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.

Partners programme CatAffs has seen its brands dramatically increase revenue and other KPIs following the successful integration of ZingBrain AI.

ZingBrain AI is the artificial intelligence engine for iGaming, which delivers personalised recommendations to create a fully bespoke experience for users.

Since CatAffs integrated the ZingBrain AI platform it has seen impressive results across the board.

This has included:

• A 17 percent increase in GGR per player, significantly increasing revenue

• A 16 percent increase in turnover per player, driven by an increase in activity

• An 11 percent increase in bets per player, boosting engagement

• A 30 percent increase in deposits and sessions, improving retention

• A one hour per session increase, meaning players are sticking around for longer

Oleg Smolerov, CPO at ZingBrain AI, said: “We couldn’t be happier to see CatAffs already enjoying improved performance via our platform. This kind of success shows how AI isn’t just a buzzword, but rather something that can significantly improve business performance. We’ll continue to work closely with the CatAffs team to help their brands reach even greater heights.”

Oleksii, Head of Technical Product at CatAffs, added: “ZingBrain AI has very quickly become a key part of our growth strategy here at CatAffs, and the improvements in player engagement and revenue have already gone well beyond our expectations. But what we appreciate most is just how willing the ZingBrain AI team has been to adapt and innovate based on our needs. This is just the start of a great partnership.”

ZingBrain AI is redefining personalisation for iGaming operators, giving users the personal experience they’ve become used to when using YouTube, Spotify or Netflix. The insights are drawn from more than 15 billion transactions and 3.5 million users.

To find out more, please visit: https://www.zingbrain.ai/.