Categories and criteria
The categories for the EGR Operator Awards 2026 have been developed following a thorough research process to ensure they reflect the fast-moving nature of the sector.
Each category has its own set of criteria to ensure that entering companies can fully demonstrate why they deserve to win and so that judges can decide on the true standout firm in each category.
The EGR Operator Awards voting process will be officiated by accountancy giant Deloitte. The adjudication by a third-party continues to be a part of EGR's pledge to make the judging process the most stringent in the industry.
Entries must only cover activities between September 2025 - August 2026 inclusive
Headline categories
Affiliate of the year – for affiliates only
Casino operator
Employer of the year
Individual achievement award
Innovator of the year
Operator of the year
Sports betting operator
Marketing innovation categories
Best use of a brand ambassador *new for 2026*
Marketing campaign of the year – B2C
Marketing efficiency operator, in partnership with SOFTSWISS *new for 2026*
World Cup 2026 fan engagement campaign *new for 2026*
Affiliate categories
Casino affiliate
Sports betting affiliate
Team of the year - for affiliates only *new for 2026*
Operator categories
Affiliate programme
Bingo operator
Casino product of the year
Football betting operator
In-house product
In-play sports operator
Lottery operator
North American operator of the year
Omnichannel operator
Operator rising star
Poker operator
Safer gambling operator
Slots operator
Sports product of the year
Team of the year - for operators only *new for 2026*
General categories
Best customer service
Best native app *new for 2026*
Supplier categories
Game of the year
Marketing campaign of the year - B2B *new for 2026*Operator–supplier partnership of the year *new for 2026*
Headline categories
The headline categories consist of our most hotly contested awards. These categories have a different judging process than the other categories and are assessed on a live judging day, where the 2026 finalists can present their entries live to the judging panel.
If you’re shortlisted for one of the headline categories you’ll be invited to this year’s judging day taking place virtually on 14 October. This is a great opportunity to make your entry stand out from the rest of the competition. For each headline category, a bronze and silver award will be given in addition to the gold winner.
Affiliate of the year – for affiliates only
The judges will reward the affiliate that has stood out from the pack in a competitive sector through innovation, traffic generation and growth, genuine ROI for operators and the ability to build strong partner relationships. This is not an award for the biggest affiliate site, but scale will be a factor in determining the winner. Entrants will need to provide evidence of growth, innovation, quality and scale of traffic and differentiation.
Key criteria include:
- Differentiation and quality of offering
- Quality and scale of traffic
- Growth
- Innovation
- Strong partner relationships
Casino operator
The winner of this award will be the casino operator that has been able to dominate the sector through their global reach and quality of their product. Entrants will be judged on the originality of their product, the strength of the brand and product, and innovations helping set their offering apart from its competitors. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success
- Innovation and differentiation
- Quality of product
- Customer acquisition and retention strategies
- Quality of brand and marketing
Employer of the year
This award will recognise the operator or affiliate that can demonstrate its commitment to organisational performance improvement through investment in the recruitment, personal and skills development and motivation of every individual employee. Special consideration will be given to the operator or affiliate that can show evidence of a clear plan towards integrating a strong company culture right across the business, with commitments to inclusive and supportive culture and embedded ESG principles into people strategy.
Key criteria include:
- Staff retention and employee engagement
- Positive leadership and management
- Incentive and benefit schemes
- Quality of training initiatives
- Inclusive and supportive workplace culture
Individual achievement award
This award will go to the individual employee of an operator who has delivered outstanding work across the past 12 months. Those eligible can represent any area of the business, from leading innovative marketing initiatives to implementing robust risk strategies to spearheading industry-leading ESG projects. Entries should outline details of the individual and their work, explaining why they should be deserving of special industry recognition this year.
PLEASE NOTE: Individuals nominated must have been employed for a minimum of the Awards judging period, starting in or before August 2025. Entrants can be from any level of seniority. Please include detailed information of their job role and specific projects worked on in the past 12 months.
Innovator of the year
This award recognises the operator who has moved the needle the most in terms of innovation of product, strategy, marketing and/or player experience. Entrants should show evidence of breakthrough initiatives that represent novel ideas which delivered measurable success in the market, and examples of tapping into new markets or player segments through pragmatic thinking.
This does not reward the largest or newest operator, but rather the company making waves in the industry with innovation and that has established themselves as a market disruption in the last 12 months.
PLEASE NOTE: This category is open to all operators regardless of commercial scale or years of business.
Key criteria include:
- Examples of novel solutions to challenges
- Demonstrable success in establishing innovative products in the market
- Evidence of innovative marketing and/or products
- Examples of player satisfaction and new market/segment access
Operator of the year
This award recognises the operator that has set the standards for others to follow over the past year. The judges will be looking for a company that has acted as a driving force within the industry, and the winning operator will need to demonstrate a market-leading proposition.
It is not a reward for the largest operator, but rather operational excellence in the markets where the company has a presence. Judges will be looking for a company that has clearly shown market influence, through a mixture of growth and strong product performance in one or more of the key verticals. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.
Key criteria include:
- Operational excellence
- Quality and diversity of product
- Growth and commercial success
- Influence on wider igaming market
- Strength of brand and marketing
Sports betting operator
In the competitive sports betting field, the operator that has been able to differentiate itself from its key rivals through an excellent product offering, an effective marketing strategy and impressive global reach will be awarded this prize. Judges are looking for an operator that has enjoyed consistent growth over the past year and demonstrated operational excellence in the markets they operate within. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.
Key criteria include:
- Scale and growth
- Geographical diversity
- Innovation and differentiation
- Quality of on and offline marketing
- Quality of product
- Advancement of research in gambling
Affiliate categories
These categories are open to affiliates driving player acquisition and engagement through standout marketing, innovation, and strategic partnerships.
Casino affiliate
The judges will reward the casino affiliate that has provided significant traffic, player numbers and genuine ROI for operators. An ability to build strong partner relationships as well as innovation in terms of brand, marketing and player retention strategies will be key criteria for deciding a winner. This is not an award for the biggest affiliate site, but scale will be a factor in determining the winner. Entrants will need to provide evidence of scale of traffic and strong partnerships with operators as well as putting forward a clear case for differentiation and stand-out within their sector.
Key criteria include:
- Differentiation and quality of offering
- Quality and scale of traffic
- Growth
- Innovation
- Strong partner relationships
Sports affiliate
The judges will reward the sports betting affiliate that has provided significant traffic, player numbers, and genuine ROI for operators. An ability to build strong partner relationships as well as innovation in terms of brand, marketing, and player retention strategies will be key criteria for deciding a winner. This is not an award for the biggest affiliate site, but scale will be a factor in determining the winner. Entrants will need to provide evidence of scale of traffic and strong partnerships with operators as well as putting forward a clear case for differentiation and stand-out within their sector.
Key criteria include:
- Differentiation and quality of offering
- Quality and scale of traffic
- Growth
- Innovation
- Strong partner relationships
Team achievement award – for affiliates only *new for 2026*
This award is open to any team from within an affiliate business, from product development to marketing. It will recognise the team who has worked in collaboration to demonstrate innovation, forward-thinking and a dedication to delivering exceptional success over the past 12 months.
The winning team will show a clear passion for their business, as well as demonstrative impact on the wider business with tangible results.
General categories
These categories are open for entries from both operators and affiliates businesses.
Best customer service
This award will go to the affiliate or operator that can best demonstrate that it truly has the customer at the heart of its business and manages its resources to continuously improve its performance standards ensuring it can meet the needs of its entire customer base.
Key criteria include:
- Staff engagement in customer satisfaction strategy
- Continual training and development
- Continual measurement
- Competitive advantage
- Impact on retention
Best native app *new for 2026*
The award will go to the operator that can demonstrate it has developed a market-leading native app over the course of the past 12 months. Entries can be from any vertical and judges will be looking for evidence of innovation, strength of product, revenue growth and customer acquisition.
Key criteria include:
- Commercial success and business growth
- Differentiation and originality of product(s)
- Quality of customer experience
- Innovation in helping set offering apart from competitors
Marketing innovation categories
These categories are open to operators and celebrate the creativity, innovation and strategic thinking behind the sectors most successful marketing campaigns.
Best use of a brand ambassador *new for 2026*
This award will go to the operator that can demonstrate significant commercial success in the previous 12 months and/or achieved major brand development through use of a brand ambassador. The judges will be looking for creativity, originality and quality of execution.
Key criteria include:
- Commercial success of campaign led by brand ambassador
- Originality and creativity
- Direct results of marketing campaign in terms of acquisition, revenue, etc
- Demonstration of achieving core objectives and enhancing brand values
Marketing campaign of the year – B2C
This award recognises the operator that has run the most innovative, intelligent and creative marketing campaign over the past year. Judges will select a winner based on effective use of brand and contextual advertising along with other elements such as banner ads, affiliate programmes, use of SEO and viral marketing for a specific campaign. The award is not simply for the most effective campaign in terms of ROI, but the financial performance of the campaign or its success in recruiting new customers will be a factor in judging a winner.
Key criteria include:
- Innovation and originality
- Use of different channels
- Creativity
- ROI including growth in customer acquisition
Marketing efficiency operator, in partnership with SOFTSWISS *new for 2026*
This award recognises the operator that has demonstrated outstanding efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation in its marketing strategy, delivering measurable business growth while maximising return on investment across acquisition, retention, and brand activity.
Key criteria include:
- Customer acquisition performance and ROI
- Innovative use of technology, data, and customer insights
- Positive impact on commercial outcomes
- Evidence of responsible and sustainable growth
World Cup 2026 fan engagement campaign *new for 2026*
This award recognises the online gambling operator that delivered the most impactful, creative, and effective fan engagement campaign around the FIFA World Cup 2026. The award celebrates campaigns that successfully captured the excitement of the tournament, strengthened customer relationships, and delivered measurable business results while promoting responsible gambling.
Key criteria include:
- Evidence of customer engagement and participation
- Innovative branding, creative concept and use of technology and channels
- Examples of measurable commercial impact
- Responsible and sustainable approaches to football marketing
Operator categories
These categories celebrate operators that lead the way in player experience, innovation, and operational excellence across various verticals in the industry.
Affiliate programme
This category rewards the operator affiliate team that can best demonstrate the use of innovative and effective marketing strategies to drive customers to their sites. Judges are looking for programmes that have used the full range of marketing tools available. In this highly competitive environment, evidence of strong affiliate partnerships and effective use of brand messaging will also play a vital role in selecting the winner.
Key criteria include:
- Innovation and creativity
- Brand messaging
- Acquisition or retention numbers
- Affiliate relationship management
Bingo operator
This award is for the bingo operator that has created a stand-out proposition in a competitive market through a combination of product, marketing and/or significant revenue growth. The winner will be a site operating strong product(s) with a significant customer base, an effective marketing strategy, and a lively online community. Operators demonstrating innovation and that are pushing the sector forward will be given special consideration. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success
- Innovation and differentiation
- Quality of product
- Customer acquisition and retention strategies
Casino product of the year
This award recognises the operator that has made the biggest impact within the casino space during the previous 12 months with a new or improved product. The judges will be looking for evidence of revenue growth, innovation and strength of product. The winner will be the operator that can demonstrate a successful offering with strong functionality and growth.
PLEASE NOTE: Include references to the specific product(s) you wish to highlight within the entry.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success of product
- Player metrics
- Product quality and functionality
- Innovation and differentiation
- Cross-platform strategy
Football betting operator
This award will recognise the operator that has stood out in the football betting space, through quality of product, customer centricity, differentiation and commercial success. Judges will be looking for an operator that offers a market-leading product combined with an effective marketing strategy and CRM capabilities, as well as strong commercial performance.
Key criteria include:
- Quality and breadth of offering
- Scale and product diversity
- Growth and commercial success
- Quality of online and offline marketing
In-house product
This award will recognise the operator that can demonstrate it has developed the most effective in-house product or platform which helped it stand out from its competitors and offered the biggest commercial boost to its business during the past 12 months. Relevant products include – but are not limited to – betting and gaming platforms, game content, mobile and tablet apps, and marketing technology. Judges will be looking for the success of the product, both commercially and in terms of solving a business need, as well as the level of innovation demonstrated in its conception and development.
PLEASE NOTE: Include references to the specific product(s) you wish to highlight within the entry.
Key criteria include:
- Quality of product
- Evidence of positive commercial impact
- Innovation and differentiation
- Link to solving direct business need
In-play sports operator
The judging panel is looking to reward the operator that has developed a product that stands out from the crowd and provided a significant boost to sportsbook revenue in this vitally important sector of the business. Innovation and strength in mobile and tablet will be a key criterion for assessment. The panel will also be looking at breadth of markets offered and the ability to offer in-play on multiple platforms.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success of product
- Innovation and differentiation
- On and offline marketing strategy
- Breadth of markets and platforms offered
Lottery operator
This award is for operators offering both lottery and bet-on-lottery products. The award will go to the operator that can demonstrate how it has found success in the lottery sector with judges paying particular attention to growth, product innovation and the ability to appeal to a new demographic, which includes the transition of retail players into the online and mobile environment.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success
- Innovation and differentiation
- Quality of product
- Quality of brand and marketing
North American operator of the year
This category recognises the top-performing operator serving the North American market. Judges will assess growth, localisation, player experience, and innovation across digital and/or land-based channels. Entrants should demonstrate a strong commitment to compliance and responsible gambling in this rapidly evolving market.
Key criteria include:
- Market growth and performance
- Product localisation and UX
- Innovation and brand differentiation
- Regulatory compliance and RG
Omnichannel operator
This award is for the operator that has managed to provide seamlessly integrated online and retail products and services for customers, leading to increased revenue and customer acquisition. The winner should evidence how retail and online offerings have combined to produce quality and consistent customer experiences, including through marketing strategy and innovation.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success
- Innovation and differentiation
- Quality of integrated products
- Customer acquisition and retention strategies
Operator rising star
The Rising Star award rewards an operator of up to three years in existence that, despite being new to the sector, is rapidly growing and establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with. Innovation will be a major factor in the judging process, however operational excellence and early signs of commercial success will also be taken into account.
PLEASE NOTE: This category is only open to operators that have been established for three years or less and have not previously won this category. Key criteria include:
- Greatest promise
- Innovation and differentiation
- Growth and commercial success
- Profitability
Poker operator
This award goes to the operator that has excelled in the online poker vertical, demonstrating strong product performance, innovation, and player engagement. Judges will consider game variety, tournament structures, player liquidity, software stability, and marketing success.
Key criteria include:
- Product quality and reliability
- Player engagement and liquidity
- Innovation in features or formats
- Growth and brand loyalty
Safer gambling operator
This award recognises the operator that has gone above and beyond to protect its customers and promote safer gambling over the last 12 months. Judges will consider how the operator has implemented proactive measures and initiatives, including technology-led solutions, to mitigate gambling-related harm and ensure player safety is a priority.
Key criteria include:
- Evidence of player protection initiatives
- Use of technology and data
- Staff training and internal culture
- Impact and outcomes of safer gambling strategy
Slots operator
This award will be given to the operator that has delivered the most engaging and comprehensive slots experience over the past year. Judges will look for operators with a strong portfolio of games, smart acquisition and retention strategies, and a standout user experience. Differentiation and innovation will also be key considerations.
Key criteria include:
- Growth and commercial success
- Quality and variety of slot content
- UX/UI and mobile optimisation
- Innovation in features and gamification
Sports product of the year
This award celebrates the most innovative and impactful sports betting product launched or significantly enhanced in the last 12 months. Judges will assess how the product has improved the user experience, driven engagement and handled live or pre-match betting markets. The award is open to both in-house products and third-party innovations.
PLEASE NOTE: Include references to the specific product(s) you wish to highlight within the entry.
Key criteria include:
- Innovation and differentiation
- Product functionality and performance
- User experience and engagement
- Commercial impact
Team achievement award – for operators only *new for 2026 *
This award is open to any team from within an operator business, from product development to marketing. It will recognise the team who has worked in collaboration to demonstrate innovation, forward-thinking and a dedication to delivering exceptional success over the past 12 months.
The winning team will show a clear passion for their business, as well as demonstrative impact on the wider business with tangible results.
Supplier categories
This category is open to suppliers and recognises excellence across the businesses supporting and powering the industry. From pioneering products to successful partnerships, these categories celebrate those making a lasting impact.
Game of the year
The Game of the year category will recognise the game studio or operator that has produced the stand-alone game that has made the biggest impact during the past 12 months.
Key criteria include:
- Quality of product
- Innovation and differentiation
- Commercial success
- Player metrics
Marketing campaign of the year – B2B *new for 2026*
This rewards the supplier or service provider that has provided the most innovative and creative in-house marketing campaign over the past year. Judges will select a winner based on understanding of innovation and effective use of marketing channels to deliver an increased ROI.
Key criteria include:
- Commercial success of campaign
- Originality and creativity
- Direct results of marketing campaign in terms of acquisition, revenue, etc.
- Demonstration of achieving core objectives and enhancing brand values
Operator–supplier partnership of the year *new for 2026*
For this new award, judges will be looking for evidence of a highly effective and mutually beneficial partnership between an operator and supplier that has delivered outstanding results over the past 12 months. Entries should include client testimonials from the operator, clear evidence of commercial success from the partnership and details of what made the partnership unique and/or innovative.
Key criteria include:
- Commercial success
- Strength of collaboration
- Innovation
- Long-term strategic impact
- Industry impact
Get in touch
If you have any questions or need any more information please contact Clark.