Casino Guru Announces Shortlist for 4th Annual Awards
Casino Guru has revealed the shortlist for the 4th annual Casino Guru Awards 2026, following hundreds of submissions from companies and individuals across the gambling industry. The awards recognize achievements in operator performance, social responsibility, leadership and innovation, with a focus on ethics, responsible gambling, and sustainability.
The 4th edition of the awards saw an increased volume of submissions, resulting in a diverse pool of candidates. Voting is now open for the “Voice of the People” category. The judging panel will begin evaluating candidates on April 30th, with winners announced at a live ceremony at The Xara Lodge in Malta on May 25, 2026, in collaboration with NEXT.io.
Here are some of the shortlisted candidates:
iGaming Changemaker of the Year:
- Michael Schmitt, Founder, Malta Media
- Marina Ostrovtsova, CEO of BGaming
- Katie Kohler, Senior iGaming Communications Lead at BetMGM
- Ihor Zarechnyi, CEO at NeverEnding
- Anastasios Ioannidis, Head of Affiliates at ARRISE Powering Pragmatic Play
- Anton Eshtokin, Chief Marketing Officer at Boomerang Partners
- Ivan Kravchuk, CEO at Evoplay
- Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech
- David Natroshvili, Founder at Spribe
Woman Leader of the Year:
- Daisy White, Director of Operations, Rdentify & Rdentify Connect
- Maria Bashkevich, Head of Marketing at Uplatform
- Marina Ostrovtsova, CEO of BGaming
- Lauryn Duncan, Head of Sales at Peter & Sons
- Paula Murphy, Head of Business Development at Mindway AI
- Anastasiia Shcherbyna, CMO at MelBet Partners & Affiliates
- Valentina Bagniya, CMO at SOFTSWISS
- Lori E. Kalani, Chief Responsible Gaming Officer at DraftKings
- Abigail Welch, Editor at iGaming News
Young Changemaker:
- Irina Veselkova, marketing strategy coordinator at Endorphina
- Richardson Amartey, Director of Business Development, Youth and Social Media at The Digital Wellness Center
- Sean Liu, Director of Product Development at TaDa Gaming
- Diana Larina, Marketing Manager of Evoplay
- Carl Ørnstrup Etzerodt, Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Mindway AI
- Elen Atanesyan, Responsabile marketing presso 18Peaches
Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative:
- DAR Bjorn Charity Gala by BGaming
- Ellipse Entertainment Limited
- IPRH Responsible Gambling Project
- Know Your Play – Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA)
- Flutter UKI
- The Digital Wellbeing Center
- Mindway AI
Other categories and shortlisted companies include:
- The Most Transparent Casino: BETANDYOU, CASINOANDYOU, Casino Playfina, Spinline Casino, Play at Reading Casino
- The Fairest Bonus Policy: iWild Casino, Snatch Casino, Bet and you, CASINOANDYOU, Re Billy, Casino Playfina, Spinline Casino
- The Fairest General Conditions: Bet and you, CASINOANDYOU, LuckyHills
- The Most Effective Complaint Management: iWild Casino, Bet and you, CASINOANDYOU, Vavada online casino, 22Bet Casino, Wazbee Casino, Casinò RocketPlay, Casino Playfina, Play at Reading Casino, Megabari
- Choice of Players: Pragmatic Play, Popiplay, Tada Gaming, Relax Gaming, BGaming, Endorphina, Evoplay, Mancala Gaming, Betsoft, EGT, City without limits, Play Go, Yggdrasil, Push the game, Habanero, 18 peaches, Big Time Gaming, Red Tiger, NetEnt, Wicked games
- Rising Star of Responsible Gaming: Lamba Gaming, IC360, Peter & Sons, GambleAwareNG, WinSpirit, Super, IRIS, Association for Responsible Online Gaming (ROGA), Tooniebet
- Shaper of Industrial Culture: Endorphina, Evoplay, SOFT SWISS, GR8 technology, Flutter UKI, SPRIBE.
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