Industry Awards
SiGMA Group Acquires Majority Stake in iGaming Academy
SiGMA Group has announced it has acquired a majority stake in iGaming Academy, which offers vocational and compliance training in over 25 jurisdictions, to more than 60,000 gaming professionals yearly, for an undisclosed figure.
This acquisition is set to greatly complement their current portfolio by embedding various forms of industry education throughout SiGMA’s global event schedule and online network.
Eman Pulis, Founder of the SiGMA Group, said: “The acquisition comes at a perfect time for us. We’ve been working closely with iGaming Academy for many years now. I love what Jaime and the Conexus Group have built and look forward to supporting this growth with new initiatives and a wider offering of educational programs globally. The industry is crying out for more talent and regulatory insight, with new markets continuing to regulate. As a result, we want to be very active in this business.”
Robert Dowling from Conexus Group said: “Conexus will remain actively involved in the iGaming Academy and our clients will continue to receive the outstanding training they expect from this brand,” said Rob Dowling, CEO of The Conexus Group. “We are confident that this strategic acquisition by SiGMA will allow the iGaming Academy to expand and improve its services offering to better serve the evolving training needs of the iGaming industry.”
Jaime Debono said: “This acquisition marks a major milestone for iGaming Academy – our mission has also been to educate the industry – both on key regulatory compliance topics as well as vocational training for existing and new markets. With the support of SiGMA Group, we will be able to accelerate this strategy through their global event calendar, enrich both training and event content and reach a much wider audience than ever before.”
Vinicius Moraes de Carvalho, Investment Partner at Ikigai Ventures, said: “The acquisition of IGA is another important milestone for SiGMA’s vision. IGA’s extensive training library rounds up our offer of services for the igaming industry by allowing us to be at the forefront of educational and regulatory tools for the market. We have strong confidence in Jaime and his team and are thrilled about the next chapters.”
iGaming Academy will continue to work in their current organisational structure with Jaime Debono remaining as company CEO and continuing to work alongside his team.
The deal will continue to see the management at iGaming Academy at the helm, with SiGMA’s corporate governance and marketing arm supporting the business to go from strength to strength.
Following the acquisition, the iGaming Academy is setting up an office in Cyprus to build its online offering and content development. In addition, its revenue streams will also be bolstered through new affiliate partner deals. More courses will also be made available in multiple languages, thus meeting the global demand for training.
The post SiGMA Group Acquires Majority Stake in iGaming Academy appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Soft2Bet, a leading iGaming turnkey solutions provider that delivers high-quality products and services for online gambling operators, has been shortlisted in eight headline categories at the 2025 Women in Gaming (WIG) Diversity & Inclusion Awards, scheduled for 5 June at London’s Savoy Hotel. The WIG Diversity & Inclusion Awards honour outstanding contributions across areas such as innovation, inclusive culture, community impact, and business leadership within the global gaming sector. This recognition follows a year of high performance results, new deals, new brand launches, platform, MEGA product growth, and leadership recognition, underscoring Soft2Bet’s dual strength as a technology provider and an employer of choice.
Shortlisted categories
- B2B Excellence (Company)
- Best Diverse Place to Work
- Community Engagement
- Company of the Year (Supplier)
- Great Place to Work
- Innovator
- Leader of the Year and Positive Role Model of the Year (Supplier) – CMO at Soft2Bet
“These nominations are a powerful endorsement of our teams, our strategic leadership, industry impact, and our unwavering commitment to excellence in key European markets where our brands and products consistently deliver top-tier performance,” said Oksana Tsyhankova, Chief Marketing Officer at Soft2Bet.
The shortlisting for Best Diverse Place to Work and Great Place to Work reflects the company’s internal progress: women now occupy 60% of leadership roles and team members from nine nationalities contribute to product development and strategy through initiatives like the Culture Squad and the Make a Difference platform.
Over the past year, Soft2Bet doubled its EBITDA, secured licenses in Ontario, Sweden, Romania, Spain, etc., announced new brands, new sponsorships on highly competitive markets, such as as Nordics and Ontario, and prepared for its first U.S. launch in New Jersey, bringing its total to 19 licenses across 12 jurisdictions.
Soft2Bet being shortlisted as B2B excellence is reflected in a robust portfolio of 13 consumer brands and industry recognition for both our proprietary platform and standout products such as MEGA, which continue to redefine engagement and innovation in regulated markets.
Earlier in 2025, Soft2Bet earned three titles at the European – Global Banking & Finance / Sustainability & ESG Awards, recognising Soft2Bet’s ongoing pursuit of innovation, its focus on delivering exceptional customer value, its strong AML measures, and overall commitment to compliance standards and sustainability across key European markets.
The post Soft2Bet shortlisted for 8 honours at 2025 WIG Diversity Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Real-time payment provider nominated for safer gambling and innovation accolades
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London-based company was awarded government grant to develop unique responsible gambling solution
London, April 29, 2025 – Real-time payment provider Yaspa has been shortlisted for two prestigious gambling industry awards.
The London-based company is named among the nominees for Innovation in Payments Solutions and Safer Gambling Software Supplier at the forthcoming EGR B2B Awards.
Now in their 16th year, the EGR B2B Awards are known for recognising excellence in service providers in the gambling industry, rewarding those truly leading the way in innovation, reliability and client service. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Roundhouse in London on July 3.
Yaspa enables smooth, simple and secure instant payments through open banking for a range of partners. It works with online and offline gambling industry businesses, including Playbook Engineering, Novibet, NetBet, Casino Lugano and White Hat Gaming.
In 2024 Yaspa was awarded an Innovate UK grant to continue to develop its Intelligent Payments solution – a unique B2B platform that combines open banking technology and AI to help gambling operators identify vulnerable players in a frictionless manner. It is designed to empower businesses by combining Pay by Bank transactions, AI-powered verification, and real-time risk assessment into a seamless, secure experience.
In the gambling sector, Yaspa is able to help operators support responsible gambling with access to player transaction data at the point of deposit, delivering real-time user insights for a significantly broader and more accurate picture of a player’s pan-operator activity and financial health.
Yaspa CEO James Neville said: “The EGR awards are regarded as the pinnacle of B2B igaming ceremonies and for Yaspa to be nominated is great recognition for our team’s hard work and dedication to innovation.
“Our Intelligent Payments solution is a truly unique proposition and it’s wonderful to see that its potential to have a profound impact as a responsible gambling tool has been recognised.
“We are very proud to be shortlisted alongside some of the biggest names in the gambling and payments industries and we are very much looking forward to the awards night.”
The post Yaspa shortlisted for two prestigious gambling industry awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Rickard Vikström, CEO and founder of Internet Vikings, a licensed in-state hosting provider for U.S. iGaming and online sports betting, has been named European CEO of the Year in the hosting industry.
The award recognizes Vikström’s work in expanding Internet Vikings’ presence from Europe into the U.S., where the company has become the fastest-growing hosting provider for the iGaming and sports betting industry. Internet Vikings continues to see strong year-on-year growth, becoming the go-to hosting partner for European operators expanding into the U.S. market.
Vikström has led Internet Vikings through several key initiatives, including early market entry in emerging U.S. states, the introduction of flexible hosting models such as Pay-as-You-Go Bursting, and a focus on operational transparency and customer responsiveness. He also helped secure VMware Premier Partner status for the company.
Internally, Vikström is known for his direct and accessible leadership approach, maintaining regular contact with clients and actively participating in customer support improvements.
This award highlights his ability to scale a European company internationally while maintaining close attention to service and technical reliability.
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