Casino Guru has opened public voting for two of the most community-focused categories at the 4th annual Casino Guru Awards 2026: Players' Choice and Voice of the People.
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Casino Guru announces shortlist for Casino Guru Awards 2026
Casino Guru has officially revealed the shortlist for its 4th annual Casino Guru Awards 2026.
The reviewing process involved examination of multiple applications, including submissions from both companies and individual applicants. Each nominee achieved all requirements of the format, with their submitted work displaying exceptional quality.
The Casino Guru Awards entered their fourth edition with an increased number of submissions, leading to dozens of shortlisted candidates who fulfilled the specific criteria of their categories.
Covering areas from operator performance to social responsibility, leadership, and innovation, the Casino Guru Awards honor companies and individuals recognize making a real impact in their field, while continuing to meet the standards of ethics, responsible gambling, and long-term sustainability.
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
Voice of the People
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
- Dr. Jennifer Shatley, Executive Director at Responsible Online Gaming Association
Young Changemaker Award
- 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, Head of Marketing at Evoplay
- Carl Ørnstrup Etzerodt, Legal and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Mindway AI
- Elen Atanesyan, Marketing Manager at 18Peaches
The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative
- DAR Bjorn Charity Gala by BGaming
- Ellipse Entertainment Limited
- IPRH Responsible Gambling Project (Zodpovědné hraní)
- Know Your Play – Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA)
- Flutter UKI
- The Digital Wellness Center
- Mindway AI
The Most Transparent Casino
- BETANDYOU
- CASINOANDYOU
- Playfina Casino
- Spinline Casino
- Gamblezen Casino
The Fairest Bonus Policy
- iWild Casino
- Snatch Casino
- Betandyou
- CASINOANDYOU
- King Billy
- Playfina Casino
- Spinline Casino
The Fairest General Terms & Conditions
- Betandyou
- CASINOANDYOU
- LuckyHills
The Most Effective Handling of Complaints
- iWild Casino
- Betandyou
- CASINOANDYOU
- Vavada Online Casino
- 22Bet Casino
- Wazbee Casino
- RocketPlay Casino
- Playfina Casino
- Gamblezen Casino
- Megapari
Players’ Choice
- Pragmatic Play
- Popiplay
- Tada Gaming
- Relax Gaming
- BGaming
- Endorphina
- Evoplay
- Mancala Gaming
- Betsoft
- EGT
- Nolimit City
- PlaynGo
- Yggdrasil
- Push Gaming
- Habanero
- 18peaches
- Big Time Gaming
- Red Tiger
- NetEnt
- Wicked Games
Rising Star in Responsible Gambling
- Lamba Gaming
- IC360
- Peter & Sons
- GambleAwareNG
- WinSpirit
- Super
- IRIS
- Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA)
- Tooniebet
Industry Culture Shaper
- Endorphina
- Evoplay
- SOFTSWISS
- GR8 Tech
- Flutter UKI
- SPRIBE
With the evaluation phase starting off, the panel will be moving on to review the shortlisted candidates. Starting April 30, judges will meet in person and hold a series of calls and discussions with the nominees. During these sessions, each application will be examined in detail, with presenters asked direct and often challenging questions to better understand the strength of their submissions before a final decision is made in every category.
This process is designed to give each entry a thorough and independent assessment. Over the years, it has become one of the defining features of the Casino Guru Awards. Reaching the shortlist, or ultimately winning, is meant to represent something meaningful for the participants and the wider industry alike.
Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Project Director at Casino Guru, shared a statement:
“This year exceeded our expectations in terms of the volume and quality of the applications we received. The Casino Guru Awards are proud to recognize some of the most influential companies and individuals across a growing range of categories, from operators to innovators, social responsibility leaders, and rising stars, basedon clear and no-nonsense criteria designed to help make the space safer and more transparent. We are excited to begin the evaluation process on April 30, discussing each candidate’s application in detail and producing a fair outcome based on the expertise of our dedicated panel of judges.”
The results are far from a simple industry formality. Behind them is months of careful preparation and detailed work that begins as soon as one ceremony ends and continues into the next. The winners of the 4th Annual Casino Guru Awards will be revealed during a live ceremony at The Xara Lodge in Malta on May 25, 2026, held in partnership with NEXT.io, marking the conclusion of the extensive evaluation process of the judges.
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