Gamblers Connect has officially been named a finalist in one of the most highly competitive categories at this year’s iGBA Awards, recognizing our data-driven approach to responsible gambling standards and consumer protection.
The shortlists for the prestigious iGBA Awards 2026 have just been made public, confirming that Gamblers Connect has secured a spot as a finalist for Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year. This nomination marks a monumental milestone for our entire team here at LinkDataMedia (LDM), representing our platform’s third consecutive year being shortlisted in this prominent safety category! From day one, our corporate strategy has focused on moving far past simple content aggregation to building a media platform rooted in data-driven transparency, player protection, and strict editorial integrity. Being recognized on a global shortlist of this caliber provides powerful validation that our ongoing efforts to champion consumer safety are making a genuine impact across the industry.
Defending the High Ground Against Industry Giants
The wider iGBA Awards shortlist has broken several historical tracking records this year, showcasing intense competition across the global affiliate landscape. Hub Affiliations leads the entire 2026 field, securing a record-breaking eight total nominations across diverse tracks, followed closely by BetAffiliation and regional first-time entrant MoveUp Media, which captured five finalist spots apiece. Listed heavyweights Gambling.com Group and Better Collective are also returning to clash across the premier sports, casino, and bingo categories.
Meanwhile, the Best Streaming Affiliate category posted an explosive 125% year-on-year surge in entries, shortlisting elite influencers and performance agencies such as Brian Christopher, Clever Advertising, Famesters, Fruity Slots, and previous winner Kingbet Media. Other high-performing entrants securing triple nominations include OLBG, Big Betty Partners, Blask, and SlotCatalog.
Why Our Mission Set Us Apart
What brought Gamblers Connect to the judges’ attention this year is our unyielding commitment to consumer safety through our proprietary evaluation systems like our 12-point Responsible Gambling Index (RGI), which holds operators and software vendors to verifiable safety standards. We have always operated under the guiding principle that technical SEO growth and digital authority building must go hand in hand with strict ethical standards.
Rather than treating safer gambling compliance as a standalone corporate checkbox or a reactive utility, we have hard-coded it directly into the foundational architecture of our platform guides, newsrooms, and operator reviews.
Community Voting and Awards Ceremony
This year features an exciting interactive twist for the global iGaming affiliate community. For the first time, professionals will be able to head over to the official iGBA Awards portal to cast their own votes for their favorite candidates from the judges’ top 10 highest-scoring Round 1 entries, alongside naming the definitive Game of the Year.
Headline sponsored by PartnerMatrix, the final winners will be revealed in spectacular fashion on the evening of July 2, 2026, during the second day of the iGB L!VE conference in London. The gala evening will take place at the iconic Aqua Shard, located on the 31st floor of Western Europe’s tallest building.
We want to extend a massive thank you to our readers, our hand-picked contributor network, and our partners for their continuous support. This recognition belongs to everyone who has helped us push the standard forward for responsible gambling media.
