Refie turns raw operational data into clear, actionable insights. From onboarding to daily performance tracking, it helps teams spend less time on administration and more time driving strategic growth.
Alex Bukin, CEO of ReferOn, commented: “Winning the iGB Affiliate Award is a remarkable achievement for our entire team. As affiliate programs grow, so does the complexity behind them. From day one, our ambition has been to remove that complexity, so operators can focus on growth instead of operational friction. This recognition reinforces our belief that great B2B technology should be simpler, more intuitive, easier to work with, and built around the people who use it”.
Having secured major industry awards over the past 18 months, — including ‘Affiliate System of the Year’ at AffPapa and ‘Best Affiliate Software’ at SiGMA — ReferOn looks ahead with a roadmap that remains focused on making affiliate management even more intelligent, transparent, and effortless. Our upcoming developments will continue to simplify complex workflows, expand AI-powered assistance, and provide operators with even greater visibility and control over their affiliate operations.
Affiliate Success
Kongebonus becomes first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at iGB Affiliate Awards 2026
Kongebonus has become the first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026, a landmark recognition that names the independent Norwegian guide as the world’s leading casino affiliate for 2026.
The award was presented on 2 July during iGB L!VE London, where the iGB Affiliate Awards celebrated the affiliates, programmes, networks, suppliers and individuals helping to drive the iGaming sector forward.
iGB Affiliate described first-time contestant Kongebonus as a “Norwegian local hero”, noting that the platform claimed the award in a close race and ended Gambling.com Group’s two-year reign in the highly competitive category. Independent judges praised Kongebonus’ “super smart” approach, highlighting its combination of innovation, engaged player community, and strong editorial presence across Google News and the media.
The recognition reflects Kongebonus’ focus on detailed operator testing, transparent casino reviews, community-led content and player protection. The platform tests casinos with its own money before reviewing them, publishes its full methodology and continues to invest in responsible gambling resources, including practical guidance and support signposting for players.
David Nilsen, Editor-in-Chief at Kongebonus, said: “Winning Best Casino Affiliate at the iGB Affiliate Awards is a huge moment for Kongebonus and for everyone who has helped build the platform. To be recognised in a category alongside some of the biggest and most respected names in the affiliate industry is something we are incredibly proud of.
“I’ve spent more than ten years on the inside of this industry, and I’ve seen how big the gap can be between what a casino promises and what the player is actually left with. Closing that gap is the whole reason we test the way we do.
“What this award tells us is that being the most trusted guide matters more than being the biggest one, and that’s the only thing we’ve ever set out to build.”
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Shortlisted for Two EGR B2B Awards 2026 Following Record Platform Growth
ReferOn, the data-driven affiliate management platform, has been shortlisted in two categories at the EGR B2B Awards 2026: “Affiliate Software Supplier” and “Full Service Platform of the Year (under 5 years)”.
These nominations reflect ReferOn’s rapid evolution from a fast-growing platform into a mature affiliate management solution trusted by operators seeking greater scalability, automation, and operational control.
Solving Affiliate Management Complexity at Scale
Over the past year, ReferOn has focused on solving one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: managing affiliate programmes efficiently at scale. By automating key affiliate management processes and transforming fragmented data into actionable insights, the platform enables operators to scale partner programs more efficiently while maintaining full visibility and control.
Turning Data Into Faster Decisions
As platform capabilities expand, Refie serves as an intelligent UX layer that makes complex data instantly understandable. By translating backend logic into intuitive visual guidance, it helps users move faster, make better decisions, and spend less time navigating reports.
By translating technical precision into intuitive visual feedback, Refie eliminates the need to dig through dense reports, guiding users toward real-time performance and faster decision-making. It moves beyond simple functionality; it’s about giving teams their time back by making complex data instantly readable.
Alex Bukin, CEO at ReferOn, commented: “These nominations reflect the momentum behind ReferOn’s evolution into an award-winning platform built for operators who refuse to compromise between sophistication and usability. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but even more excited about the opportunities ahead.”
The winners will be announced at the EGR B2B Awards ceremony, taking place on June 3 at City Central, HAC, in London.
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