LeoVegas retained its crown as Casino Operator of the Year at last night’s SBC Awards 2019, as a record 34 different companies and five industry leaders were recognised for their excellence in the igaming and sports betting sectors.
Hosted by sports broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher and Dutch footballing legend Ruud Gullit, the event at Battersea Evolution in London brought together 700 industry professionals to celebrate the achievements of the best-performing and most innovative operators, suppliers and affiliates.
LeoVegas proved to be the pick for judges in the casino categories, with the Swedish giant retaining its operator title and adding the Innovation in Casino Entertainment prize.
As well as the established big hitters, the SBC Awards also honoured some of the newer entrants to the market and the Rising Star prizes went to PlayOJO (casino), BetGames.TV (casino innovation), Stoiximan / Betano Group (sports betting) and Shape Games (sports betting innovation).
NetEnt emerged triumphant in the Casino Game Developer of the Year category and Evolution Gaming collected an innovation prize, while there were also wins for Optima (best multi-channel supplier), Optimove (best acquisition and retention partner) and Xtremepush (marketing and services provider of the year).
Stewart Darkin, Managing Director of CasinoBeats, commented: “It really has been a landmark evening for SBC and CasinoBeats and one which feels like it has set new standards for gaming industry awards ceremonies.
“We are, of course, pleased for each of our winners and those highly commended across all of the categories but, for CasinoBeats, seeing LeoVegas collect two key wins was a highlight,” he said.
“Features such as LeoVegas Multiplay remind the sector that there is always more that can be done to bring innovation to the player and boost the user experience – and clearly the judging panel agreed. Congratulations to all at LeoVegas on their deserved recognition.”