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Peter Schmeichel Returns as SBC Awards 2025 Host as Finalists Are Announced
SBC has officially announced the shortlisted nominees for the 12th edition of the SBC Awards, set to take place at Lisbon’s MEO Arena on Thursday, 18 September, the final day of SBC Summit 2025.
Celebrating excellence across the global betting and gaming industry, the ceremony will spotlight standout achievements from operators, industry leaders, and suppliers across a broad spectrum of sectors, including payments, marketing, and platform innovation.
This year’s edition has already broken records, with the highest number of nominations ever received across its 37 diverse categories, reflecting the industry’s growing commitment to delivering exceptional performance.
Leading the shortlist are Pragmatic Play and Sportradar, each earning seven nominations. Close contenders include BetConstruct and Betsson Group with six nominations apiece. Other standout nominees include Bragg Gaming, Campeon Gaming, Novibet, Playtech, and Top Bet, each securing five nominations.
Returning to co-host the ceremony is football legend Peter Schmeichel, former Manchester United goalkeeper and UEFA European Championship winner, who previously brought his trademark charisma to the stage in 2024.
The 2025 edition of the SBC Awards will also mark the first year without dedicated affiliate categories. Instead, SBC will host a dedicated and expanded Affiliate Leaders Awards on Wednesday, 17th September, at the same venue.
Commenting on the upcoming SBC Awards ceremony, Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “This industry never stands still. New talent, ideas, and technologies are constantly changing the game. The SBC Awards are our way of recognising those who are making a real impact and giving the community a moment to celebrate together.”
In the operator categories, alongside Betsson Group’s notable six nominations, TotoGaming also stands out with four nominations, including Marketing Campaign of the Year and Innovation in Casino & Gaming Entertainment. Meanwhile, Kaizen Gaming and Campeón Gaming return to defend their titles in the Operator of the Year – Medium and Large categories, respectively.
The hotly contested Casino Operator of the Year category includes names such as LeoVegas, Bally’s, Codere Online, and Winbet. 1xBet, EstrelaBet, and Sportsbet.io are among the frontrunners for Sportsbook Operator of the Year.
In the operator and supplier categories, competition for Employer of the Year includes Alea, Flutter Entertainment, Parimatch, and Play’n GO, all aiming to take the crown from reigning champions SOFTSWISS. The Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year category features nominees such as Associação de Mulheres da Indústria do Gaming (AMIG), BGaming, EveryMatrix, and Pay4Fun.
The highly anticipated Leader of the Year award will be kept under wraps until the night, with nominees and the winner to be revealed live during the ceremony.
In the payments and compliance categories, Noda and payabl. lead the way 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, Pay4Fun, Paysecure, and Trustly have also earned multiple nods across the categories.
The supplier categories, which will span 22 awards, will include several new additions this year, such as Aggregator of the Year and Crash Game of the Year.
Fast Track and BETBY will look to retain their titles in Acquisition & Retention Partner and Esports Supplier of the Year, respectively. Meanwhile, Delasport, Evolution, Evoplay, iGP, Optimove, and Spotlight Sports Group are among the fifteen companies competing for the Industry Innovation of the Year award.
Soft2Bet will return in pursuit of back-to-back wins for Innovation in Casino Entertainment and Innovation in Mobile, while Digitain will aim to defend its title as Sportsbook Supplier of the Year.
The sought-after Platform Provider of the Year award features a strong field of contenders, including EGT Digital, GiG, GR8 Tech, Sportingtech, and White Hat Gaming.
Continuing SBC’s commitment to shining a light on the future stars of the industry, the evening will once again feature four ‘Rising Star‘ awards: Rising Star in Casino, Rising Star in Sports Betting, Rising Star in Sports Betting Innovation / Software, and Rising Star in Casino Innovation / Software.
The post Peter Schmeichel Returns as SBC Awards 2025 Host as Finalists Are Announced appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Belatra ready to make waves at SBC Summit Lisbon with immersive Blast the Bass experience
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, is heading to SBC Summit Lisbon 2025 — and it’s bringing more than just its award-winning games.
Visitors to Stand B523 will be treated to an unforgettable experience inspired by Blast the Bass, Belatra’s smash-hit slot that exploded onto the market with massive success. Belatra’s expert team will be laying on a themed bar built around the game’s legendary energy, giving guests a taste of the excitement through a special menu, immersive design, and vibrant conversation.
This unique activation sets the tone for Belatra’s SBC presence, where the fusion of entertainment, innovation, and bold design is front and centre.
On top of that, Belatra will be dropping exclusive merch that is as bold and fun as its games. Guests to the stand will be able to get their hands on fantastic designs, top-tier quality, and 100% Belatra vibes.
The biggest catch of the day will be for the quickest winners during Lisbon’s show. Belatra is launching something totally new, breathtaking, and — most importantly — unforgettable, but only for the champions.
Kateryna Goi, Belatra Games’ CMO, said: “SBC Summit Lisbon is one of the standout events on the iGaming event tour. As ever, Belatra is not just rolling up, we’re showcasing what drives our success – creativity, energy, and unforgettable experiences.”
The post Belatra ready to make waves at SBC Summit Lisbon with immersive Blast the Bass experience appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Mandalapu Sreesanth Dominates Street Fighter 6 Finale, Secures Main Player Spot for 3rd Asian Youth Games
The National Esports Championships (NESC) 2025 concluded on July 27 with an electrifying Street Fighter 6 (Boys) finale, where India’s top under-18 talent, Mandalapu Sreesanth, delivered a commanding performance.
Facing off against formidable opponent Ansil Nalakath Abbas, Mandalapu clinched a decisive 3-0 sweep in the best-of-five series, sealing his position as the main player to represent India at the 3rd Asian Youth Games (AYG) in Bahrain from October 22–31, 2025. Ansil will join the contingent as the official substitute for the event.
A seasoned competitor with over four years of professional esports experience, Mandalapu is widely regarded as India’s #1 ranked under-18 Street Fighter 6 player. His decorated track record includes winning the Versus Cup 2024 and emerging as the Khelo India Youth Games Champion, cementing his status as a leading figure in the country’s fighting game community.
This finale was a crucial milestone in the national selection process for the AYG, which will see India compete against the best young talents from across Asia. Both players’ inclusion marks a strong representation for the country in the fighting games category.
Excited to represent India, winner of the Street Fighter 6 tournament, Mandalapu Sreesanth, said: “I’m truly honoured to have secured first place in Street Fighter 6 at the NESC 2025 and earned the chance to represent India at the upcoming Asian Youth Games. This win is not just a personal milestone but also a reflection of the discipline, dedication, and countless hours of practice over the past months. As I prepare for the AYG, my focus is on studying high-level international gameplay, refining my fundamentals, sharpening my reaction time, and deepening my matchup knowledge. I’ve been training with top-ranked players to strengthen both my competitive mindset and in-game adaptability. My ultimate goal is to make the country proud and bring home a medal. The journey has only just begun, and I’m committed to giving it my absolute best.”
Looking ahead to the tournament, Ansil Nalakath Abbas, said, “I’m grateful to the Esports Federation of India for giving me this opportunity. Representing my country is always a matter of immense pride. From the final match, I’ve identified key areas for improvement, and I’ll be working tirelessly in the days ahead to strengthen my gameplay. My focus is on giving my absolute best and making sure I make India proud.”
Speaking on the players’ achievement, Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India, said, “We are incredibly proud of both Mandalapu and Ansil for their outstanding performances at NESC 2025. Their skill, dedication, and sportsmanship are a testament to the growing talent pool in Indian esports. Representing India at the 3rd Asian Youth Games is both an honor and a responsibility, and we are confident they will make the country proud. ESFI will continue to provide them with the support and exposure they need to prepare for the challenges ahead in Bahrain.”
The qualifiers for eFootball at NESC 2025 are set to take place later this month, continuing the journey of selecting India’s esports representatives for the 3rd Asian Youth Games.
The post Mandalapu Sreesanth Dominates Street Fighter 6 Finale, Secures Main Player Spot for 3rd Asian Youth Games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GameRamp Raises $5.4M Pre-Seed Round Led by BITKRAFT Ventures
GameRamp, an AI-native publishing operating system built for the next wave of mobile games & consumer apps, has raised a $5.4 million pre-seed funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures, and backed by South Park Commons, Mixi, DeVC along other prominent global angels.
The capital raised will accelerate GameRamp’s expansion of its engineering and applied AI teams in the USA and India. The investment will also expedite the launch of two services: Sentinel, an AI platform offering real-time personalization of in-game economies and monetization through reinforcement learning; and Grow, a one-click embedded financing layer to provide developers seamless access to capital.
Founded by Vivek Ramachandran and Sashank Vandrangi, GameRamp empowers developers to experiment and deploy their monetization strategies in a fully-automated fashion. This helps studios drive a 40–60% increase in revenue and scale faster. GameRamp continuously improves in the background, ensuring that the user experience is always optimally tuned.
“Scaling new apps or games has increasingly become hyper-competitive, Developers need to be best-in-class in an array of disciplines outside the core product experience. What if we could turbocharge this with AI?” said Vivek Ramachandran, Co-founder & CEO of GameRamp. “It isn’t just above improving existing processes; it’s enabling a completely new level of experimentation and insight. Our partners across regions like Vietnam, India and Turkey are seeing strong results and we are excited to launch globally in the near future”
Anuj Tandon, Partner at BITKRAFT Ventures, added: “GameRamp’s team embodies a blend of deep expertise across machine learning, product growth and investing. They have a unique perspective on what it takes to win in hyper-competitive markets, and their obsession with developer outcomes shows in their early customer love. This positions GameRamp to fundamentally redefine how consumer internet entrepreneurs scale in emerging markets. As we kick off our deep focus on emerging markets, GameRamp stood out as the obvious partner for one of our first lead investments in the region. Their vision and execution gave us confidence to back them as a global fund.”
The post GameRamp Raises $5.4M Pre-Seed Round Led by BITKRAFT Ventures appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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