QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for all emerging markets, has won the Best Innovator (aka the Shining Savannah Award) for 2026 at the annual BiG Africa Summit in Gaborone, Botswana, fending off strong competition from other leading lights, such as BetConstruct, Skilrock and GlobaLab. The event itself was staged at a lavish gala ceremony at the Grand Palm Hotel Casino and Convention Resort.
This sought-after award is perennially given to the best all-round igaming innovator in the African space for “groundbreaking innovation and technological innovation”, having tailored innovative solutions for the African igaming industry over the past 12 months and excelled in user engagement and sustained growth.
QTech’s recent innovation has seen the launch of QTech Hybrid, which is now affording players in Africa a seamless switch from traditional retail to digital and back again, led by a successful rollout across Soccabet’s 200-outlet strong retail estate in Ghana. QTech Hybrid is a software service that joins up QTech Games’ AI-powered casino lobby (a leading game-personalisation engine known as QTech Play) to a land-based (retail) management system and a state-of-the-art integrated AMS (Agent Management System) to manage both retail outlets and agents. This allows operators to scale their brick-and-mortar operation online. QTech Hybrid simplifies transactions by enabling deposits, withdrawals, and gameplay while allowing access to players both in-store and on personal devices.
The BiG Africa Summit routinely recognises excellence and advancements in the African igaming and sports betting sector. And this year was no different, celebrating a plethora of pioneers from outstanding operators, through progressive technological innovators and regulatory leaders, and on to distributors with the requisite scope and localised expertise to reliably ensure the provision of the most engaging and varied content for the planet’s second-most populous continent.
QTech Games’ CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We’re delighted to have bagged another notable award for the best overall innovation in Africa over the past 12 months. Being shortlisted in such good company was already a feather in our collective cap, but victory provides the ultimate coup, validating our huge and ongoing growth in Africa with innovations like QTech Hybrid and QTechLabs.
“This win is testimony to our diligent team at QTech, and to the ever-evolving group of innovative suppliers that our offering represents. It’s a real team effort. We’ve made our name as the go-to aggregator for emerging markets and we remain committed to rolling out top-class content and retail innovation that drives new revenues for our worldwide partners across Africa and beyond.
“Being recognised for our innovation, impact and bottom-line results - to name just a few of the key judging criteria - will only embolden our expansive African mission. It’s also indicative of QTech’s broader strategic direction across emerging markets, where we are setting the gold standard and defining the future of the online casino industry, with an established reach throughout and outside of Africa.”
The BiG Africa judging panel added: “This year, the calibre of nominations was exceptional, making the selection process extremely competitive. Being recognised not only as a finalist but also the market leader in Africa for its relentless innovation in our prestigious Shining Savannah category, highlights the outstanding impact and achievements QTech Games has made within the industry.”
Dingnews.com 17/02/2026