Blask Announces Winners of the First AI-Powered iGaming Awards

Analytical platform Blask has published the full results of the Blask Awards 2026, an AI-driven industry award that identifies top-performing iGaming operators, providers and games using algorithmic analysis rather than juries or public voting. The results, released on 26 January 2026, cover performance across 2025 and span global, regional and local markets.

The awards are based exclusively on Blask’s internal metrics, including CEB, BAP, Blask Index and GVR, with winners determined automatically by data. In total, the platform evaluated companies and products across 24 nominations, reflecting market leadership, growth dynamics and product penetration.

What Makes the Blask Awards Different

The Blask Awards position themselves as the industry’s first fully AI-based prize, removing subjective judgment from the selection process. All rankings are generated through measurable performance indicators, offering a transparent snapshot of how brands actually perform across regulated markets.

The awards cover three major segments: Global & Regional, Local (country-level), and Providers & Games. Each geo is assessed independently, ensuring that regional dominance and local market leadership are not overshadowed by global scale. Winners receive NFT tokens as digital awards, underlining the project’s tech-driven positioning.

Overall and Global Highlights

Among all participants, Betano emerged as the most decorated operator of the Blask Awards 2026, taking six awards across multiple categories. The brand was named overall awards leader, topped the Blask Index across markets, delivered the highest cumulative CEB, and recorded the strongest monthly growth in a single country.

Other notable overall winners included:

• MrQ, named the fastest-growing brand based on Blask Index growth year-on-year

• Laki, awarded Breakthrough of the Year for the largest CEB increase

• betPawa, recognized for leading the highest number of countries by BAP

• Singapore Pools, which achieved the highest BAP on a single regulated market

Regional Operator Performance

Regional results highlighted consistent dominance within specific continents:

• Africa: Betway claimed both Operator of the Year and CEB leadership

• Asia: PlayTime was named Operator of the Year, while Singapore Pools led in CEB

• Europe: Bet365 secured both top regional awards

• Americas: Betano led the region as both Operator of the Year and CEB leader

In Africa, Europe and the Americas, regional leaders captured both awards available for their continent, while Asia saw the honors split between two operators.

Providers and Games: Pragmatic Play in Focus

In the providers and games category, Pragmatic Play dominated with five awards, including recognition for the largest game catalogue and the widest operator reach. Its flagship title Gates of Olympus 1000 stood out as the most awarded game, winning Slot of the Year and leading multiple performance metrics.

Additional winners included:

• Chicken Road as the most in-demand game

• Roulette as Game Breakthrough of the Year

• Aviator as Crash Game of the Year

Local Market Leaders Across Top iGaming Jurisdictions

Blask also published country-level results, naming Operator of the Year and CEB leaders in 53 countries. Among the top 20 markets by CEB, market leadership was often consolidated, with the same operator winning both categories in 15 jurisdictions.

Key local highlights included:

• United Kingdom: Bet365 led both Operator of the Year and CEB

• Brazil: Betano dominated, with Gates of Olympus 1000 named Game of the Year

• Germany: tipico topped both operator and CEB rankings

• Netherlands: TOTO led the market, with Book of the Dead as Game of the Year

• South Africa: Betway dominated, while Aviator took Game of the Year

• Austria: win2day secured both top positions

• Ukraine: GG.BET led the market, with Hell Hot 100 named Game of the Year

Gates of Olympus 1000 was named Game of the Year in four of the top 20 markets, reinforcing its cross-market impact.

Industry Context

The Blask Awards add a data-centric layer to industry recognition, complementing traditional awards by focusing on measurable performance rather than expert panels or brand perception. As regulatory complexity increases across jurisdictions, such metrics-based benchmarking is becoming increasingly relevant for operators and suppliers alike.

Notably, we recently also announced the winners of the Global Gaming Awards EMEA 2026 at ICE Barcelona, highlighting how both data-driven and jury-based awards continue to shape industry narratives from different angles.