Bet365 to defend title as SBC Awards shortlists announced

The SBC Awards shortlist is finally ready, and the sports betting industry is one step closer to recognising the very best companies in 2016.

Bet365 will defend its ‘Bookmaker of the Year’ prize at the SBC Awards 2016, after being shortlisted alongside Sky Betting and Gaming, Unibet, 10Bet and Pinnacle.

The Stoke-based bookmaker is also in the running for the ‘Best Live Betting Product’, but faces fierce competition from the likes of SBTech, InPlay Sports Data, Commologic, Metric Gaming and Optima.

Another defending champion Oddschecker has again made the shortlist for ‘Best Affiliate‘. The odds comparison site is up against strong competition from Italian affiliate Superscommesse, European tipping site bettingexpert, LiveSport Media’s FlashScore and horseracing racing portal At The Races.

Andrew McCarron, SBC Managing Director, commented: “It’s been a great year for the sports betting industry, something which has been reflected in the number of entries we have had for our Awards. The quality has been high so it’s going to be tough for our judges to pick out the winners.

“It’s going to be a fun night at Chelsea’s Under the Bridge nightclub, certainly unlike most other awards ceremonies, and that’s possible thanks to support from our headline sponsor OPTIMA and our other sponsors Argyle Entertainment, BetConstruct, Betradar, EnergyBet, Mr Green, Marathonbet, Golden Race, 138.com, BetBrain, Vermantia, and SBTech.”

In total, SBC will be handing out 14 prestigious awards and three Hall of Fame prizes on Wednesday 7 December at Under the Bridge nightclub, which was built underneath Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge, and recently underwent a £30 million refurbishment to make it one of London’s top venues.

• Click here to see the shortlisted companies for each award

The seven overall awards will be put to a vote in the SBC community, which includes attendees at the Betting on Football and Betting on Sports conferences, as well as SBC News readers and subscribers. Meanwhile, the innovation awards will be decided by an all-star judging panel, which includes more than 20 industry CEO’s and senior decision makers.

The awards will be presented by Sky Sports’ Hayley McQueen, who has been sponsored by Argyll Entertainment to host the event. McQueen will also be inducting three sports betting community members into the SBC Sports Betting Hall of Fame to mark their overall contribution to the betting industry.

Tickets for the SBC Awards 2016 are available for £80 (+ VAT) on http://sbcevents.co.uk/sbc-awards-2016. This price covers drinks, wine, beer, canapes and Under the Bridge club entry from 7:00 pm.

OPTIMA has been confirmed as the headline sponsor of the event, alongside 138.com, Argyll Entertainment, BetBrain, BetConstruct, Betradar, Mr Green, Vermantia, EnergyBet, Golden Race and SBTech.