Casino Guru Awards 2026 adds four new categories to spotlight leadership and responsibility in iGaming

Casino Guru has introduced four new award categories for the 2026 edition of its industry awards, expanding its focus on leadership, ethical innovation, and workplace culture as it seeks to highlight efforts shaping a fairer and safer global iGaming sector.

The Casino Guru Awards 2026, now entering their fourth year, are industry awards centered primarily on fairness, transparency, and responsible innovation. The 2026 ceremony will take place on May 25 at The Xara Lodge in Malta, held in partnership with NEXT.io during the NEXT Valletta event.

The newly added categories - Woman Leader of the Year, Rising Star in Responsible Gambling, Young Changemaker Award, and Industry Culture Shaper - aim to recognize emerging talent and organizations demonstrating measurable progress in responsibility, leadership, and employee wellbeing.

The Woman Leader of the Year award will honor an exceptional female executive whose strategic influence, innovation, and contributions to safer and more transparent practices have transformed her organization or the wider sector. Judges will evaluate achievements across 2024 and 2025, including business growth, crisis management, and advancements in responsible gambling and user experience.

The Rising Star in Responsible Gambling category is targeted at companies making early but significant strides in safer gambling initiatives, whether through new tools, awareness efforts, or novel player-protection strategies that show provable results.

The Young Changemaker Award will recognize an industry professional under 30 whose innovation and ethical leadership have delivered a visible impact in 2025. Judges will consider originality, leadership qualities and contributions that set new integrity standards.

The Industry Culture Shaper category will reward organizations fostering transparent, supportive workplace environments. Metrics such as employee satisfaction, retention, and professional development will factor into judging, along with initiatives to support wellbeing and ethical HR practices. Extra weight will go to companies whose efforts influence broader industry standards through advocacy or partnership efforts.

“The addition of these categories marks an important evolution for the Casino Guru Awards,” said Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Project Director at Casino Guru and leader of the awards project. “By spotlighting leadership, emerging talent, responsible innovation, and culture, we are amplifying the people and values that will define the future of iGaming. These awards aim to inspire positive change at every level, from individual contributors to global operators.”

The new awards will complement Casino Guru’s established categories, including The Fairest Bonus Policy, The Most Transparent Casino, and The Best Implementation of Responsible Gambling Tools.