Casino Guru names 2026 winners across iGaming responsibility, transparency and leadership categories

Casino Guru has announced the winners of its 2026 awards, with companies and individuals recognized across categories covering themes such as responsible gambling, player protection, transparency, workplace culture, marketing, and complaint handling.

The ceremony was hosted by Denisa Vydumska and held in collaboration with NEXT.io, with support from sponsors PayOp, 18Peaches, Bragg Gaming Group, RedCore, and SPRIBE. The event brought together operators, providers, and industry figures from the global iGaming sector.

“The Casino Guru Awards are not only about recognizing success,” said Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Projects Director at Casino Guru and the driving force behind the initiative. “They are about honoring companies and individuals who elevate the industry through fairness, responsibility, innovation, and integrity.”

Among the individual winners, Marina Ostrovtsova, CEO at BGaming, was named iGaming Changemaker of the Year. She received the award for identifying the industry’s move toward casual and mobile-first gaming at an early stage and transforming BGaming into a more innovative and inclusive brand.

Valentina Bagniya, CMO at SOFTSWISS, won Woman Leader of the Year for driving acclaimed marketing campaigns, measurable business growth, and mentorship activity in the sector.

Irina Veselkova, Head of Marketing at Endorphina, received the Young Changemaker Award for bringing together Endorphina’s global marketing operations during a period of growth and delivering brand initiatives that supported her recognition as an emerging industry leader.

In the responsible gambling and social impact categories, GambleAware Nigeria was named Rising Star in Responsible Gaming. The organization was recognized for its work in an under-resourced market, including building Africa’s largest gambling addiction recovery network, supporting more than 8,000 people in active recovery and handling about 300 help calls each week.

Flutter UKI won Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative for launching its Customer Safety Centre of Excellence in 2025, an initiative aimed at embedding safer gambling principles across the organization and promoting sustainable play beyond regulatory requirements.

Several awards focused on player-facing transparency and fairness. iWild Casino won the Fairest Bonus Policy Award after making changes to its bonus policy, including clearer terms, automated rule enforcement, and maintaining a very low number of bonus-related player complaints.

LuckyHills received the Fairest General Terms & Conditions Award for clear and transparent terms and for integrating responsible gambling tools directly into player accounts.

Gamblezen Casino was named Most Transparent Casino for providing players with detailed account-level information on transactions, gameplay, promotions and responsible gambling tools.

iWild Casino also won Most Effective Handling of Complaints for its handling of player complaints through the Casino Guru Complaint Resolution Center, where judges cited communication, fairness, and a proactive approach to dispute resolution.

SOFTSWISS received the Industry Culture Shaper award for workplace culture, supported by reported improvements in employee engagement, participation and satisfaction during 2025.

Public voting also formed part of the 2026 awards. Pragmatic Play won the Players’ Choice Award after receiving the highest number of public votes in that category, marking its fourth consecutive win. iWild Casino received the Voice of the People Award after gaining the highest number of public votes among all shortlisted nominees across the awards.

The gala included live performances, speeches, entertainment, and winner announcements. It concluded with a standing ovation, a group photo, and fireworks, with the awards positioning responsibility, transparency, player protection, and workplace culture as key themes in the iGaming industry’s development.