SBC Awards 2025 shortlist announced, Peter Schmeichel to host ceremony in Lisbon

Former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel will return to host the SBC Awards 2025, as SBC unveils a record-breaking shortlist for the 12th edition of its annual ceremony honouring excellence in the global betting and gaming industry.

The awards will be held at the MEO Arena in Lisbon on Thursday, 18 September, coinciding with the final day of the SBC Summit 2025. Organisers said this year’s edition has already set a new benchmark, attracting the highest number of nominations to date across 37 categories.

Leading the field are Pragmatic Play and Sportradar, each securing seven nominations. Close behind are BetConstruct and Betsson Group with six nominations apiece. Other standout performers include Bragg Gaming, Campeon Gaming, Novibet, Playtech, and Top Bet, each with five nominations.

“This industry never stands still. New talent, ideas, and technologies are constantly changing the game,” said SBC Founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark. “The SBC Awards are our way of recognising those who are making a real impact and giving the community a moment to celebrate together.”

Schmeichel, a UEFA Euro winner and Premier League legend, previously hosted the 2024 awards and will again co-host this year’s ceremony, bringing his signature charisma to the stage.

The 2025 edition introduces several category changes. Notably, dedicated affiliate categories have been removed, with the newly expanded Affiliate Leaders Awards scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, 17 September at the same venue.

In the operator segment, Betsson Group's six nominations include Operator of the Year - Large, while TotoGaming received four nods, including Marketing Campaign of the Year. Kaizen Gaming and Campeón Gaming are both in contention to defend their Operator of the Year titles in the medium and large brackets.

Nominees in the Casino Operator of the Year category include LeoVegas, Bally’s, Codere Online, and Winbet, while 1xBet, EstrelaBet, and Sportsbet.io are among the frontrunners for Sportsbook Operator of the Year.

In the cross-category Employer of the Year race, Alea, Flutter Entertainment, Parimatch, and Play’n GO will aim to unseat reigning titleholder SOFTSWISS. Social responsibility is also a focus, with AMIG, BGaming, EveryMatrix, and Pay4Fun competing for the Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year.

The Leader of the Year winner will be revealed during the ceremony, with finalists kept under wraps until the event.

In the payments and compliance categories, Noda and payabl. lead with nominations in all three awards: Payment Solution of the Year, Payment Innovation of the Year, and Fraud & Compliance Solution of the Year. MiFinity, Monnet Payments, OKTO, Paysecure, Trustly, and others earned multiple nominations.

Among suppliers, 22 awards will be presented this year, including new categories such as Aggregator of the Year and Crash Game of the Year. Digitain will aim to defend its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year title, while Soft2Bet seeks repeat wins in innovation for both casino and mobile platforms.

Fast Track and BETBY are returning titleholders in the Acquisition & Retention Partner and Esports Supplier of the Year categories, respectively. In the highly competitive Industry Innovation of the Year category, 15 companies - including Delasport, Evolution, iGP, Optimove, and Spotlight Sports Group - are in contention.

The Platform Provider of the Year category features a strong field, with EGT Digital, GiG, GR8 Tech, Sportingtech, and White Hat Gaming among the nominees.

The awards will also continue to spotlight up-and-coming talent, with four Rising Star categories celebrating early-stage companies across casino, sports betting, and innovation software.

A separate ticket is required to attend the ceremony; table and ticket options here.