Sports Betting's Biggest Names Recognized at the SBC Awards
Published December 11, 2016 by Lee R
Sports betting is bigger than ever, with a new look awards ceremony and a Hall of Fame showcasing it Under the Bridge.
In what shaped up as the season’s best pre-Christmas party, the new look SBC awards December 7th at Under the Bridge provided a year-end charge to all 400 attendees.
The Festivities
Ensconced in the lavish club under Chelsea FC’s legendary football stadium, the sports betting industry celebrated 2016’s top performers from a fascinating year distinguished by a wave of consolidation, a wildly profitable European Championships, the bold ascendancy of DFS and esports, and the inaugural Betting on Sports conference.
Unique Ceremony
The awards ceremony in Chelsea’s refurbished £20 million club underneath Stamford Bridge stadium treated attendees to additional highlights that included live performances from Beyoncé and Bruno Mars as well as the induction of three charter members into the new SBC Sports Betting Hall of Fame.
Top Dawg: Bet365
The biggest winner was Bet365, taking home the prized SBC Bookmaker of the Year title sponsored by Oddslife in a third consecutive victory. This was not Bet365’s only prize, adding the best Live Betting Product title to its 2016 hardware collection.
Skybet Moves Front
Another big winner was Sky Bet, taking home the Best Football Bookmaker Award, while enjoying sister brand Oddschecker’s repeat win for Affiliate of the Year category.
The Proceedings
All attendees were greeted upon arrival with a proper Christmas welcome complete with snow, mulled wine and mince pies. Festivities continued inside with a 138 sponsored selfie competition and the Slots Million VR casino.
The Presentation
The winners and high commendations crossed a total of seven innovation categories and seven overall award categories. They were deftly presented by event host Sky Sports News’ Hayley McQueen under the auspices of the gracious sponsorship of 2016 newcomer BetOnBrazil.
HOF Induction Ceremony
The evening was punctuated by the inaugural SBC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, grandly welcoming Howard Chisholm of Chisholm Bookmakers, Carsten Koerl of Sportradar and FSB Technology chairman Mark Blandford as the first three members ever, before closing with a special Energy Bet-sponsored DJ set from former World’s Sexiest DJ Winner Kellie Acreman.
The Full List
Rounding out the rest of the Awards were EnergyBet winning Rising Star of the Year; Football Affiliate of the Year: BetBrain; Esports Bookmaker of the Year: Pinnacle; Marketing Campaign of the Year: LeoVegas for their LeoVegas Sports launch; Innovation in Football Betting – Best Football Betting Product: BetBright; Innovation in Sports Betting – Best Sports Betting Product: BetConstruct; Innovation in Live Betting – Best Live Betting Product; Innovation in Virtual Sports – Best New Virtual Sports Product: Golden Race; Innovation in Fantasy Sports – Best Fantasy Sports Product: Oulala Games; Innovation in Affiliation – Best New Affiliate Product: Better Collective; and Innovation in Retail Betting – Best Retail Betting Product: Optima.
Looking Back Fondly
The unforgettable night was a fitting tribute to an unforgettable year in sports betting, and a warm promise of great things to come for sports betting online in 2017!
