Ace Alliance Opens Nominations for Inaugural iGaming Awards

Ace Alliance has opened nominations for its inaugural iGaming Awards, created to recognize excellence amongst operators, affiliates, suppliers, and industry leaders across the online gambling sector. Nominations for the 2026 edition are open until September 29th, with the awards handover planned for November 2 at Horizon & Speed Rome.

The program includes 17 awards across five category groups, spanning affiliate marketing, platform technology, casino content, payments, leadership, workplace culture, and responsible gambling.

What to Know About the Ace Alliance iGaming Awards 2026 

• The inaugural Ace Alliance iGaming Awards feature 17 categories across five areas of the industry.
• Categories include “Best Affiliate Program” and “iGaming Affiliate of the Year”, alongside awards for operators, platforms, content providers, and payment companies.
• Nominations can recognize another company or individual, so entrants are not limited to self-nomination.
• Final results will combine expert judging and community voting.
• Nominations remain open until September 29th, 2026.
• The awards are scheduled to be handed over on November 2, 2026, at Horizon & Speed in Rome. 

Awards Cover Affiliates, Operators, and B2B Suppliers

The awards are organized into five groups reflecting different parts of the iGaming value chain:

1. The Market Makers covers “Best iGaming Operator”, “Best Affiliate Program”, and “iGaming Affiliate of the Year”. These categories place acquisition partners alongside the operators they support, giving affiliate businesses a direct role in the inaugural awards.
2. The Foundation focuses on platforms and infrastructure, with awards for aggregators, casino platform providers, prediction market software providers, and sportsbook platform providers.
3. The Experience Builders recognizes casino content providers, game studios, live casino suppliers, and esports providers.
4. The Fintech Innovators covers payments and crypto businesses, including “iGaming Payment Provider of the Year”, “Best Crypto Provider” and “FinTech Partner of the Year”.
5. The Vanguards recognizes individual leadership and wider company standards through “iGaming Leader of the Year”, “Best Workplace and Culture”, and “Excellence in Responsible Gaming”.

How the Nomination and Voting Process Works

Nominations can be submitted across all 17 categories, including on behalf of another business, team, or individual. After nominations close, an expert judging panel will select the shortlisted finalists. The winners will then be determined through a combination of community voting and judges’ review. 

According to the Ace Alliance iGaming Awards 2026 page, an expert judging panel will review the entries and select the shortlisted finalists. The final winners will then be determined through a combination of community voting and a judges’ review.

Faruk Aydin, Managing Director at Ace Alliance, stated:

For years, our community has been asking us to introduce an awards program. After massive growth across the Ace Alliance network, driven by top-tier networking events and insightful iGaming content, the time was finally right. We want to give the industry a straightforward, community-driven way to recognize true innovators, and I am excited to celebrate them in Rome. I am excited to see the nominations that come in ahead of the September 29th deadline.

Rome 2026 Connects the Awards With Horizon & Speed

The 2026 awards are connected with Ace Alliance Horizon & Speed Rome, which takes place at Leopard Circuit Viterbo on November 2. The event brings together operators, affiliates, and B2B providers for networking, keynote sessions, and activities at the race circuit.

Ace Alliance says the awards will become an annual initiative, beginning with the Rome 2026 edition. Companies and professionals can review all categories and submit a nomination before the September 29th deadline.