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.
Awards
Casino Guru wins in Casino Affiliate category at the EGR Operator Awards 2025
Casino Guru is proud to announce that it has won in the “Casino Affiliate” category at the just-concluded EGR Operator Awards 2025. The company was distinguished amongst the world’s leading casino affiliates and crowned with the ultimate accolade.
The awards ceremony was held at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on October 22, 2025, and marked the 20th anniversary of the EGR Operator Awards.
Commenting on the award, Matej Novota, Head of Casino Research at Casino Guru, had this to say: “This recognition confirms our commitment to delivering one of the best possible experiences for casino players worldwide. We are grateful to the EGR Operator Awards for this distinction, which reinforces that our work toward a safer and more transparent industry is making a real impact. Casino Guru will continue to guide players toward better and fairer gaming experiences, and we are honored to receive this award.”
Casino Guru has repeatedly delivered one of the most comprehensive services in helping inform player opinion. The website focuses exclusively on reviewing online casinos and bonuses based on criteria that matter to the players, such as fair bonus policies and general terms and conditions, ease of withdrawals, and more.
Casino Guru has also served as a trustworthy mediator in disputes between players and casinos, having returned more than $52m in player funds through the Complaint Resolution Center, and making sure it offers a comprehensive service that goes beyond its meticulous reviewing process.
To help quantify the data points Casino Guru leverages to make decisions about what casinos are worthwhile, the company has developed the bespoke Safety Index metric, which gauges a casino offer based on player-specific preferences, overall fairness, and industry standards, and assigns a rating that players can trust.
This is the latest distinction secured by Casino Guru over the past several months. Casino Guru is also contending in various categories for the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards as well as in the AffPapa iGaming Awards LatAm.
Awards
ReferOn in the Spotlight: Nominated for the Prestigious “Best Affiliate Software 2025” Award at SiGMA Europe Rome
ReferOn shortlisted for another major award as it heads to Rome
ReferOn, the next-gen affiliate management platform, has been shortlisted for the “Best Affiliate Software 2025” category at the upcoming SiGMA Europe Awards — recognising its commitment to reshaping modern affiliate tech.
2025 marked a crucial year for the company as ReferOn evolved into one of the most forward-thinking solutions in the iGaming affiliate space. The platform continues to tackle industry pain points head-on with technological advancements like Independent Deal Calculation for flexible reward logic, multi-brand dashboards, and affiliate-controlled postbacks, all designed to give users real-time visibility and frictionless control.
Alex Bukin, ReferOn’s General Manager, commented, “This nomination is a reflection of how far ReferOn has come in such a short time. Behind every new innovative feature is a team that’s not just developing a platform, they’re transforming affiliate marketing. Our mission has always been to strip away complexity and chaos and focus on giving affiliate managers the clarity and tools they need to succeed. This recognition tells us we’re on the right track.”
ReferOn is not stranger to recognition, winning the “Best Partner For Customer Acquisition & Retention” award from the previous year’s SiGMA Europe Awards. The team now aims to build on that positive momentum and showcase its latest advancements in affiliate operations at Booth 5044 during SiGMA Europe 2025 in Rome.
Awards
ReferOn Earns Dual Nominations for Innovation and Marketing Excellence at SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025
The company continues its growth in 2025 with key industry recognition
ReferOn, a next-gen affiliate management platform has been shortlisted for the “Affiliate Product Innovation” and “Best Marketing Solution Provider” categories at the upcoming SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025.
These nominations come after an important year for the company, defined by strong market traction, continuous product development, and an increased demand from operators and affiliate managers looking to transition from outdated legacy platforms to a more agile, transparent, and scalable solution.
Since its launch, the ReferOn team has demonstrated its commitment to solving real problems for affiliate teams. At the core of its value propositions is creating a simple and accessible platform that’s built for modern needs. Core developments like full-cycle automation, customisable dashboards, instant postbacks, and real-time data visibility help to reduce chaos and boost performance. Additionally, tools like the Sub-Affiliate System, No Bundling Model, and dynamic variables assist with increased operational control.
Vlad Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the nominations, “We didn’t build ReferOn to compete with legacy platforms — we built it to replace them. Every development, addition, and decision is guided by the goal of empowering our users to move faster, make more insightful decisions, and scale efficiently. These nominations have shown us that we’re moving in the right direction and that our incredible team is working towards something truly impactful.”
ReferOn’s roadmap remains ambitious and future-focused, with numerous investments in product developments, customer-facing services, and initiatives that help affiliate teams act faster and move smarter.
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