From surprise wins to spirited bidding, SiGMA’s first Balkans event got off to a great start last night after raising €19,000 for charity. The gala awards evening, which was hosted by poker champion Kelly Kellner and Marie Reyjal, saw luminaries from the gaming, emerging tech, and affiliation industries crowned in a celebration of their contributions to the sector.

E19,000 raised for SiGMA Foundation projects

Generously sponsored by BetConstruct, the event also hosted a charitable auction. Led by an enthusiastic Rick Goddard, the auction saw several artworks and NFTs go under the hammer, including pieces from Malta-based artist Derek Mason – an oil painter whose works currently hang in the Burj Khalifa as well as in the metaverse, and NFT creative Gnomeevil. Both artists have regularly donated their artworks to the company’s charitable arm – the SiGMA Foundation, becoming fan favourites at SiGMA’s global award evenings.?

A number of projects are currently in the pipeline, including a solar power system intended to benefit remote locations in the Philippines, the construction of a primary school in Ethiopia, and a Malta-based project that hopes to address loneliness.

The most popular piece of the evening, Heraldic, a painting by Derek Mason symbolising Belgrade’s rising status as a gaming hub, went for €10,000 following a round of enthusiastic bidding. Innovation, another oil on canvas from Mason also saw favour with the crowd, going for €5000, while his take on the iconic mask from the V for Vendetta film netted a cool €2000. Last but not least, a mythology-inspired work showing the Titan Atlas holding up the world of crypto brought in €1,500 for the SiGMA Foundation charity. Also on the block was Gnomevil’s NFT, which was snapped up quickly by a guest eager to acquire one of the 5 pieces from this collection.?

And with that, on to the night’s winners for the SiGMA Balkans Awards.

Best Sports Betting Operator of the year – sponsored by Oddin.gg

Winner: Balkan Bet.?

Best Affiliate Program of the year – sponsored by Stakelogic

Winner: Parimatch Affiliates.

Best Sports Betting Provider of the year – sponsored by Triggy

Winner: Digitain

Best Outsourcing specialist of the year – sponsored by Quantum Gaming

Winner: Quantox Technology

Best Payment Service Provider of the year – sponsored by Finrax

Winner: Payment Center

Best CIS affiliate of the year – sponsored by Pin-up Partners

Winner: Traffic Devils

Best Online Casino of the year – sponsored by Alea

Winner: Pin-up Casino

Unique selling point of the year – sponsored by VBet

Winner: Aviatrix

Marketing Solution of the year – sponsored by Soccerbet

Winner: iWinBack

Best upcoming Operator of the year – sponsored by EvenBet Gaming

Winner: Stake.com

Best Industry Workplace of the year – sponsored by Hirequarters

Winner: Campeon Gaming

Best Esports of the year – sponsored by SoftSwiss

Winner: Oddin.gg

Best New Casino Game of the year – sponsored by 1Win

Winner: Balkans Rhapsody by Spinthon

Best Innovation in Sports Betting Technology of the year – sponsored by Imprexis Gaming

Winner: Global Bet

Best Affiliate Tracking Software of the year – sponsored by Traffic Devils

Winner: Affilka

Best Live Casino Provider of the year – sponsored by Zendesk

Winner: Pragmatic Play

Best KYC Solution of the year – sponsored by Silver Bell Group

Winner: Jumio

Best Platform Provider of the year – sponsored by GlobalBet

Winner: BetConstruct

Best Customer Service of the year – Spinthon

Winner: Silver Bell Group

Best Game Provider of the year – sponsored by Actable AI

Winner: Playson

Best Affiliate Network of the year – sponsored by Alfaleads

Winner: ADV Revolution

Best Aggregator of the year – sponsored by Endorphina

Winner: ALEA

Best Slots Provider of the year – sponsored by Wikibet

Winner: Endorphina

Best Online Casino Provider of the year – sponsored by BlueOcean Gaming

Winner: Softgamings

Best Corporate Service Provider of the year – sponsored by VOISO

Winner: IGA

Best Industry Rising Star of the year – sponsored by Oryx

Winner: Elbet

Best Affiliate of the year – sponsored by WinAffiliates

Winner: LCB

Best Crypto Exchange of the year – sponsored by Spinthon

Winner: Huobi Global

Best Gamefi Project of the year – sponsored by Ikigai Ventures

Winner: DeepMine

Best Blockchain Solutions – sponsored by iWinBACK

Winner: UniGrid

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Do you have what it takes to win up to €500,000 in equity investment?

Following a very successful run, the next edition of SiGMA Pitch returns for another round at Malta Week. Over 100 start-ups will be selected to showcase their products and initiatives throughout the event.

The judges’ top ten will stand to compete for a valuable equity investment. Please contact Emily on [email protected].