The SiGMA Italia Awards 2026 were held on Thursday, 5 November, at the historic Corsie Sistine di Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome, bringing together executives, suppliers, operators and other representatives of Italy’s regulated gaming industry for an evening that marked the conclusion of SiGMA World Rome 2026.
A total of 27 awards were presented across six categories, recognising achievements in sports betting, retail gaming, online casinos, technology, game development, marketing and corporate responsibility. The ceremony also featured a special recognition of 50 industry professionals selected by Forbes Italia, entertainment inspired by Italian cinema and a charity auction in support of the SiGMA Foundation.
Among those receiving awards were DAZNBet, Goldbet, StarCasinò, Microgame, Pragmatic Play, WorldMatch, Lottomatica Servizi, NOVOMATIC Italia and Sisal, alongside companies working in payments, affiliation, digital services and other areas of the industry.
The range of distinctions reflected the different businesses involved in Italy’s regulated gaming market. While operators and content developers featured prominently, the programme also recognised the technology providers, marketing companies and industry organisations whose activities support the sector.
Beyond the awards themselves, the evening offered a final opportunity for industry representatives to gather following several days of conferences, exhibitions and business meetings in the Italian capital.
The spotlight falls on betting and casino operators
The operator awards covered four areas of the Italian market, with distinctions for sports betting, retail gaming, online casino services and customer loyalty programmes.
DAZNBet received the Best Sportsbook award, while Goldbet was recognised as Best Retail operator. StarCasinò took the Best Italian Online Casino distinction, and DomusBet was honoured for its customer loyalty programme.
The selection brought together both digital and land-based businesses, reflecting the different ways in which operators provide gaming and betting services to Italian customers.
The winners in this group were:
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Best Sportsbook 2026: DAZNBet
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Best Retail 2026: Goldbet
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Best Italian Online Casino 2026: StarCasinò
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Best Customer Loyalty Programme 2026: DomusBet
Technology and payments take centre stage
The ceremony also recognised companies providing the infrastructure behind gaming operations, with awards covering betting platforms, retail systems, content creation and payment services.
Microgame secured the Best Betting Platform award, while Cristaltec received the distinction for retail gaming technology. The Ear was recognised for its casino content creation solution, and AdmiralPlay took the award for Best Payment Solution.
These distinctions addressed a part of the gaming business that is less visible to the end user but central to operators’ activities. Platforms, retail technologies and payment systems play different roles in delivering gaming services, while content production tools support the development of products offered to players.
The technology awards also demonstrated the breadth of the supplier sector represented at the Rome event, where companies operating across several areas of gaming infrastructure participated in the exhibition and conference programme.
The winners were:
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Best Betting Platform 2026: Microgame
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Best Retail Gaming Tech Provider 2026: Cristaltec
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Best Casino Content Creation Solution 2026: The Ear
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Best Payment Solution 2026: AdmiralPlay
Game development earns its own recognition
Game developers and content suppliers were another major focus of the awards, with five distinctions spanning slot games, live casino products, content portfolios, development studios and individual titles.
WorldMatch was named Best Slots Provider, while Pragmatic Play received the Best Live Casino Provider award. Endorphina secured the Casino Content Leader distinction, and NE GAMES by Nazionale Elettronica was recognised as Best Game Studio.
The award for Best Game of the Year went to Book of Ra Treasure Gods by NOVOMATIC Italia, completing a group that covered both the companies developing gaming content and the products reaching the market.
Unlike the operator awards, which focused on gaming services, these distinctions placed the emphasis on content creation. They covered established providers, specialist development teams and the individual games that form part of operators’ casino portfolios.
The five winners were:
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Best Slots Provider 2026: WorldMatch
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Best Live Casino Provider 2026: Pragmatic Play
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Casino Content Leader 2026: Endorphina
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Best Game Studio 2026: NE GAMES by Nazionale Elettronica
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Best Game of the Year 2026: Book of Ra Treasure Gods by NOVOMATIC Italia
New ideas and emerging businesses gain ground
Innovation was recognised through four awards covering new gaming brands, emerging companies, omnichannel experiences and game mechanics.
Slotmatic by Hub Innovation received the Most Innovative Gaming Brand award, while Netwin was selected as Best Emerging Gaming Company.
Lottomatica Servizi secured the distinction for Best Omnichannel Experience, a category focused on the integration of physical and digital gaming channels. The award for Best Game Mechanics went to Hold or Fall by Top Gaming.
The categories approached innovation from different perspectives. Alongside recognition for newer businesses, they included the development of gaming products and the ways in which operators connect their services across different channels.
This variety gave the innovation awards a broader scope than simply acknowledging the launch of a new product, with distinctions extending to business development and the delivery of gaming experiences.
The winners were:
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Most Innovative Gaming Brand 2026: Slotmatic by Hub Innovation
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Best Emerging Gaming Company 2026: Netwin
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Best Omnichannel Experience 2026: Lottomatica Servizi
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Best Game Mechanics 2026: Hold or Fall by Top Gaming
Marketing, affiliation and specialist media in focus
The commercial side of the industry also had a place in the awards programme, with four distinctions dedicated to affiliation, advertising, marketing services and specialist journalism.
DT9 Group was recognised as Best Affiliate, while Sportium received the award for Best Marketing Campaign for its Te ne intendi di calcio initiative.
BetAffiliation secured the Best Marketing Agency distinction, and JAMMA was named Best Gaming & Betting Media.
The recognition extended the ceremony beyond products and operational technology to the businesses and publications involved in promoting, communicating and reporting on the gaming sector.
The media award, in particular, acknowledged a segment of the industry dedicated to providing information and analysis for operators, suppliers and other professionals following developments in Italy’s gaming market.
The winners were:
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Best Affiliate 2026: DT9 Group
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Best Marketing Campaign 2026: Te ne intendi di calcio by Sportium
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Best Marketing Agency 2026: BetAffiliation
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Best Gaming & Betting Media 2026: JAMMA
Recognition extends beyond commercial performance
The final group of awards addressed corporate responsibility, workplace standards and contributions to the broader gaming industry.
NOVOMATIC Italia received the Responsible Gaming Award, while Sisal was recognised for Social Commitment. Stake secured the Company of the Year Workplace Excellence distinction.
Three additional awards completed the list. Sunbet received the Special Entrepreneurial Growth Award, OnShop was recognised for Innovation in Digital Services, and SAPAR was honoured for its representation of the Italian industry.
These categories introduced a different dimension to the evening, giving recognition to activities beyond the development and commercialisation of gaming products.
Responsible gaming, social initiatives and industry representation were included alongside growth and innovation, reflecting the range of subjects addressed in the awards programme.
The winners were:
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Responsible Gaming Award 2026: NOVOMATIC Italia
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Social Commitment Award 2026: Sisal
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Company of the Year Workplace Excellence 2026: Stake
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Special Entrepreneurial Growth Award 2026: Sunbet
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Special Innovation in Digital Services Award 2026: OnShop
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Special Representation of Italian Industry Award 2026: SAPAR
Fifty industry professionals share the spotlight
Before the presentation of the company awards, the ceremony opened with a special tribute to the individuals included in the Top 50 Gioco Legale di Stato 2026, an initiative developed by Forbes Italia in collaboration with SiGMA World.
The selection brought attention to professionals working across different areas of Italy’s regulated gaming market, including company management, technological development, communications and other activities connected with the industry.
The presentation was hosted by Antonino Colapinto and Elisa Martinotti, both members of the SiGMA World team, and included an address by Nicola Formichella, CEO of Forbes Italia.
Among those recognised were Marco Castaldo, CEO of Microgame; Mara Di Lecce, Communication & Marketing Director at NOVOMATIC Italia; Fabio Angeli Bufalini, Country Director Italy at Stake; and Stefano De Vita, Director General of Fondazione FAIR.
During his remarks, Formichella highlighted the contribution of gaming companies and professionals to the Italian economy and the importance of giving greater visibility to the expertise developed within the sector.
He also reaffirmed Forbes Italia’s intention to continue covering the individuals and businesses contributing to Italy’s economic development through its collaboration with SiGMA World.
The Top 50 recognition provided a counterpart to the company awards, placing the focus on the people working behind the organisations, products and services represented throughout the evening.
The initiative also gave prominence to the diversity of professional roles within the regulated gaming industry, from executives and entrepreneurs to specialists working in communications, technology and corporate responsibility.
A cinematic setting for the final evening
The ceremony unfolded inside the Corsie Sistine di Santo Spirito in Sassia, a historic Roman venue that provided the setting for a programme combining awards, live entertainment and a gala dinner.
The organisers drew inspiration from Cinecittà and the traditions of Italian cinema, introducing theatrical elements to the event while maintaining the formal character of the awards presentation.
Music accompanied the welcome reception, with a performance by Marco Stabile, before guests moved into the evening’s principal programme.
The dinner featured Italian dishes, including busiata pasta with cacio e pepe and Pecorino Romano DOP, followed by beef cheek braised in Amarone wine.
The service was incorporated into the staging of the evening, with waiters dressed in white jackets entering the room together and carrying plates to the tables in a coordinated procession.
Alongside the dinner and awards, guests encountered interactive attractions that introduced a more playful side to the programme.
One installation offered a reinterpretation of Rome’s Bocca della Verità, or Mouth of Truth, with an attendant surprising participants who placed their hands inside the structure.
Another attraction, Pidiots, invited guests to participate in a slot-style game featuring a leaderboard.
The combination of the venue’s historic architecture, cinema-inspired staging and interactive entertainment gave the gala a setting distinct from the exhibition halls where much of the week’s business activity had taken place.
Art, collectables and an unusual Formula 1 experience
The evening also included the SiGMA Foundation Charity Auction, bringing together artwork, collectable publications and exclusive experiences to support the Foundation’s philanthropic initiatives.
The presentation incorporated a technological element, with artworks displayed as holograms inside glass cases, rather than relying exclusively on conventional exhibition arrangements.
Among the works featured were All Pain, No Gain by Dzanar, Ode a Civitavecchia by Emanuele Attadia, Dopo l’Ultima Cena by Ivo Cotani and Sensual Bet by Claudia Farrace.
The selection also included a creation by Harutyun Hakobyan, alongside two collectable publications from Opus dedicated to Formula 1 and Inter Milan.
One of the principal attractions was The Official F1 75 Opus Legacy Edition, a large-format collectable volume weighing approximately 32 kilograms and documenting the history of Formula 1 through photography, personal accounts and contributions from figures associated with the championship.
The lot included an additional experience: a private lunch with former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone for up to four guests.
The successful bidder was offered the opportunity to meet Ecclestone and hear recollections from his career in motorsport, including his dealings with Enzo Ferrari.
According to a separate report published by the organisers, the seven auction lots attracted winning bids totalling €34,500, with the Formula 1 volume and accompanying experience securing €20,000.
The fundraising activity formed part of the SiGMA Foundation’s wider philanthropic work, which supports initiatives focused on education, assistance and community development.
Through the combination of contemporary art, sporting history and exclusive experiences, the auction added a charitable component to the final evening of the Rome gathering.
A closing celebration for the regulated gaming sector
The awards brought SiGMA World Rome 2026 to a close after several days of meetings and discussions involving gaming operators, technology suppliers, service providers and other representatives of the industry.
The 27 distinctions covered a broad range of activities within Italy’s regulated gaming market, from sports betting and casino content to payment systems, marketing, responsible gaming and industry representation.
The presentation of the Top 50 professionals, organised with Forbes Italia, complemented the company awards by recognising individuals working across the sector, while the charity auction provided a fundraising element to the evening.
Taken together, the different parts of the programme offered a final opportunity to acknowledge achievements across the Italian gaming industry before the conclusion of the Rome event.