Brian Christopher and Blask stand out in iGB Affiliate Awards 2026

Entering for the first time, Christopher, the charismatic content creator behind BCSlots, BCBets, BCSpins and Fliptheswitch, won Best Streaming Affiliate and the highly competitive Affiliate Campaign of the Year for his BetMGM collaboration. Judges highlighted the “incredibly disciplined” execution of the partnership against the wider messy state of creator marketing.

Similarly, fellow first-time contestant and Norwegian local hero Kongebonus claimed the Best Casino Affiliate award in a close race with Finnish runner-up Kasinoseta, dethroning Gambling.com Group after its two-year reign in the category. Judges described its approach as “super smart”, blending innovation with community, Google News and media.

Amid its recent rebound and continued efforts to build AI-driven solutions, Better Collective snatched the Best Sports Betting Affiliate trophy. Beyond its exceptional scale, judges were charmed by the product story behind Playbook, FanReach and Playmaker HQ and praised its diversified model, while one described the company as “the king for another year”.

Having won Best Tech in 2025, Blask returned stronger this year with two wins under its belt, claiming both the Rising Star and Innovator of the Year awards. Judges noted Blask’s fight against parasite SEO and said its “growth in under two years makes a compelling case that the industry agrees”.

Meanwhile, last year’s double winner TAG Media claimed Best Tech for its First Look Games content marketing platform, edging out strong contenders such as FairPlay Sports Media and Better Collective. Judges were impressed by its “massive commercial traction and a highly scalable SaaS model” and described the business as “an exceptional and essential piece of industry technology”.

Among repeat winners, Worldpokerdeals and Gambling.com Group’s WhichBingo successfully defended their titles in Best Poker Affiliate and Best Bingo Affiliate, while Casino Guru continued its streak in the Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year category for its self-exclusion initiative and collaborations with academic institutions. Judges said the affiliate demonstrated the “best-in-class example of combining education, tools and real-world outcomes at scale” in promoting responsible gambling.

In Best Affiliate Programme, which received the largest volume of submissions, Novi Affiliates stood out as the winner. Judges rated highly its “impressive, highly localised and data-driven” approach, particularly through its successful navigation of Brazil’s regulatory transition and expansion into new LatAm markets, also for “actively supporting and developing the wider affiliate ecosystem”. In the debuted Best New Programme category, Coolbet Partners took home the inaugural award for its solid growth and partner-centric policies.

Of course, the biggest cheer of the night went to Alessandro Valente, founder of Brazil’s longest-standing local affiliate Super Afiliados and winner of the Affiliate Idol, aka Lifetime Achievement Award. In a video screened during the ceremony, Brazilian industry peers including Play4Fun CEO Leonardo Baptista, tax and gambling regulation attorney Witoldo Hendrich Júnior and Brazilian Lounge CEO Manuel Matos paid tribute to his contribution to the sector. 

“It’s an honour for me to be here giving this testimony, congratulating you on becoming the Affiliate Idol in the iGB Affiliate Awards,” Baptista said. “You are a very dear friend. You started in this industry practically with me. We wrote this story of regulated gambling in Brazil. I hope you stay in this market for many, many, many years, helping us to write this beautiful story of the regulated gambling market in Brazil.”

“Anyone who follows your work knows that everything you touch becomes super,” Hendrich added. “This recognition reflects your talent, dedication and the unique ability to make things happen. Wishing you even more success.” 

The full list of iGB Affiliate Award winners for 2026 is as follows: 

Affiliate categories

Best Sports Betting Affiliate: Better Collective
Affiliate Campaign of the Year: Brian Christopher x BetMGM
Best Streaming Affiliate: Brian Christopher Slots
Best Bingo Affiliate: WhichBingo
Best Casino Affiliate: Kongebonus (highly commended: Kasinoseta.com)
Best Poker Affiliate: Worldpokerdeals
Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year: Casino Guru

Individual categories

Affiliate Idol: Alessandro Valente
Best Affiliate Manager: Darren Newmark, Red Edge Partners for PricedUp

Programme and network categories

Best Affiliate Programme: Novi Affiliates
Best Affiliate Network: DT9 Group Srl (highly commended: Hub Affiliations)
Best Affiliate Management Platform: ReferOn
Programme/Network Campaign of the Year: Hub Affiliations – Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout (highly commended: N1 Partners – N1 Puzzle Promo)
Best New Programme: Coolbet Partners

Service provider categories

Best Tech: First Look Games
Best Digital Agency: Toucan International
Game of the Year: Gates of Olympus Super Scatter by Pragmatic Play

Open to all

Employer of the Year: Johnnybet
Rising Star: Blask
Innovator of the Year: Blask (highly commended: Pepper Partners)
Best Newcomer: JungleAff