Casino Guru reveals shortlist for 4th annual Casino Guru Awards 2026
Following hundreds of high-quality applications from companies and individuals across the entire industry spectrum, Casino Guru has narrowed the field to the strongest candidates in each category who demonstrated unfaltering compliance with the format’s requirements.
Casino Guru has officially unveiled the shortlist for the 4th annual Casino Guru Awards 2026.
The 4th edition of the Casino Guru Awards was marked by an increased volume of submissions and the subsequent shortlisting of dozens of candidates who have met their category-specific criteria, showing a commitment to an industry that values both personal achievement and broader impact.
From operator performance to social responsibility, leadership, and innovation, Casino Guru Awards distinguishes applicants for their impact on the industry, succeeding in their field, while also retaining focus on ethics, responsible gambling, and 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 ?rnstrup 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
The judges will now evaluate the shortlisted candidates. The panel will meet in person and hold a series of calls and discussions with the applicants, starting April 30. During this time, judges will carefully review each application and ask presenters specific, hard-hitting questions, testing the merit of their submissions and helping them make an informed decision in selecting the strongest candidate in every category.
This approach ensures a deep, independent evaluation, which has become the hallmark of the Casino Guru Awards and the pillar of the format, with any participant making the shortlist or indeed winning, feeling that they have achieved something of consequence - an achievement that defines our entire field.
Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Project Director at Casino Guru, welcomed the news: "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, based on 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 not the outcome of an industry rubber stamp. Rather, they reflect painstaking work and meticulous planning, which runs from the end of one ceremony to the beginning of another. The recipients of the 4th Annual Casino Guru Awards will be announced during a live ceremony at The Xara Lodge in Malta on May 25, 2026, in partnership with NEXT.io, highlighting the careful evaluation and expertise of our judges.
Sources
Why This Matters
iGaming Times analysis: The shortlist composition tracks closely with operators investing meaningfully in player-protection tooling rather than just compliance minimums — a useful proxy when picking out the operator brands worth benchmarking against on responsible-gambling product roadmaps. The fourth-iteration milestone matters because it's the point where awards programmes either consolidate as industry-reference institutions or fade; Casino Guru's editorial-led methodology has positioned the programme on the consolidation trajectory.
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