UK Casino Awards – Events, Winners, and Significance

Lights! Camera! Action! You see successful people go down the red carpet and the eyes of the world are upon them but what’s that award ceremony they are attending? The Oscars? The Golden Globes? The Grammys? The Brit Awards? No, it’s actually one of the few but very reputable award ceremonies ranking casino operators and platform providers. Which are those awards and which awarding bodies stand behind them? Who are the winners and what do the awards mean to them? What’s the significance of these awards in the online casino industry? We’ll discuss all these points below.

Awarding Bodies

Before we move into giving you the basics of the major iGaming awards in the United Kingdom, we’d like to comment on those behind the awards? Who decided who’d get an award? Who defines award categories? Who’s the expert that is responsible for this or that casino operator or software company receiving their next trophy? Sometimes it’s a respectable publication, e.g. a magazine, that has a respected voice in the community, as is the case with the EGR and the GGA awards. Other times, the organisers call an assembly of experts and industry representatives and depend on their peer review to determine this year’s winners. Either way, the awards are the result of long and hard work on the part of the awarding bodies and everyone involved in the preparations. But let’s have a look at the most influential awards in online gaming.

The EGR Operator Awards are organised by EGR Magazine and are given out annually at a highly anticipated ceremony in London, usually in November. There are normally over 700 companies and businesses which are assessed for their performance through the year. Started in 2004, these include headline categories, such as Casino Operator, Mobile Operator, Poker Operator, and Operator of the Year, and then there are some operator categories.

The EGR B2B Awards are also organised by EGR Magazine and also take place once a year in London. These, however, were started in 2010 as part of EGR Live and are, thus, celebrated in June. Together with the Operator Awards, these are the definitive awards in the industry mainly because eGaming Review magazine is the leading source of information in the online gaming world. Both award ceremonies reward excellence in the iGaming sphere.

The Global Gaming Awards are powered by Gambling Insider – a leading B2B gaming magazine – and are presented once a year in association with G2E Vegas at the Venetian Palazzo Congress Centre. Started in 2014, these awards are independently audited by KPMG Gibraltar and the nominees are assessed by a panel of 50 judges, who are esteemed industry executives from different continents.

The Totally Gaming Awards started in 2012 as part of the ICE Totally Gaming conference, which is the biggest gaming exhibition. They are held annually in February at ExCeL London and welcome everyone who’s anyone in the iGaming industry. Though they are a relative newcomer to the award shows, because they are part of ICE they have already found their place and accumulated their own fans.

The International Gaming Awards, similarly to the TGA, are usually held in February. They are, however, much older and, arguably, more respected by the fans. The awards, which started in 2008, are famous for their high-end atmosphere and star-studded guest list. They provide the ultimate who’s who in the business, including industry executives, experts, and directors.

The Gaming Intelligence Awards are operated and organised by Gaming Intelligence Services Ltd, which is a company registered in England. They are a primary source of timely news, analysis and data on the gaming industry. They also publish the GIQ (a.k.a. Gaming Intelligence Quarterly) magazine, which further develops their analytical and editorial work targeting the industry.

And the Winners Are…

It comes as no surprise that the usual suspects when it comes to nominees and winners at such casino awards are, indeed, the big players in the business – think Playtech, Microgaming, IGT, and NetEnt. Expect to see the names of Evolution, William Hill, Unibet, and 888. These are the leaders in the industry, so it’s no surprise that they’d be usually nominated and often win. There are, of course, breakthrough artists to look forward to – smaller, newer companies that have managed to make an entrance and snatch an awards from the big players. These usually come in categories that celebrate innovation and/or they are companies that have the back or are newly-acquired by an industry giant, as was the case with Spin3 who won the “Mobile Supplier of the Year” at the 2010 EGR B2B Awards and are powered by Microgaming.

The Most-Awarded Casino Operators

As we have already touched upon, the ones you’d find at those ceremonies are only the best and most reputable operators, so it’s no surprise then you’ll find many of the casinos we have recommended on our site. For example, 888 were the big winners at the first ever Totally Gaming awards in 2012, where they picked up two awards – the “Best Online Casino” and the “Best Online Gaming Product” for 888 Poker.

888 Casino

William Hill

LeoVegas

Another operator who seems to have a seat reserved at any ceremony is William Hill. For example, let’s look at their attendance at the EGR Operator Awards. In 2011, they were nominated in 12 categories and, though they didn’t win them all, they got the arguably most important award – the “Operator of the Year”. Three years later, in 2014, William Hill came back and scooped four prestigious awards – the “Casino Operator”, the “Slots Operator”, the “Marketing Campaign” and, once again, the “Operator of the Year”.

Another casino worth mentioning is LeoVegas. In 2016 alone, they received the “Online Casino Operator of the Year” at the International Gaming Awards and the “Casino Operator of the Year” at the Gaming Intelligence Awards and, thus, receiving recognition of their immense growth during recent years. They were also commended at the EGR Nordic Awards 2016 where they were declared the “Casino Operator of the Year” but also the “Mobile Operator of the Year”, and the “Nordics Operator of the Year”.

The Software Companies with the Most Accolades

Software companies work hard all the time. With so many new and aspiring tech geniuses striving to make it big in this highly competitive industry that sets new standards for development daily, it’s a stressful job to be always at the top of your game. Yet they somehow manage. So, who are the usual suspects? Big names, such as Playtech, Microgaming, and Evolution are to be expected. As far as the categories go, sometimes you’ll get a feeling that a category has been created especially for a software company.

For example, Playtech have won many prestigious awards. They are virtually too many to name but there’s one that seems particularly fitting. Knowing their claim to be the world’s leading omni-channel providers, we wouldn’t be surprised that they’re a two-time recipient of the “Multi-Channel Supplier of the Year” award from EGR B2B. Though the platform provider was nominated for the record 17 awards at the 2016 ceremony, this one in particular seemed devised for Playtech.

A similar example is the “Live Casino Supplier of the Year” award from EGR B2B. Did you know that it has been awarded to Evolution every single year? That’s seven times in a row! Knowing Evolution’s commitment to constant progress and more and more treats for their customers, be it casinos or players, you’d think it’s only natural that they do. However, bear in mind that this is one of the fastest developing spheres of iGaming. There are a few other live platform providers, most notably Extreme Live Gaming, that are ready to step in should Evolution pause even for a second to take a breath.

Evolution

Playtech

NetEnt

IGT is a quite popular name among slot fans because they have created the all-time favourites Cleopatra, Da Vinci Diamonds, Kitty Glitter, and Cats. So, it’s hardly a surprise that they have received so much praise. For example, at the 2016 Global Gaming Awards, they got a couple of awards recognising their innovation in slot development for their slot machine Wheel of Fortune, which turned 20 that year. They’ve been recognised at other spheres, as well. For instance, they got the “Online Lottery Supplier” at the 2016 EGR B2B ceremony.

Swedish game developer NetEnt is one of the regular stars at such ceremonies. For example, at the same B2B awards in June 2016, they received three awards – “Innovation in Mobile”, “RNG Casino Supplier” and “Innovation in Slot Provision”. More often than not, you’ll see one of their breath-taking slots grab the EGR Operator “Game of the Year” award. In 2016, it was “Guns N’ Roses” and in 2015 – Spiñata Grande. In 2014, the award went to Evolution for their ground-breaking Immersive Roulette, but that same year, NetEnt won three awards at the EGR B2B event, including “Best Slot Provider”. Net Entertainment have previously had great success at those awards. They won the “Innovation in RNG Casino Software of the Year” three times in a row (2010-2012). They have also received “Innovation in Slot Provision”, ” Slots Provider of the Year”, and “Mobile Supplier of the Year”. As far as the Gaming Intelligence Awards are concerned, in 2017, they won their third consecutive “Casino Supplier” award.

Awards and Their Significance

In a highly competitive industry, there’s always the need for an objective and well-informed observer. The customers need an unbiased opinion and review in order to make their choice for a gambling site or software provider. The companies, on the other hand, also need the feedback from those professional organisations in order to be able to improve their services and offerings. When even just being nominated is an honour, imagine the importance of winning an award. It’s a certain push to strive better in both cases. As we have mentioned, there are the usual suspects at those events but then there are newbies, too. Keep your eyes on awards, such as “The One to Watch” at the Gaming Intelligence Awards for news on the companies that are on the verge of making it big.