SiGMA World 2026 will bring together 30,000 gaming industry leaders in Rome from November 2 to 5, with two award ceremonies recognizing operators, suppliers, products, and individuals across the global and Italian gaming markets.
The SiGMA World Awards and SiGMA Italia Awards will feature 56 award categories combined, with winners determined through a voting system that assigns 70% of the final score to judging panels and 30% to public votes. Nominations opened in August, and voting on the announced finalists will close October 26.
The Italian ceremony will place particular emphasis on the country’s land-based gaming sector, with several categories recognizing retail operators, technology providers and businesses operating across physical and digital channels.
The SiGMA World Awards will be held November 2 at Corsie Sistine, within the Santo Spirito in Sassia museum complex near the Vatican and the Tiber River. BetConstruct will present the ceremony, hosted by Mark Anthony Borg, known as the Voice of SiGMA, and stage host Trudy Kerr.
The global competition comprises 32 categories divided into five groups covering different areas of the gaming industry. The Growth Makers group includes Best Affiliate Programme, Best Affiliate, Best Marketing Campaign, Best Influencer, Game Changer Marketing Excellence, Best Streamer and Best iGaming Media.
The Architects group covers Best Aggregator, Best Casino Platform, Best Sportsbook Platform, Best Emerging Platform Provider, Best Payment Solution and Best B2B Native Mobile App Provider.
Meanwhile, the Player Champions categories recognize Best Casino, Best Sportsbook, Best on Mobile, Best Player Engagement, Best Customer Loyalty Programme and Best Customer Retention Partner.
The Content Masters group includes Best Slot Game Provider, Best Game Studio, Best New Game Release, Best Casino Provider and Best Live Casino Game Provider. The Pacesetters categories cover Best AI & Innovation Solution, Best Innovative Sportsbook Feature, Fastest-Growing Sportsbook Provider, Industry Game Changer, Fastest-Growing Aggregator, Responsible Gaming Initiative, Most Innovative Sportsbook Provider and Best Workplace.
Among the global finalists are operators Stake and Kaizen Gaming, while bet365 has been nominated in the Responsible Gaming Initiative category. Suppliers PG SOFT and SOFTSWISS are also represented on the shortlists. The World Awards judging panel comprises Simon Westbury of 1xBet, Dmitry Starostenkov of Evenbeter, Arshak Muradyan of Digitain, Natasa Stojcic of Better Collective, Alessio Crisantemi of ItalianGamingNews.it and the Italian Gaming Expo, and Carlo Geronimo Cardia of Studio Legale Cardia.
The SiGMA Italia Awards will take place on November 5, marking their first edition as a standalone event. Presented by Novomatic Italia, the ceremony will be hosted by SiGMA Group representatives Elisa Martinotti and Tony Colapinto.
Of its 24 categories, eight are specifically tailored to the Italian market: Best Retail Operator, Best Technology Provider for Retail Gaming, Best Casino Content Creation Solution, Most Innovative Gaming Brand, Best Omnichannel Experience, Best Game Mechanic, Best Marketing Agency and Social Commitment Award. The remaining categories largely correspond to those in the global competition.
Italian operators Sisal, SNAI and GoldBet are among the shortlisted companies, alongside domestic suppliers WorldMatch and Microgame, which have received nominations for their gaming content and platforms.
The Italia Awards judging panel includes Maurizio Brodo and Monica Cuprifi of Jamma, Giuseppe Volpe of Cuiprodest, Giuseppe Marino of the European Council for Development and Compliance, Mimosa Toppani and Nicola Tani of Agipro, Domenico Distante of Distante S.r.l., Mario Mazzeo of SAPAR, Gianpiero Moncada of PressGiochi, and Fabio Felici and Simonetta Bonanni of AGIMEG.
Crisantemi and Geronimo also serve on the Italian panel, alongside their roles as judges for the global awards.
Public voting remains open through October 26, with separate online forms available for the World Awards and Italia Awards. The 30% public weighting could influence the outcome of closely contested categories, including through votes submitted by companies’ partners, customers and industry readers.
Winners will be announced during the respective ceremonies following the voting deadline. Both events will begin with a reception and seated dinner before the awards presentations, while the Italia Awards will additionally include an interactive quiz and a prize raffle.
Charity auctions will also take place during both ceremonies, with proceeds supporting SiGMA Foundation projects. The auctions will feature artworks and luxury items, including two lots donated by Opus for November 5: an F1 book accompanied by a private lunch with Bernie Ecclestone, and an Inter book featuring portraits from San Siro.