Global Gaming Awards 2017 Shortlist

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 SHORTLIST

2017 SHORTLIST

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

A celebration of the leading companies and most dynamic individuals to have made their mark in the global gaming industry over the past year Lead Partner

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Gary Roudette gary@gamblinginsider.com CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Julian Perry julian@gamblinginsider.com EDITOR Doug Peck doug.peck@gamblinginsider.com STAFF WRITERS Caroline Watson, Robert Simmons, Harrison Sayers, Manuel Marti LEAD DESIGNER Edita Jogminaite DESIGN ASSISTANTS Olesya Adamska, Olivia Whittaker OPERATIONS ASSISTANT Aiste Kontrimaite WEBSITE MANAGER Tom Powling COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Deepak Malkani deepak.malkani@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7729 6279 SALES MANAGER-PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA Steve Howett steve.howett@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44( 0 )20 7739 5768 SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Oz Mustafa oz.mustafa@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7729 0643 US TERRITORY ACCOUNT MANAGER Lauren Byrge lauren.byrge@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +1 702 522 8582 ACCOUNT MANAGERS Michael Juqula michael.juqula@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 3487 0498 Jasmin Bailey jasmin.bailey@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7739 2062 Ashley D’Souza ashley.dsouza@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7613 5863 DIGITAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Kaloyan Kaloyanov kaloyan@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 8133 6997 CREDIT MANAGER Rachel Voit WITH THANKS TO:

Akiyoshi Tsuruoka, Oliver Lovat, Alex Pratt, Steve Donoughue, Victor Rocha, Tal Itzak Ron, Ollie Drew, Jason Rosenberg, Frank Fantini, Paul Speirs-Hernandez, Sarah Jones and all of the Global Gaming Awards Judging Panel

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... to this year’s Global Gaming Award’s Shortlist, produced by Gambling Insider and circulated worldwide ahead of the Awards’ Official Presentation ceremony at G2E Vegas in October. As a whole, the gambling industry is steadily expanding, and in the past 12 months we have seen operators and suppliers alike adapt to the ever-evolving landscape. The Global Gaming Awards aims to highlight the notable achievements made by these companies who seek to push the boundaries and pave the way for success.

The regulatory landscape governing the gaming industry has seen some seismic shifts during 2017, with emerging markets in Asia and Latin America in particular offering great potential. Innovation in the online space has kept pace with the increasing demand for more complex, emotionally-involving games, and the appetite for digital gaming in the US seems to be ever-growing. That’s not to say land-based gaming has remained stagnant; the evolution of casinos into rounded multi-entertainment venues continues apace, and the amount of space now being given over to eSports in particular is an arbiter of where the industry is headed.

This year’s competition to be named on the Global Gaming Awards 2017 Shortlist has been among the fiercest in Global Gaming Awards history, and every company that has been included can rightly be proud to call themselves one of the top companies in the gambling industry. However, there can only be one winner in each award category and the difficult task of selecting those winners now falls to the Global Gaming Awards’ prestigious judges.

The Judging Panel of the Global Gaming Awards 2017 is perhaps the most influential collection of experts currently in the gaming industry. It is comprised of 60 industry CEOs, senior executives and gaming analysts drawn from every corner of the globe, and spanning every strand of the physical and digital gaming world.

The Global Gaming Awards has become one of the most highly-coveted prizes in the gambling industry worldwide and the judges are responsible for ensuring that only those who have shown exceptional endeavour in gambling receive the highest industry accolades.

The Global Gaming Awards remain the most fair and legitimate accolades in the entire gaming industry: each judge on the panel has one vote in each category that they or their company are not nominated in, with these votes alone being used to determine who takes home each award. To ensure the fairness of the process, both the judging process and the votes are presided over by KPMG Gibraltar, the awards’ official adjudicator.

Finally I’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in making the Global Gaming Awards such a resounding success in 2017. From our Lead Partner and Sponsors to the Nomination and Judging Panels, and of course the team at G2E, it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside you in delivering what we hope to be the awards’ most successful year. I look forward to seeing you all in Las Vegas on October 2nd!

Gary Roudette CEO, Gambling Insider

CONTENTS

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

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Content Sponsor: Konami is a global leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of electronic gaming products. Under the Konami Corporation, Konami Australia Pty Ltd oversees the continually evolving development of innovative gaming machines to operators across four continents. Konami Gaming, Inc. provides comprehensive casino solutions, from video slot gaming products to their cutting-edge Casino Management System.

Konami Corporation was founded in 1969 in Tokyo, Japan. Today they have offices across four continents and are universally recognised as one of the most established brands in technological innovation and casino management in the gaming industry.

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THE HOST

A welcome message from the Global Gaming Awards’ host, G2E

THE LEAD PARTNER

An introductory message from the Global Gaming Awards’ Lead Partner BetConstruct

THE PROCESS

How the award winners are selected, from nomination through to presentation

THE NOMINATION PANEL

The industry experts whose opinions have helped shape the Global Gaming Awards Shortlist

THE JUDGES

The 60-person panel that decides who takes home the Global Gaming Awards honours in 2017

THE ADJUDICATOR

KPMG Gibraltar will be ensuring that the voting process is transparent and fair

Looking back

Were you there in 2016? We take a pictorial trip down memory lane to remember last year's GGA ceremony

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

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LAND-BASED OPERATOR

•Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino •Eldorado Resorts •Foxwoods Resort Casino •Hard Rock International •Las Vegas Sands Corporation

DIGITAL OPERATOR •888 Holdings •bet365 •Codeta •DoubleDown Interactive •EnergyBet

•MGM Resorts International •Mohegan Sun •Tiger Resort •Viejas Casino & Resort •Wynn Resorts

•Kindred Group •Ladbrokes Coral •LeoVegas •Lottoland •Paddy Power Betfair

LAND-BASED PRODUCT •Aruze Gaming •Casino Technology •Eclipse Gaming •Euro Games Technology •Galaxy Gaming

•Genesis Gaming •IGT •Intralot •Merkur Gaming •Scientific Games

DIGITAL PRODUCT •Alea •BtoBet •Colossus Bets •Evolution Gaming •Hero Gaming

•NetEnt •SBTech •Scientific Games •Sightline Payments •UltraPlay

CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAM •Aspers •Boyd Gaming •Caesars Entertainment •Initial Rewards •Ladbrokes

•MGM Resorts International •Station Casinos •The Venetian •Virgin Games •Wynn Resorts

DIGITAL ACQUISITION PROGRAM •Betway Partners •Casumo Affiliates •Energy Partners •Interwetten Affiliate •Kindred Affiliates

•Ladbrokes Partners •LeoVegas Affiliates •Media Skunk Works •OVO Affiliates •Rewards4Racing

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LAND-BASED INDUSTRY SUPPLIER •AGS •Ainsworth Game Technology •Aristocrat Leisure •Aruze Gaming •Everi Holdings

•IGT •Interblock •Konami Gaming, Inc. •Novomatic •Scientific Games

DIGITAL INDUSTRY SUPPLIER

•BetConstruct •EveryMatrix •Kambi •Malta Gaming Authority •Microgaming

•NetEnt •NYX Gaming Group •Playtech •SG Interactive •Yggdrasil Gaming

LAND-BASED GAMING INNOVATION •Agilysys •Gamblit Gaming •IGT •Jackpot Digital •JCM Global

•KGM •Konami Gaming, Inc. •Lightning Box Games •Ortiz Gaming •zennTEK

DIGITAL GAMING INNOVATION •AuthenticGaming •Be the House •Betgenius •bettingexpert •Bit8

•Ganapati Malta •Konect Games •Leap Gaming •Quickspin •Snapscreen

RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

•Aspers •BMM Testlabs •Caesars Entertainment •Gala Coral •Gaming Laboratories International •GeoComply

•MGM Resorts International •Paf •Hard Rock International (Seminole Tribe of Florida) •Sportradar

EUROPEAN EXECUTIVE

•Walter Bugno •Fred Done •Angelo Dalli •Vladimir Dokov •Fredrik Elmqvist

•Per Eriksson •Itai Frieberger •Gustaf Hagman •Bernard Marantelli •Mor Weizer

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

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We are honoured that the Global Gaming Awards, powered by Gambling Insider, continues to take place at G2E in Las Vegas. Not only have these awards grown with each year, they are highly anticipated by many of the industry’s top executives.

As we witness the growth of omnichannel gaming, including the increased prevalence of digital products and games in casinos, G2E recognises that bridging land-based and digital gaming is an important step in the industry’s future. The Global Gaming Awards captures this notion better than any other awards, a major factor in attracting G2E to be part of this event.

The success of the Global Gaming Awards is wonderful and we are thrilled to have them as an increasingly prominent component of our G2E programme. The increase in both the judging panel and number of nominations is a true testament to the growth of both the Awards and our industry. We congratulate every company and individual that has been shortlisted for an award, it is a tremendous achievement!

Lastly, I wish every nominee luck and extend a big thank you to everyone who has been involved in making the Global Gaming Awards happen, especially Gambling Insider.

TODD SHEAHAN Event Director Global Gaming Expo (G2E)

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

BetConstruct’s CEO, Vahe Baloulian welcomes you to the Global Gaming Awards 2017 Shortlist, and wishes all the shortlisted companies good luck ahead of the results

Out of the numerous industry events BetConstruct supports, the ones that recognise, honour and celebrate the outstanding contributions of our peers to the industry are the most gratifying. For the winners, these events present a beautiful opportunity to receive a pat on the back from those whose success they make possible and vice versa, from those who get inspired by what they do, and from those who drive them to do better by competing with them every day.

For this and other equally important reasons we could not miss the opportunity to become the Lead Partner of the Global Gaming Awards, one of the few events that celebrates gaming in all its incarnations: web, mobile and land-based. The Global Gaming Awards results are trusted, not least because it is produced by the industry’s leading B2B publication Gambling Insider in association with G2E, and is independently audited by KPMG Gibraltar.

There are more than 100 companies shortlisted in 11 categories.

The 12th category this year will honor the European Executive of

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the Year. We wish everyone good luck. However, only 11 companies and one individual will take home the coveted trophy – a symbol of the industry’s appreciation and respect for their teams’ achievement.

I hope the winners will tell their colleagues back home that while they were not present at the ceremony, the global gaming industry recognised and applauded their success and the Award is the proof.

To those who will not win, I want to believe that the reason is that you are just ahead of your time and today your brilliance simply went unrecognised by the judges.

But don’t despair. What I learned throughout my life in gaming is that sometimes it’s smarter to be out of step with your time.

That’s part of our approach at BetConstruct, that’s how we tackle the biggest challenges and we never look back. This strategy unfailingly results in continuous innovation and creation of groundbreaking products. One of them, for example is our Spring Business Management Environment, which through its rich set of products, services, tools and technologies that together provide a complete management infrastructure, opens the door to unprecedented freedom and flexibility. The BME dashboard allows the operators to enable betting and gaming products with a single click, control most of the aspects of their operation and even order marketing, legal, accounting, risk management and bookmaking services – all from one screen. Equally exciting are our Virtual Reality content, OGWIL, BetCloud, and other innovative products. This thinking has also allowed us to be more open-minded and confident. That’s why along with our state-of-the-art sportsbook, BetConstruct now offers one of the largest portfolios of gaming content, with over 3000 games from our own studios and those of our competitors.

Of course, we don’t work with the awards in mind, although we have received plenty of them and are proud of our achievements.

We work to create the best tools, be it in technology, software or services for our partners. They in turn use these tools to provide the most compelling gaming entertainment to their customers. And that’s enormously rewarding, including financially. That’s how BetConstruct has grown from a small technology supplier to a global gaming powerhouse.

Global Gaming Awards, along with G2E, has another important function as well. It is a perfect place to meet, learn and exchange ideas. It’s a place where new business relationships are struck, the old ones are reinforced and unexpected discoveries are made. We at BetConstruct expect to meet many of you during these events and hope they will be profitable and also very satisfying for all the participants. 

Vahe Baloulian

Chief Executive Officer, BetConstruct

The Global Gaming Awards are the fairest and most respected in the gaming industry, thanks to the rigorous process undertaken to find the winners. Here’s how we do it

ONLINE SELF NOMINATIONS OPEN

PRESENTATION CEREMONY

NOMINATION PANEL

VOTES APPROVED

SHORTLIST MAGAZINE

JUDGING BEGINS

Gaming companies wishing to be considered for an Award put themselves forward

The Nomination Panel adds their own Shortlist suggestions, and helps to narrow the number of nominees down to ten in each category

The official Global Gaming Awards Shortlists are announced, and published in a commemorative magazine

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The nominees with the most votes are revealed and crowned Award winners at the prestigious ceremony at G2E Vegas

Votes are counted, verified and approved by KPMG Gibraltar

The Judging Panel, comprised of 60 senior executives, votes in each category

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 2015 NOMINATIONS PANEL

The Global Gaming Awards asked 11 respected industry experts to give us their global view of who was worthy of Nomination in each of the 12 Award categories. Here we provide a little background information about the members of our esteemed Nominations Panel, each of whom is deserving of our thanks and praise for their efforts in assisting with the formulation of the Shortlist

SARAH JONES

President Red Square Gaming

Paul Speirs-Hernandez is President of Steinbeck Communications, a leading marketing and communications firm for the gaming industry.

His leadership and communication philosophy has helped some of the gaming industry’s most successful brands to flourish. Prior to founding Steinbeck Communications, he opened and ran the PR division of a Las Vegas and Excalibur Hotel Casino.

VICTOR ROCHA Owner/Editor Pechanga.net

Alex Pratt has worked for iGaming Business for 12 years, originally starting as the Advertising Manager for iGaming Business Magazine. He launched the iGB Affiliate Magazine and Events in addition to iGaming Business’ information and research offerings, and North American products. Recently the business has branched into the foreign exchange and binary options market with the Financial Partners Expo.

AKIYOSHI TSURUOKA

General Manager and Chief Editor Gaming Capital Management 14 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

Sarah Jones manages client relations in addition to the account services teams at Red Square Gaming, a full service advertising agency that specialises in the casino and hospitality industry. Her gaming experience includes working with multiple industry brands including Hard Rock Hotel & Casinos, Cherokee Nation Entertainment, IP Casino, and Wind Creek Hospitality.

PAUL SPEIRSHERNANDEZ President Steinbeck Communications

Victor Rocha is the Owner and Editor of tribal gaming resource, Pechanga.net. He created the site after realising that there was no such offering available for those interested in the politics of gaming. Rocha has been covering tribal gaming since 1998, and over the past 15 years has developed and enhanced his reputation as one of the most passionate followers and supporters of tribal gaming issues.

ALEX PRATT

Managing Director iGaming Business

After working for a slot machine manufacturer, Akiyoshi Tsuruoka moved into journalism, a career which has seen him report on the global casino sector and attend gaming industry exhibitions across the world.

His work also covers Japanese politics and he is an expert in integrated resort legislation and casino administration in Japan. One of Tsuruoka’s specialisms is the effect of the casino industry – in particular integrated resorts – on the Japanese community.

THE JUDGES GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 2015

STEVE DONOUGHUE

CEO gamblingconsultant. co.uk

Oliver Lovat is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Since 2011 he has led the Denstone Group, which advises on the management of customer facing assets, including shopping malls, retail, hotels and casinos. He is visiting Faculty at Cass Business School, London, where he teaches Strategic Marketing to MBA students and a consultant at The UNLV PLuS+ Center for Executive Education, Las Vegas. His published work is on strategic positioning of casino resorts, customer loyalty and behaviour and attitudes of millennials in Las Vegas.

OLLIE DREW Director Square in the Air

Tal Itzhak Ron graduated from the University of Haifa Law School, working at the prestigious law firm of Gornitzky & Co. prior to establishing his own firm, Tal Ron, Drihem & Co. Whilst heading his own company, Ron has also served as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Haifa Faculty of Law, teaching a number of different courses to a range of students.

JASON ROSENBERG

CEO American iGaming Solutions

Frank Fantini, CEO of Fantini Research and publisher of Fantini’s Gaming Report, started his company in late 1999. Fantini began his career as a newspaperman reporter, going on to become an editor and later a publisher. He has been a life-long investor and first became attracted to the gaming industry back in 1995 when he started investing in gaming stock, beginning his long-standing career as an industry veteran.

Steve Donoughue has been a management consultant specialising in the business strategy and politics of the gambling industry for the last twenty years. Becoming KPMG’s gambling consultant after working at the University of Salford’s Centre for the Study of Gambling, Steve has been a freelance consultant for the majority of his career, working around the world on both online and brick-and-mortar gaming projects.

OLIVER LOVAT

Managing Director Denstone REA

Ollie Drew is a director at Square in the Air, the award-winning sports, betting & gaming and financial communications consultancy. After qualifying as a journalist, Ollie started his career in public relations in 2006, before joining the industry-leading agency, which provides a range of PR and marketing services to B2B and B2C clients, in 2009.

TAL ITZHAK RON

Managing Partner Tal Ron, Drihem & Co. Law Firm

Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg is the CEO of American iGaming Solutions. As a consultant to operators and gaming commissions alike, Wolf specialises in general education, vendor selection, contracting, systems integrations, as well as pre and post-launch marketing and operations for iGaming, Social Gaming, eSports, Skill Games, Virtual Sports, and Mobile On Premise solutions.

FRANK FANTINI

CEO Fantini Research

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

This year’s exciting Global Gaming Awards judging panel contains 60 leading industry executives, who are set to decide the winners of the gambling industry’s premier awards, independently adjudicated by KPMG Following the conclusion of the nomination and shortlist-compiling elements of the Global Gaming Awards 2017 process, it is time for us to turn the final shortlists over to the judges in order to determine the winners.

Each member of the judging panel has one vote in every category in which they or their company is not nominated.

Judges can only vote for one winner and one runner-up in each category, and must vote in every category that they are obliged to do so.

Once every judge has voted, all votes will be counted and used to determine the winners. The judges’ votes, and only the judges’ votes, will determine who will be crowned the winners of the Global Gaming Awards 2017.

The judges’ votes will be collected and independently verified by KPMG, with the winners being announced at the Gala Awards ceremony at the Venetian in Las Vegas on 2nd October, at the start of G2E 2017.

Of course it’s important to ensure we draw upon expertise from the widest possible pool, this year we welcome a number of new faces to the judging panel. It’s an honour to include industry heavyweights such as Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Scientific Games, President and CEO of Konami Gaming Inc. Steve Sutherland, and Trevor Croker, CEO of Aristocrat.

It’s also a credit to the importance of the awards that we also welcome industry experts such as Finbarr O’Mahony, Head of Real Money Gaming from Facebook, Angelo Dalli, CEO of Bit8 and Morgan Stanley Analyst Ed Young.

Of course we are also deeply grateful to many of the judges who have returned this year to help their peers choose worthy awards winners, such as Walter Bugno, CEO of IGT International, Intralot CEO Antonios Kerastaris, and Per Eriksson, CEO of NetEnt. The size and prestigious nature of the judging panel, coupled with the independent nature of the voting process,

make the Global Gaming Awards 2017 the most comprehensive and legitimate honours spanning the land-based and digital gaming sectors. Any product, company or individual that passes through the rigorous nominations process and makes it onto the final shortlists should consider this a creditworthy achievement in its own right, with winning an award being the ultimate acknowledgement of excellence from your peers.

To each and every judge, thank you again for your contribution to the judging process of the most important accolades in the gaming industry today. We value your time, judgement and input immensely, and are looking forward to seeing who you will be crowning the winner of the Global Gaming Awards 2017.

Here is the full list of the 60 senior executives that make up the full judging panel. It is without a doubt the most knowledgeable, experienced, powerful and authoritative in the history of gaming industry awards. ◀

Head of Real Money Gaming Facebook

VP EMEA Advertising Disney Media Sales & Partnerships Disney & ESPN

ALAN FAGAN

WALTER BUGNO

ANTONIOS KERASTARIS CEO Intralot

President & CEO American Gaming Association

DANNY GLADSTONE

TREVOR CROKER

JOHN CONNELLY

PER ERIKSSON

ROGER RAATGEVER

FINBARR O'MAHONY

CEO Ainsworth Game Technology

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CEO Aristocrat

CEO IGT International

CEO Interblock

President & CEO NetEnt

GEOFF FREEMAN

CEO Microgaming

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

RICHARD CARTER

MICHAEL D. RUMBOLZ

ANGELO DALLI

MATT DAVEY

CEO SBTech

President & CEO Everi Holdings

ITAI FRIEBERGER

IAN BONNER

JOEL LEONOFF

RICK MEITZLER

CEO 888 Holdings

CEO VizExplorer

CEO Bit8

CEO & Owner NYX Gaming Group

Chairman of the Board Olympic Entertainment Group

ARMIN KARU

TRISTAN SJOBERG

JAN JONES BLACKHURST

TOM GREGORY

VLADIMIR DOKOV

AIDEEN SHORTT

BEN LEE

TOM NIEMAN President AGEM

CHRIS GROVE

Partner Casino Integration, Unikrn and Advisor Rouge.gg

CHRIS HARRISON

DEBRA NUTTON

KOBUS PAULSEN

ED YOUNG

MOR WEIZER

Executive VP Caesars Entertainment

Managing Partner iGamiX

EVP Casino Operations Wynn Resorts

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COO CashFlows Group

Chairman Cognosec AB

Managing Director EGT

Analyst Morgan Stanley

Executive Chairman TCS John Huxley

Partner Consultant Random Consulting

Industry Head Google

CEO Playtech

CEO & President Paysafe Group

President Novomatic Americas Sales

AKIKO TAKAHASHI

EVP & Chief OfямБcer, HR/Corporate Social Responsibility Melco Crown Entertainment

CRISTINA ROMERO DE ALBA Partner LOYRA

SHEILA MORAGO

Executive Director Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association

w w w. l e o v e g a s g r o u p . c o m

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

TINO MAGNATTA

VAHE BALOULIAN

VALERIE SPICER

STEVE SUTHERLAND

Founder GT Advertising

CEO BetConstruct

Founding Partner Trilogy Group

CHARLES GILLESPIE

DAVID LOPEZ

CEO Gambling.com Group

CEO American Gaming Systems

KENT YOUNG

JENNIFER INNES

MICKI OSTER

BERNARD MARANTELLI

GINNY SHANKS

ALEXANDER TUCEK

President & CEO Konami Gaming, Inc

MICHAEL SOLL

President The Innovation Group

KEVIN SHEEHAN

PETER GREENHILL

ROB DOWLING CEO Pentasia

BILL LERNER

Principal Union Gaming Group

DARIY MARGARITOV

WARREN JACOBS

CARSTEN KOERL CEO & Founder Sportradar

Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer Pinnacle Entertainment

CEO Casino Austria International

DERMOT SMURFIT

ROBIN Le PREVOST

STJEPKO CORDAS

KOSTANDINA ZAFIROVSKA

ANNA SAINSBURY

Head of eBusiness and Head of eGaming Equiom Group

CEO UltraPlay

CEO GameAccount Network

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Managing Director ActiveWin

CEO Le Prevost Consultancy

CEO Scientific Games

CEO Nsoft

President & Founder Spin Games

Gambling and Casinos Professional

CEO BtoBet

Managing Director Betting Jobs

CEO Colossus Bets

CEO GeoComply

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

Global consultancy firm KPMG has once again agreed to serve as the official voting adjudicator to the Global Gaming Awards 2017. KPMG Partner Micky Swindale will be keeping a close eye on proceedings

A marker of the legitimacy of any award is having a clear, fair selection and voting process for participants that stands up to scrutiny by an independent body or organisation. At the Global Gaming Awards, we are committed to ensuring the highest standards of transparency and authenticity, and to this end, we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with KPMG Gibraltar, who will serve as the official voting adjudicator to the 2017 awards.

As a subsidiary of one of the world’s biggest corporate consultancy businesses, KPMG Gibraltar has a long association with the gaming world, particularly in the digital sector. KPMG Partner Micky Swindale has been working with the iGaming industry since its earliest days in the 2000s and has been the principle organiser of the long-running KPMG eGaming summit for the past seven years.

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Her role at the Global Gaming Awards 2017 will be to collect and independently verify the judges’ votes in each of the 12 award categories. This process will include testing the voting software and ensuring that the results are an accurate reflection of the votes cast in choosing the winners.

This year the 60-strong judging panel of the Global Gaming Awards includes some of the global gambling industry’s most influential and authoritative figures, with the awards set to be the most comprehensive and independent honours in both the landbased and digital sectors.

“The Global Gaming Awards team came to us when planning the approach to the first awards in 2014, and said that they wanted these awards to be externally adjudicated to make it clear that they, as organisers, had no influence over the voting process and that the winners would truly be best-in-class in the opinion of their peers in the land-based and digital sectors,” said Micky.

“We therefore designed a process whereby we review the GGA’s system and tools for collecting votes (and ensuring judges cannot vote in categories where they have a conflict), check that the winner and runner-up in each category have been determined correctly based on votes cast, and select a random sample of judges whom we contact to check that the votes recorded for them in the system are a complete and accurate reflection of their voting.

“Once on the ground in Las Vegas, we do a final check of the engraved awards against our own record of category winners, and we attend and participate in the awards ceremony to ensure that the right recipient is announced and presented with each award.

“The gaming sector is very important to KPMG in Gibraltar and therefore we welcome the opportunity to support the Global Gaming Awards – the combination of a thorough selection process, a highly distinguished panel of judges, and the organiser’s commitment to independent verification of the judges’ decisions, means that any company or individual that makes it to the final shortlist should be extremely proud of their achievements.”

Services which KPMG provide to the iGaming sector include audit, deal, tax and IT advisory together with risk consulting, people/ change management and VAT administration. KPMG’s iGaming Summits, which take place bi-annually in Gibraltar and the Isle of Man attract industry speakers and attendees from all over the globe, providing relevant thought leadership and guidance for those in the sector and education for those outside of it, which in turn helps to shape the nature and direction of the gambling industry.  The Global Gaming Awards thanks KPMG Gibraltar for its adjudication of the 2017 Awards

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

LOOKING BACK

The 2016 Global Gaming Awards saw 12 worthy winners presented with gaming's highest accolade For those that won a coveted Global Gaming Award in 2016, it was a year to remember. The Venetian Palazzo witnessed over 600 of the industry’s most influential figures from across the world of gaming coming together to recognise the efforts of their peers in tirelessly pushing forward the industry. It was a well-trodden path for some, including MGM, which scooped its third consecutive Land-Based Operator of the Year trophy while also retaining its title for Customer Loyalty Program.

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For the digital side of the industry, 888 Holdings, PokerStars, Playtech, NYX and Microgaming all triumphed in their respective categories, while Scientific Games and IGT took top spot in the land-based honours. CEO Anna Sainsbury picked up GeoComply’s award for Responsible Business and Aristocrat CCO Maureen Sweeny’s victory as North American Executive of the Year rounded off what was another triumphant Global Gaming Awards presentation. 

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

LAND-BASED OPERATOR

The global category recognising the achievements of the world’s top brick-and-mortar gaming brands SPONSORED BY

Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino

MGM Resorts International

Eldorado Resorts

Mohegan Sun

Foxwoods Resort Casino (Mashantucket Pequot Tribe Nation)

Tiger Resort

Hard Rock International (Seminole Tribe of Florida)

Viejas Casino & Resort

Las Vegas Sands Corporation

Wynn Resorts

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 To kick-off the awards this year, the Global Gaming Awards has an extremely tough choice on its hands when it comes to deciding who deserves to be crowned king of the land-based operators. LandBased Operator of the Year looks to recognise the achievements of casino operators around the world who have not only excelled in terms of financial performance but led the pack in terms of innovation and enhancement. This year we see a number of prestigious land-based operators from around the world compete for this prestigious Global Gaming title.

As always US-based operators are very well represented, in part due to the scale of the market but also because of the forward-thinking and inventive approach to entertaining their customers. It’s been

operator to beat. The category sees a much larger representation from across the United States as well as a new entry from the Philippines in comparison to last year’s which saw a great deal of international representation.

Despite the start of an economic recovery from the Macau gaming markets no Macau-based operators were able to muscle in to this highly competitive shortlist. It’s a great credit to the American casino industry which has maintained its position as the market that leads in player experience and innovation The powerhouse of Wynn Resorts returns to the mix in pursuit of the elusive title. The renowned operator has enjoyed another bumper year, kicking off proceedings with the August 2016 opening of the Wynn

What they said:

MGM Resorts International is a global entertainment company featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings - MGM Resorts International a good year for these operators thanks to the ingenuity in adapting their offering to focus more on non-gaming amenities.

Our first nominee is a global operator needing little introduction. MGM Resorts International is one of the world’s leading hospitality companies, managing an esteemed portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and the Mirage. The company continues to expand its presence, cutting the ribbon on the wildly successful MGM National Harbour in Maryland in December 2016, with work continuing on MGM Springfield in Massachusetts.

MGM Resorts International will be looking to extend their winning streak in the category for the fourth year in a row, proving they really are the land-based

Park project. It will contain a 130-acre golf course and 20-acre lagoon in the middle. The $1.5bn estimated project will see the already impressive Vegas Wynn turned into an amazing park sure to attract visitors from around the world.

It’s also been a busy year for Hard Rock International who will be hoping that their internationally renowned brand backed up by constant expansion will be enough to please the judges. Never ones for a quiet year, Hard Rock have been showing some keen interest in the Vietnamese market after it had already begun work on a new Catalan integrated resort.

With 11 casinos in North America, Hard Rock International is a household name in the casino industry, known for its unique presentation and clientele-drawing

Wynn Palace features a 28storey hotel with 1,706 furnished rooms, suites and villas, casino, versatile meeting facilities, luxury retail, exquisite dining restaurants, and more. Net revenues and Adjusted Property EBITDA from Wynn Palace were $414.7m and $87.4m, respectively, for the second quarter Wynn Resorts

Palace Cotai, a lavish and extensive project that is among the most ambitious and striking the operator has undertaken.

Its financial results continue to bear out the success of its global strategy, with full year net revenues for 2016 reaching $4.47bn, a year-on-year increase of 9.6%.

Wynn Resorts International also led an impressive year for gaming stocks.

The stock price rose up to 59.89% from the start of the year. The Wynn Palace Resort generated $119m in the first quarter of 2017 despite construction still not being fully finished. In fact the flagship resort is so impressive that it took in 180% of the total revenue of its Vegas operations.

Wynn Resorts International looks to continue its impressive growth and expand its Vegas land-based resort with its Paradise

music memorabilia. The firm announced a Japanese division in January 2017 and appointed seasoned gaming veteran Edward Tracy to head a venture that could spearhead significant growth for the business in the region.

Furthermore, Hard Rock International has begun its long-awaited plans to build the biggest Integrated Resort in Europe, in Tarragona, Spain. Hard Rock International begun plans for a new 500-room casino to be built, expanding on the company’s international brand, which should be completed towards the end of 2018.

One of Hard Rock’s contenders this year will also be competing with them to become the first operator in the potentially lucrative market that is Japan. The Las Vegas Sands Corporation owns some of the most  GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 27

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 famous casinos in the world and its name is synonymous to many around the world.

Describing itself as the “pre-eminent developer and operator of world class integrated resorts”, Las Vegas Sands has more than lived up to that label over the last year. The firm’s financial results bear out this description, with consolidated net revenue increasing 14.3% in the first three months of 2017 to a total of $3.1bn, while net income rocketed 41.3% to $578m.

This year has seen several more nationally focused land operators such as the Eldorado Resorts really take off.

Operating 19 properties in ten states, Renobased Eldorado Resorts is one of the most widely respected operators in this business, and has been since it was founded in 1973.

The past year has been one of remarkable gains and positive results. Total net revenue for the first quarter of 2017 stood at $200.9m, representing an impressive climb of 5.9% on the previous year total.

The company has built on its impressive financial fortunes by expanding its commercial presence through the cash and stock acquisition of Isle of Capri Casinos in January 2017. The $1.7bn merger added to the company’s history of strategic and accretive acquisitions. The deal has helped Eldorado nearly double in size as they firmly establish themselves as one of the best land-operators around.

Also looking to spread its wings and expand is the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville.

Mohegan Sun Casino was voted the best casino in the US by the readers of USA Today this year, and the group’s constant focus on keeping their offer fresh played

a big part in that. Financial results also bear this out, with significant rises in revenue and profit recorded in 2017.

Coupled with its aggressive domestic and international expansion plans, the tribal group is at the head of the pack in the land-based casino sector. The company changed their name at the start of the year from the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority to better reflect their international ambitions. Mohegan will be a tough competitor as they have already secured a $1.6bn deal to build a new resort in South Korea, which is scheduled for completion by 2020.

On our journey to find the best Landbased Operator we take a trip through the state of Connecticut, home to the Foxwoods Resort Casino. Having reached a total contribution milestone of $4bn to Connecticut State, and celebrating a 25th anniversary this year, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe’s Foxwood Casino is constantly innovating. One prime example is its popular PLAY Arena, a new immersive multisensory environment filled with multiplayer games that can easily be toggled to play different titles. The Mashantucket Pequot tribe run the longest continuously occupied reservation in the US (est.1666).

They manage to balance a respect for the past with a love for technology and development which saw them introduce the first skill-based slots in the state.

Another forward-focused land operator that has earned its spot on the Shortlist is the Viejas Casino &Resort. It’s a playerfriendly casino hotel and outlet centre

What they said:

Las Vegas Sands is an industry and corporate leader, showcased in its pioneering MICE-driven business model, and its dedication to driving impact through its Sands Cares corporate giving program and leading innovation with the company’s award-winning Sands ECO360 global sustainability program - Las Vegas Sands Corporation

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AWARD SPONSOR

IGT is the global leader in gaming.

The supplier enables players to experience their favourite games across all channels and regulated segments, from gaming machines and lotteries to interactive and social gaming. Leveraging a wealth of premium content, substantial investment in innovation, in-depth customer intelligence, operational expertise and leading-edge technology, our gaming solutions anticipate the demands of consumers wherever they decide to play

located in the picturesque town of Alpine, California. Naming Thomas McCartney as President and General Manager of the resort in November 2016, the casino has executed effectively on its expansion two years ago. It now offers more than 2,000 machines, concert venues and multiple indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, and provides some of the best deluxe casino accommodation on the market.

The Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino and its Chairman Seth Schorr have much to teach the wider gaming industry as it expands to meet the demands of a younger clientele. The resort provides stunning hotel rooms and fantastic dining options to complement its exceptional range of tables and slot games. The casino’s eSports lounge is making waves in Las Vegas and beyond, underlining how operators must rise to meet the demands of an evolving customer base. The Vegas-based operator looks to expand their land empire as they develop a third 495-room tower in Las Vegas which will also be fitted with the some of the newest products on casino floors.

From Vegas to Manila, the Tiger Resort will be representing the South East Asian land operators in the hope that their new resort Okada will be impressive enough for the judges to send them home with the award.

Tiger Resort launched opened up the Okada Manila to the world in 2016 to a rapturous response. The casino only began gaming operations in December last year, but the $2.4bn resort has established itself as a major destination for not only VIPs but also families from across Asia. The picturesque resort stands as a stunning modern monument to the gaming industry in one of the world’s most beautiful regions.

Its unique design and modern layout are more than worthy of the last nomination for Land-Based Operator of the Year. 

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

DIGITAL OPERATOR The companies which are driving forward the dynamic and fast-growing online gaming industry SPONSORED BY

888 Holdings

Kindred Group

bet365

Ladbrokes Coral

Codeta

LeoVegas

DoubleDown Interactive

Lottoland

EnergyBet

Paddy Power Betfair

30 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 2017 has been a year of major challenges opportunities in the digital gaming market, with new markets regulating online gaming, new games exploding in popularity and the rise of social betting and mobile apps contributing to what has been a busy but revenue rich last 12 months for the global digital gaming industry.

The US digital market has continued to grow in popularity in 2017, with New Jersey leading the revenue figures and indeed the greater legislative charge towards increased digital gaming opportunities in the USA. The digital gaming boom in the state accounted for $381.3m in output, generating over 1259 jobs, $77m in wages to employees and $49.9m in tax revenue to state and local governments in 2016 alone.

Buoyed by the success of the online gaming market in New Jersey - more than $600m reported revenue since legislation in 2013, representatives across the country launched a new online gaming lobbying group in july. The I-Development and Economic Association (iDEA), based in Washington DC and made up of 17 firms including: Amaya, Inc, Golden Nugget, Paysafe, Paddy Power Betfair. This collection of companies represents a wide spectrum of the online gambling industry and aims to lobby federal legislators and political influencers on the positives of online gambling.

The US is making efforts to promote this sector, however for the rest of the world iGaming is a more mixed bag. For instance, Uruguay is considering banning all international-license operators; whilst Australia aims to limit their services.

Even in Europe, where the digital gaming industries have seen strong growth, new restrictive frameworks are being introduced. In the Netherlands, the Hague District Court has ruled that the Dutch Gaming Authority (DGA), the Kansspelautoriteit, was right to impose hefty fines on online operators that it found to have breached gambling laws.

Better news from French gambling regulator ARJEL, which recently revealed that the nation’s turnover from digital sports betting has reached a new high of €636m (£567m), the biggest it has been since legalisation in 2010.

Gaming regulators in Portugal estimate that the country's online gaming industry has grown to an estimated market value of €82.2m in 2017. Figures released by Portuguese gaming regulator Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ) showed that its six licensed operators generated a total of €31m during the first quarter of 2017, up 13.7% from the previous quarter’s €27m.

Riding this wave of iGaming prosperity, the French, Portuguese, Spanish and

Italian gaming authorities agreed an online poker liquidity agreement in July which aims at improving cooperation and information exchanges among the authorities and will allow the liquidity sharing between licensed online poker operators. For the first time poker players from all four countries are able to play online poker on sites operating across these countries, which in itself presents excellent revenue potential expansion opportunities for Europe’s digital gaming operators.

Another potential avenue for iGaming expansion arrived in 2017 when global web giant Google confirmed that it will allow real money gambling applications to be marketed via its Google Play app store, ending a lengthy self-imposed ban on gambling apps since 2013. With Android currently having a 50% market share of the smartphone market, the possibilities for expansion by gambling firms into this potentially lucrative unexplored area of the iGaming market are self-evident.

So who made the final shortlist of the top ten digital operators? First up is the newly re-branded Kindred Group. As one of the largest online gambling companies in the world with over 15 million customers across 100 markets, Kindred are a true titan of the industry. The Unibet parent company reported record turnover in 2016 and continued to expand its portfolio with the acquisition of online operator 32Red earlier this year. It also launched a new high roller casino for the Nordic market, using industry-first third-party

affordability assessments to create a safer gambling environment.

Next up is the digital gaming website Codeta.com, which only launched in the summer of 2016, and in a little over six months has become an award winning operation and the go-to live table games site in markets across Europe, including the UK, Sweden and Germany. It is the first all-live dealer online platform offering players a gaming experience miles apart from the traditional RNG environment. The European live dealer market is set to be worth €1.9bn per annum by 2020 and although it’s fairly new on the scene, Codeta is firmly placed in the driving seat to claim the lion’s share of the market.

Billing itself as “The World’s Largest Free to Play Casino”, DoubleDown Interactive’s DoubleDown Casino offers millions of players the opportunity to play premium online casino games, including slots and blackjack, in a social setting.

Year on year revenue growth has proven the appeal of this business model; however the company’s new challenge will be maintaining this momentum under the stewardship of its new owners DoubleU Games Co, who purchased the company in one of 2017’s biggest digital acquisitions.

Another nominee on the shortlist is gaming firm LeoVegas, which announced a corporate revenue lift of 49% to €44m, increasing its operating profit to €5.5m and winning 75,000 new customers in the process in their 2017 Q1 update. As one of the key innovation leaders, 

What they said: LeoVegas is at the forefront of the next digital generation - mobile. We see mobile as entertainment devices and excel at the experience we give to players.

We have the fastest mobile product with no loading times between verticals. In 2016 we had an organic growth of 70% = an industry leading revenue uplift of €58m - LeoVegas

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 31

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: 888 are an undisputed market leader in casino, poker and bingo, and 888 sport's recent growth has been consistently outperforming the market - as seen in the 2016 figures. A strong focus on core global regulated markets produced excellent results, culminating in 888 hitting a £1bn market cap for the first time - 888 Holdings In just over one year, EnergyBet has created a multi award-winning sportsbook brand. Driving growth through exciting high-profile sports sponsorships, while delivering a competitive product backed by unique offers and exceptional customer service, EnergyBet has rapidly become a successful player in a challenging market - EnergyBet LeoVegas constantly looks to give its customers the highest standards of gameplay with new and exciting features, including the latest game releases.

LeoVegas’ acquisition strategy this year in combination with high ROl driven marketing campaigns has pushed this operator into new competitive markets.

As a market leader in the global online gaming industry, 888 Holdings provides quality entertainment to its customers in a safe, fun, fair, and regulated and secure environment proving its place on this prestigious list as well deserved. Since its official launch in 1997, over 25m people have experienced 888casino’s offerings, making it one of the largest online gaming venues. 2017 was another fantastic year for the operator, continuing to deliver very strong organic revenue and pre-tax profit which surged 82%, further demonstrating the outstanding underlying momentum in the business.

Online performance from Ladbrokes Coral has come on leaps and bounds in 2017, with a significant 17% rise in H1 revenue over last year. This has been 32 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

through a combination of new content and a player acquisition strategy that has resulted in them achieving the million player mark. The Ladbrokes site has also launched a new live casino offering in partnership with Playtech, offering a highly innovative new video system that allows customised messaging with players direct from the casino table.

This international, multi-channel sports betting and gaming operator was only formed in 2016, yet is undoubtedly one of the most successful combined businesses in recent years. Paddy Power Betfair have developed world-class operations both online and off, creating a uniquely positioned business that will only continue to flourish. This united entity has already proven its success following integration of its business operations in the biggest merger in UK bookmaking history. Led by the recently departed CEO Breon Corcoran, the firm showed incredibly impressive first quarter results for 2017, with underlying profits jumping a staggering 114%.

With over 19 million customers in over 200 countries across the globe, bet365 is

one of the world’s favourite online betting companies and certainly the biggest in the UK & Ireland. Each year, bet365 maintains its position at the forefront of innovation. It was the first to truly utilise the ‘Cash Out’ function and offers its customers an outstanding online sportsbook betting experience.

It’s difficult to think of a rival bookmaker that compares to bet365 in terms of coverage of sports and betting markets with its increasingly sophisticated offering.

One of the industry’s rising stars in sports betting, having only been launched in August 2016, EnergyBet boasts a thorougly comprehensive sports betting service that more than matches some of the industry’s biggest operators in terms of product range and service standards.

The operator has launched itself onto the sportsbook scene with an ambitious partnership and promotional strategy, and its marketing efforts are worth noting, with partnerships with Aston Villa and Leyton Orient well and truly placing it on the map.

The final nominee in this category has pioneered a unique digital market and rightly deserves its place in this award shortlist. Lottoland has made betting on international lottery results a permanent fixture in the online gaming market, giving its players the opportunity to wager on the outcomes of hundreds of lottery draws across the world. Its offering does not just encompass betting on lottery draws, it also provides access to scratch cards, instant win games, slot gaming and gives individuals the chance to enter into syndicates with many other players to increase their potential winnings should their numbers come up. With its easy betting interface and tiered prize system, Lottoland is becoming the go-to digital operator for lottery-related betting. 

AWARD SPONSOR

NETENT is a leading digital entertainment company, providing premium gaming solutions to the world’s most successful online casino operators. Since its inception in 1996, NetEnt has been a true pioneer in driving the market with thrilling games powered by a cuttingedge platform. NetEnt is committed to helping customers stay ahead of the competition, is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm (NET-B) and employs more than 700 people in Stockholm, Malta, Kiev, Gothensburg, Gibraltar and New Jersey, USA

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

JACK-POT

LAND-BASED PRODUCT The ten products that made the biggest impact in casino offerings in the past 12 months SPONSORED BY

Aruze Gaming - Cube-X Innovator Deluxe

Genesis Gaming Bravo Cage

Casino Technology EZ Modulo

IGT - Cardless Connect

Eclipse Gaming Super Slots of Cash

Intralot - TapnBet

Euro Games Technology P-27/27ST Slim cabinet

Merkur Gaming Evostar cabinet

Galaxy Gaming High Card Flush

Scientific Games - WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKET™

34 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 Technology is one of the main differentiators in the modern-day casino offering, so it’s no surprise to us that the Land-Based Product of the Year category is one of the Global Gaming Awards’ most varied. Any product can be nominated if it improves the experience of the player or ability to run the casino for the operator, allowing for a broad range of entries.

Some casino industry providers specialise in certain technological aspects of the modern casino offering, not just limited to production of games, whereas others offer a range of varied products that knit together to satisfy all or part of a casino operator’s needs. This is reflected in the Shortlist, where we find some of the giants of the casino game and cabinet technology supplier market competing alongside products created to ease the ability of casinos to offer those games to gamblers, including casino management software, in-casino mobile apps and games, and payments facilitators.

A reliable measure of how the landbased industry is faring can be found in the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers’ monthly reviews of stock performance. Overall, they have shown 2017 to be an extremely positive year so far with consistent growth across the majority of manufacturers in this vertical.

The May report, for example, showed a year-on-year increase for the twentieth consecutive month, rising 134.84 points, or 52.8%, when compared to May 2016.

This is a trend set to continue, with many operators expanding into new territories and fuelling demand for new cabinets and table games.

At the centre of all of this growth and innovation are companies pushing the boundaries in terms of player reward and excitement to create products that keep the industry moving forward.

The first such product on the Shortlist is Scientific Games’ WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKET™ game. Its instant win game offers players a chance to win $1bn through a second chance mechanic, and is the largest prize opportunity for a linked lottery instant game in US history. Initially launched in 11 US states, should the ticket not win it can be entered into an online draw for a chance to win a four day trip to Las Vegas, where the player can participate in the Billion Dollar Challenge to win the top prize. The machine was the first to be built on Scientific Games’ new Gamescape cabinets which use 3-HD player-facing screens which help to engross the player for a more enjoyable and entertaining experience,not to mention the whopping 40-inch screen on the top. The huge jackpot and multiple opportunities to win make the WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKET™.

What they said: TapnBet is a game changer in the retail gaming environment. Designed to broaden the sports betting footprint by catering for casual and impulsive sports fans, it hits the market armed with a fresh, player-oriented UI and a large touchscreen display that elevates the retail betting experience - Intralot Games as thrilling as the movies with a prize that might just be better.

Next on our Shortlist this year, is Sofia-headquartered Casino Technology which has delivered one of the stand-out products in its new wave of slot machines, the EZ Modulo. Launched earlier this year, the machine has received many plaudits for its forward thinking adaptable design.

Complete with contemporary, modular design specifically engineered for easy conversion, two full-HD monitors and controlled side lighting with ambient, game-driven effects alongside advanced ergonomic characteristics, the cabinet has generated global interest and is another jewel, in the supplier’s crown.

The slot machines considerate design makes it an instant classic and it has proven incredibly popular with casino goers and game experts.

Returning to the fray this year, EGT is one of the industry’s foremost providers of premium games cabinets, and has continued its fine tradition here with its P-27/27 ST Slim cabinet. The model has worldwide distribution, and couples two high resolution 27-inch widescreen monitors with a multimedia topper for eye-popping 3D animations, alongside high-quality stereo sound and an impressive level of serviceability that makes for simple installation and easy access to the product’s main components.

The cabinet continues a long legacy of innovative machines made by EGT who are regulars in the category thanks to their practical yet visually attracting approach to cabinet design.

New to the scene, Merkur Gaming recently launched its Evostar cabinet,

proving to be without a doubt one of its most popular products of the year. It was unveiled at G2E Vegas in 2016, and entered its rollout phase in early 2017.

The Evostar takes the quality demands of Avantgarde SLT and Merkurstar on to the next level and projects the ergonomic aspects and comfort of a slant top within the configuration of an upright cabinet in an unprecedented manner. The integrated USB port provides additional playing comfort and functionality. Players can relax and charge their phones as they game and enjoy the Evostar Cabinet. The machine is of course compatible with all major online systems as well as boasting impressive acoustics.

Eclipse Gaming enter this year’s competition with a different approach to the rest of the field. Super Slots of Cash provides players with a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a classic look and feel. A traditional three-reel, one-line game with visually appealing sevens, cherries and bar symbols, the slot is ideal for high-limits rooms with 10x wild symbols at the max bet ($150). The machine has transformed the traditional slot machine, adding new elements to the much-loved physical slot games which helped build Vegas. The Super Slots of Cash are a perfect example of how traditional games attract future generations without isolating the traditional slot players.

Intralot’s TapnBet retail product is leading the charge of discoverability in sports books, changing the face of what has been a traditionally search-based experience since the first betting shops sprang up. Intralot showcased the  GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 35

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 TapnBet family of easy betting products at ICE Totally Gaming 2016 to an excited response, with onlookers intrigued by the product’s capacity to increase the user-friendliness of placing a retail sports bet, making the process intuitive and far less overwhelming. The simplification of sports betting is key in the industry's future and TapnBet look to be in its vanguard.

Another new addition to the Shortlist this year, Aruze Gaming will be hoping that the Cube-X Innovator Deluxe has what it takes to be crowned Best LandBased Product. The company debuted its latest cabinet, the Cube-X Innovator Deluxe to a rapt response at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention 2017, with the larger-than-life graphics of its 42’’ LCD screen complemented by a 23’’ LCD topper. Its cabinet business continues to go from strength-to-strength.

The Cube-X cabinet embodies the next generation of cabinets with stunning visuals and great audio. The 3-D graphics help to make the technology more unique and impressive than the traditional game cabinets drawing praise from many in the industry.

Genesis Gaming’s offering to the table is the recently launched Bravo Cage, an innovative product that has transformed the way casinos manage transactions between the cage and the rest of the property. A completely digital accounting tool, it eliminates the need for paperwork,

providing transparency and accountability.

The versatility of the software means it can handle everything from food and beverage to table games to front desk transactions. This product is a real boom for operators who can manage various games from a single system as well as eliminating risk such as human error or theft. As with any great innovation the Bravo Cage succeeds in making life a lot easier in an area usually over-run with paperwork. Genesis Gaming have developed the back bone of a casino in a single piece of technology.

A casino product that doesn’t fail to attract the attention on the casino floor is Galaxy Gaming’s High Card Flush.

Breaking new ground for proprietary table games, it requires no knowledge of poker or blackjack to play. It’s a suits-based game with incredibly simple rules but with over 20 pay table options. Designed to tempt in the less experienced gamers, it is already receiving glowing feedback from players who enjoy its straightforward simplicity.

Again we can see how technology doesn’t have to be over-complicated and often it’s the simplest inventions which people take to the most. High Card Flush fits that bill offering a combination of a high number of payout options with easily-learned game mechanics. The game has been an instant classic drawing praise from all over the industry.

Our final nomination epitomises the move to mobile-based loyalty schemes,

AWARD SPONSOR

SBTECH is a leading provider of interactive sports-betting solutions and services, and a global market leader within the online gaming industry. The complete offering includes an innovative, dynamic and fully-managed solutions specifically designed for top gaming operators, existing bookmakers and land-based networks. The in-play platform features over 25,000 monthly live events and 2,000+ bet markets on more than 60 different sports which is no better illustrated than with the success of IGT’s revolutionary Cardless Connect system. Accessed via a smart phone app, it replaces cash and paper transactions with a digital wallet that also doubles-up as a player loyalty card, considerably removing friction between player and machine. It was chosen as the platform for MGM’s M life scheme and has since proved a hit with a broad demographic. The Cardless Connect system is the future of reward cards as it manages to offer more seamless play as well as completely eliminating the need to create new cards. Both an operator and player's best friend, the Cardless Connect is a transformational product for the land-based industry. 

What they said: Wowing its way across the US since March, this blockbuster linked game has sweetened sales for 10 US lotteries so far!

With $244M+ in total retail sales and 1.4M+ second-chance entries for BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE™ events in Las Vegas, it’s the highest indexing $10 game of 2017 in AZ, CO, GA, ME, NM and NY Scientific Games

36 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

The P-27/27 St Slim cabinet from Premier Series is one of the best selling products from EGT. It has been also praised for its attractive and ergonomic design, user-friendly navigation, vast variety of multigame mixes and high time-on-machine rates per day - Euro Games Technology

WORLD-LEADING SPORTS BETTING & iGAMING PLATFORM PROVIDER

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

DIGITAL PRODUCT The platforms, technology and games that have stood out in the online gaming world in 2017 SPONSORED BY

Alea - SlotsMillion

NetEnt - Hansel and Gretel

BtoBet - Cloud-based Al

SBTech - Sportsbook

Colossus Bets Colossus Syndicates

ScientiďŹ c Games: Secret Santa Second-Chance Drawings

Evolution Gaming Dream Catcher

Sightline Payments - Play+

Hero Gaming Casino Heroes 3

UltraPlay eSports product suite

38 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 The global explosion in the popularity of online gaming has been in part fed by the advancements made in both the technology and games available to players online.

Smartphone usage has never been higher, with over 2.32 billion people around the globe using a smartphone in 2017 and with that number set to rise to almost 3 billion over the next ten years, the opportunities for digital operators to expand into this market have never been more self evident.

The quality of the Shortlist for Digital Product of the Year is as high as ever, with a pantheon of the industry’s most recognisable and financially successful companies being shortlisted for introducing new and successful products into the market during the past 12 months. The quality of the final Shortlist is truly indicative of not only the strength and depth of digital products available in the online gaming industry but also the spirited rivalry that exists between online gaming firms.

Competition and hardware development have really driven online gaming forward, with ‘gamification content’ in particular offering an opportunity to appeal to the competitive nature of gamers.

Features including points scoring, levelling up, in-game mini-games and the opportunity to compete against other players are now becoming the norm among the industry’s most popular slot games.

In addition to slots, online sportsbooks and online lottery products have been recognised in the Shortlist. Online sports betting is a huge industry in the gambling world with suppliers continuing to launch ever more sophisticated platforms for operators that offer players the best service in terms of product and range of markets.

Historically, lottery has predominantly been a bricks and mortar pastime, but in recent years it has grown more and more into the digital sector and we at the Global Gaming Awards expect increasing numbers of lottery products featuring in awards shortlists over the coming years.

A number of payment and management products have also made the Shortlist, which is a tribute to the part that these products play in aiding operators in both running their sites efficiently while increasing the capabilities of the operator behind the scenes. Despite not being generally recognised as important by the players themselves, these companies are a key part of the digital gaming industry as a whole.

With two-time Digital Product winner Microgaming absent from the final Shortlist, each company will be keen to make their mark on the Global Gaming Awards and our first nominee is no exception. Dream Catcher is the first Money Wheel title from the mobile live gaming specialists Evolution Gaming, and as with all their games it reinvents play through the clever use of technology.

Around the wheel and the live dealer is a state-of-the-art multi-camera studio installation with light and sound effects autosynchronised to the game action. This enables players to enjoy a fully immersive gaming experience through the use of dynamic camera angles and close-ups to create a more involving experience.

Perennial nominees NetEnt have once again made the Digital Product Shortlist, after launching the second title from its Fairytale Legends trilogy, Hansel and Gretel. This slot game is a visually stunning game that is filled with charming animation and driven by an immersive storyline.

The 5-reel, 3-row, video slot takes players on a journey with the hapless children trying to find their way out of the woods and away from the wicked witch. The sheer variety of random and bonus features, free spins, stacked wild re-spins, and wild substitutions is enough to satisfy the most demanding of players.

As gamification shapes more of the digital gaming industries content, the lines between console gaming and other areas of the digital gaming industry have become increasingly

optimised for a seamless transition of play between mobile and desktop which has been a significant challenge for the team.

The fourth shortlisted nominee in the Digital Product of the Year category is a true trailblazer of the digital gaming industry, being the first company in the world to offer its players a truly immersive virtual reality casino. Conceptualised by Alea.com Co-Founder, Alexandre Tomic, SlotsMillion can be played in full VR using the Oculus Rift headset, while desktop and mobile functionality is also built in.

The SlotsMillion casino features a bar and lounge, alongside vivid and engaging slots content, and is widely considered the benchmark in VR gaming applications, and rather than just a novelty. It has added titles from the most reputable games developers throughout the year and is consistently growing its player base.

Our first lottery-based nomination comes from gaming industry stalwart Scientific Games. Its Secret Santa Second-Chance Drawings promotion created for the Pennsylvania Lottery set an industry record for the most

What they said:

Fairytale Legends: Hansel and Gretel™ ranks in NetEnt’s all-time top ten rankings for new player acquisition for the first 42 days, and ranks within the top 8 all-time best game rounds for first 42 days. It also has 3x the game win average of non-branded games and 3.9x the number of rounds (during the first 42 days) - NetEnt blurred and digital gaming companies are now traversing between these two worlds.

A prime example of this is our next nominee, Hero Gaming and the third incarnation of its popular Casino Heroes game, Casino Heroes 3.

The latest version of the gamified online casino world has been written from scratch, with a brand-new codebase, and deeper, and more immersive storytelling while giving big improvements in speed and user experience.

The new platform has flexibility built in, so that new features and games can easily be integrated in future. Moreover, it has been

entries into a promotion offered by a US lottery in 2016.

Building on similar holiday-themed second-chance campaigns organised in 2014, 2015 and 2016, this year’s Secret Santa Second-Chance Drawings promotion featured a mobile-compatible interactive game developed by Scientific Games that was enjoyed more than two million times during the ten-week promotional period, with an average of 28,000 daily plays.

Eligible game retail sales reached nearly $40m, and the Pennsylvania Lottery's VIP Players Club membership grew by 13%.  GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 39

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: Specially tailored to answer the requirements of Millennials, UltraPlay's eSports suite offers the widest selection of competitive games, 3000+ events a month, 1500+ live events whilst covering 50+ markets created with the mindset of a gamer.

All that comes live through the integrated multi-platform video streaming - UltraPlay With 63% of entries coming through Scientific Games' mobile app, it's clear this innovative product hit all the right notes this year.

Creating a truly innovative product offering in the sports betting sector is a big challenge due to the maturity of the market, and although it was only launched at the beginning of the year, the Colossus Bets Syndicates product is already making some serious waves.

This pools-based crowd-betting service continues to surpass expectations, and has repeatedly hit a number of milestones this year.

With the product at the forefront of betting innovation, Colossus Syndicates is becoming a firm favourite among regular sports bettors and newcomers alike.

The seventh nominee in the Digital Product category is UltraPlay, which launched its eSports product suite after it found that it was difficult to implement traditional bookmaking methods in eSports. In doing so it created a product which combines traditional sportsbook techniques with innovative game analysis.

Ultraplay’s team of dedicated eSports traders have developed more than 50 markets, offering thousands of pre-match markets and in-play events with some of the widest eSports coverage available today.

Capping a strong 2017 with a win in the Digital Product category would be the icing on the cake for digital gaming firm SBTech, whose sportsbook offering is among one of the strongest performing in the entire sports betting industry.

The nomination panel for the Global Gaming Awards feels that the breadth of 40 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

Our continued commitment to innovation has created industryleading online features including Flexible Cash Out, Add to Bet and ProAct Live Chat. Meanwhile, our mastery of big data-powered bet encouragement and the rollout of our comprehensive suite of managed services is powering our partners’ growth across the board - SBTech

markets offered is a key distinguishing factor between operators, so the more sports, leagues and geographical regions that an operator can offer odds on, the more appealing they will be to potential customers.

SBTech’s sportsbook offers an incredible 20,000 in-play matches a month, across 2,000 markets and covering over 55 sports. It offers arguably the best in-play management software in the industry, one and five minute markets for certain sports and a big data-powered bet suggestion engine driven by player activity. SBTech also celebrated being the first sportsbook in Cyprus this year, following a string of high-profile customer signings.

As the strength and breadth of the digital gaming market increases, the technology required to maintain and keep it technologically sound becomes more elaborate. A key area of expansion over the next few years will be the integration of Artificial Intelligence into all areas of digital gaming and sports betting.

Our penultimate shortlisted nominee to the Digital Product category of the 2017 Global Gaming Awards is at the forefront of this trend, setting fresh, far-reaching and exciting standards in the industry. BtoBet's new Cloud based B Neuron AI demonstrates how these pioneers are at the cutting-edge of Artificial Intelligence technology.

The advanced cloud platform is a nod to the human thinking process, anticipating the player's behaviour and meeting the demands of operators, whether a start-up or a mature fully-operational organisation. B Neuron is a powerful and advanced sportsbook and

gaming platform which radically changes all facets of the operator’s activity by sustaining and guiding them to make the best decisions for the management, acquisition and retention of players.

Last but by no means least, the final shortlisted nominee to the Digital Product category is representative from the world of payments. Sightline Payments has tried to apply creativity to the electronic payments space in creating its product Play+ which is customised and branded by the operator.

In the last 12 months, Sightline has seen some impressive growth and integrated Play+ to the majority of online gaming platforms used by operators such as William Hill, PIay MGM, PokerStars and Betfair. 

AWARD SPONSOR

BETRADAR is a brand of Sportradar, a global leader in understanding and leveraging the power of sports data and digital content. Betradar provides all the necessary services to run a successful bookmaker operation, such as fixtures, results, odds compiling, trading tools, in-running services, front-end content solutions (including statistics, live scores and live data visualisations), live streaming services, innovative gaming solutions and now eSports betting solutions

for betting and gaming operators worldwide

BETTING SOLUTIONS Everything needed for creating and managing your sports betting offer.

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Live data visualisation tools designed to help your business bloom.

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ESPORTS

The live streaming solution for online, mobile and retail sports betting offers.

Tap into new revenue streams with Betradar esports betting.

Please visit our website: www.betradar.com or contact us today: sales@betradar.com betradar is a brand of sportradar

GGA_202x276.indd 1

02/08/17 10:30

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAM The top schemes and products that strengthen operators’ relationships with their customers SPONSORED BY

Aspers - Aspers World

MGM Resorts International M life Rewards

Boyd Gaming - B Connected

Station Casinos MyBoardingPass

Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards

The Venetian - Grazie

Initial Rewards

Virgin Games - V*Points

Ladbrokes - Comp Points

Wynn Resorts - Red Card

42 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 Customer loyalty programs are among the most significant weapons in the arsenal of both land-based and digital gaming operators and we at the Global Gaming Awards are keen to recognise this, which is why we created the esteemed Customer Loyalty Program Award. Operators are continually striving to improve customer experience and consequentially build a strong relationship with their customers, which is vital to a business’ success, and we at the Global Gaming Awards would be remiss if we did not recognise achievements made in this field.

Similar to many of the previous Awards Shortlists in this category, casinos have dominated the Shortlist in 2017; however a number of online gaming operators are also represented this year.

Land-based operators are the traditional kings of the customer loyalty scheme, but with gaming evolving into a truly multichannel offering, it seems highly likely that we will see more and more digital operators shortlisted in the years to come.

Our first nominee in this category traces its roots back to the earliest days of the casino loyalty program and has constantly refined its offer since its launch.

Established Vegas operator, Caesars Entertainment has begun its emergence from the bankruptcy issues which have dogged it over the last two years and its recent structural reorganisation may have changed the company somewhat but it all seems like the company has turned a corner.

The Total Rewards scheme, which has remained popular throughout the company’s recent period of uncertainty enables guests to earn rewards based on gameplay, whilst customers can earn tier points from social gaming purchases online. These points can then be redeemed for free play, discounts and pre-sale show access, which continues to make customers feel special by being uniquely rewarded for their loyalty.

Current kings of the Customer Loyalty Program Awards are MGM Resorts International, who have taken home the award for the past three years in a row, and will be keen to further cement their dominance of this category with a fourth straight win. Its M life scheme rewards guests for virtually every dollar spent across 15 MGM resorts and is by far the most popular in Vegas.

The M life Rewards scheme includes the M life Rewards MasterCard, launched in partnership with First Bankcard, which offers card holders the opportunity to turn everyday purchases into exclusive hotel, dining, entertainment and spa experiences at M life Rewards destinations. Additional rewards include M life Moments, membersonly access to behind-the-velvet-rope

What they said: Initial Rewards has been adding value to loyalty programs for over 10 years. Our innovative suite of online stores and prize sites provide an array of rewards offerings for players and especially VIPs in any loyalty program. At Initial, not only do we help our clients retain customers but keep them loyal as well Initial Rewards experiences and personalised offers from partners including Hyatt, Southwest Airlines and Royal Caribbean.

The third nominee in the Customer Loyalty Program of the Year award for 2017 promotes customer loyalty through its Grazie tailored rewards scheme. The Venetian Grazie reward scheme is split into three different rewards points categories; Status, Slots, and Gifts. This gives great flexibility to customers in terms of gaining points for their preferred pursuits, may that be gaming or other leisure activities. The scheme also offers customers the Grazie Gifts experience, where loyalty program members can use Grazie Gift points during their resort stay to purchase complimentary high-end brand gifts at a shopping experience in the resort.

There is some crossover between the schemes, so no matter how you spend your money at the resort it still gives you a great choice of rewards. It is also extremely easy for users to accrue points; they simply charge any purchases made throughout the resort to their room. This includes anything from meals, show tickets and spa services, and as Status points accrue your level rises, unlocking new benefits, discounts and privileges.

Similar in its make-up to its competition, the Wynn Resorts Red Card sees players collecting points when playing slots, table games, or poker and use it to secure

reservations at one of their restaurants or shows. It is the rate of accruing points and the quality of exclusive offers made available to Red Card holders that makes Wynn Resorts loyalty scheme stand out from its competitors.

The Wynn Red Card is not only the guest’s room key but also delivers preferred access to the world of Wynn Las Vegas. Red Card provides members with benefits for experiences exclusive to Wynn Resorts. The credits may be redeemed for services and amenities available at two resorts with the ease and usability of just one card.

It’s not just the established Vegas strip resorts that are getting in on the action when it comes to loyalty programs, other operators in the local area are now recognising this marketing strategy and our fifth nominee to the Customer Loyalty Program Award Shortlist exemplifies this trend.

Station Casinos' MyBoardingPass loyalty scheme allows players to earn and redeem points at 20 casinos across the Las Vegas Valley, building up their tally for everything they do, from playing table games to enjoying a spa treatment.

Station Casinos allows customers to redeem those points in a huge variety of ways, with over 60 restaurants, 11 hotels and eight movie theatres at their disposal, while having responded to customer feedback, GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 43

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

AWARD SPONSOR

AGS is a full-service designer and manufacturer of gaming products for the casino floor. The company’s roots are in the class II, Tribal Gaming market, and it has expanded its product lines to include top performing slot games for the class III commercial marketplace, as well as live felt table games and mobile gaming. the operator is one of the few that allows them to be redeemed for cash.

Rounding out our list of US-centric reward schemes in this year’s Customer Loyalty Program of the year category is a scheme that is permanently popular both for its geographic spread annd its value for money. Members are able to use their points at 17 casinos from Las Vegas and Louisiana, to Illinois and Indiana, with many players considering Boyd Gaming’s B Connected loyalty program as giving the best bang per buck in terms of free rooms, dining and free play.

Each of the three levels of the B Connected loyalty scheme has its own unique set of rewards and benefits.

So whether you’re just starting out as a Ruby Member, have progressed to being a Sapphire Member, or have made it all the way to becoming an Emerald Member, members find special ways to be treated and ways to earn special treats.

Marking its return to the Global Gaming Awards Customer Loyalty Program Award Shortlist after a year’s absence is UK operator Aspers, and its brand-new rewards and loyalty scheme. Aspers World has only just been launched but take-up has already been extremely healthy. It offers a strong range of incentives for players, including an innovative ‘Win Your Parking’ offer for the lowest tier members, as well as free bets and drinks on your second and third visit to the group’s casinos.

The final three shortlisted nominees in the Customer Loyalty Program of the Year award have all distinguished themselves in the digital arena, offering loyalty schemes which are both innovative and successful while being easy to understand and advantageous to the customers they were designed for.

Our eighth nominee to the Customer Loyalty Program of the Year category is a loyalty program but with a distinct difference in the benefits that it offers to its members. At first, Virgin Games’ V* Points system looks like many point-based loyalty programs, but, digging a little deeper reveals that it offers far more. It’s 44 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

based on earning points, but those points can be spent on Virgin vouchers, plane tickets, holidays, casino cash, and much more. The points are offered across all of Virgin’s platforms, including Virgin Games, Virgin Bingo and Virgin Poker.

Penultimate nominee Initial Rewards is the biggest provider of loyalty and promotional services for the gaming industry outside of the US, offering a range of services from digital loyalty stores to merchandise branding and fulfilment.

The look, design and feel of their online store is designed to perfectly mirror the one used by the online operator to create a seamless transaction process. They also include a High Rollers Section for those with a substantial Loyalty Points total, which includes items such as Cartier watches, diamond earrings and travel packages.

The final shortlisted nominee in the Customer Loyalty Program of the Year

category was shortlisted in the 2016 Global Gaming Awards but for its sports betting loyalty program rather than its currently shortlisted Comp Points loyalty program, which serves to illustrate Ladbrokes’ commitment to rewarding its customers across its multichannel offerings.

Simply put, the Ladbrokes Comp Points system means that for every £10 you wager through the casino, you will receive one comp coin. 100 comp coins are worth £1, and the best part is that this cash comes free of wagering requirements, making this a big draw for customers.

So when you go to convert your comp points to cash, that is genuine cash that you own and not simply casino bonus money tied up in bundles of T&Cs. The inducement of offering money rather than the traditional casino bonus rewards really distinguishes Ladbrokes from its competitors in this area. 

What they said: In an ongoing effort to reward the resort’s loyal guests, Red Card provides members extraordinary benefits. Guests are encouraged to use their Red Card while gaming to earn coveted fine dining or show reservations, cabanas at one of the resort’s pools, special rates on the resorts’ luxurious guest rooms and much more - Wynn Resorts We’ve launched Aspers World, our new loyalty scheme focussed on rewarding customers and offering them access to bonuses, offers and gaming prizes. Everyone has a choice of casino and this scheme helps us to thank our customers for choosing us - Aspers

LAND-BASED INDUSTRY SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR ©2017 AGS LLC. All rights reserved.

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8/23/17 3:50 PM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

DIGITAL ACQUISITION PROGRAM The marketing schemes and products that have aided operators most, or made the biggest impact in online gaming SPONSORED BY:

Betway Partners

Ladbrokes Partners

Casumo Affiliates

LeoVegas Affiliates

Energy Partners

Media Skunk Works

Interwetten Affiliate

OVO Affiliates

Kindred Affiliates

Rewards4Racing

46 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 In today’s digital gaming market, having the best product alone is not enough to win you a dominant share of the market. You must also have the tools to tell potential customers that your product exists, and most importantly where they can sign up to it. This is where a good marketing strategy proves itself to be invaluable; indeed with operators finding a market that is becoming increasingly crowded, the value of marketing that cuts through has never been more prominent.

At its heart, marketing in gaming involves many strategies, some of which are applied in all industries and some of which are specific to the just the gambling industry itself. The most prevalent form of marketing inherent to the gambling industry is affiliate marketing which is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of every digital operator’s marketing approach.

The pace and size of acquisitions taking place in the sector certainly looks to be on the increase, with affiliate networks including Catena Media, RakeTech and Gaming Innovation Group engaging in a series of deals over the past several months. Among the most headlinegrabbing was the latter’s unveiling of an €11.5m deal to take control of Casino Tops Online, GIG’s largest affiliate acquisition to date, with CEO Robin Reed stating that the deal formed a key part of the company’s aim “to build the largest distribution network in iGaming”. Catena Media, the Malta-headquartered affiliate network, has also been nothing short of prolific when it comes to M&A involvement in the past year. The online lead generation firm made a number of strategic acquisitions in 2016, with a €15m deal to take control of AskGamblers.com among the largest.

The investment has clearly paid off, with H2 results showing a 78% increase in revenue over 2016.

For affiliate sites themselves, the job of generating traffic has become a lot more complicated due to Google’s latest Penguin update to its search algorithm. SEO-derived traffic is now incredibly valuable compared to last year, and those who have adapted their strategy to continue to generate it are reaping the rewards. For others the key has been developing content that provides players with ongoing value and gives them a reason to keep coming back. They need to focus on the long-term, and that is what many affiliates have started to realise and plan around.

As our first shortlisted nominee, Betway Partners represents the vanguard of affiliate programs, coupling first-rate knowledge with a reliable and trustworthy service. This affiliate program ensures the delivery of world-class online gaming

What they said: Kindred Affiliates is delighted to be offered the chance to defend its title. Since winning this award in 2016 we have launched a new website in ten languages, grown the team to 20+ dedicated affiliate managers and our awardwinning EURO 10x10 promotion netted the Group a 69% increase in new player acquisition - Kindred Affiliates

Interwetten is one of the pioneers of the industry. The company’s dedication to digital customer acquisition and customer service has only grown over the years. Therefore, Interwetten makes the most of a variety of social media platforms to show customers its affinity for sports - Interwetten Affiliate products and offers one of the most sophisticated affiliate programs on the market. Betway Partners helps affiliates to maintain their position at the forefront of the online Sports, Casino, Bingo and Poker industry, providing clients with the best strategies, tools and know-how to drive record-breaking player conversion and commission.

Now in its 11th year, the multi-award winning Kindred Affiliates program incorporates 11 brands and is a partner that affiliates love to work with. They are experts in creating the best possible gambling products and promotions that will keep your players happy. Kindred Affiliates software is user friendly and is continuously updated which ensures their product is the best on the market.

Combining this with their outstanding reputation helps to keep players loyal and continue to use their product after signing up.

Our first horseracing focussed affiliate provider, Rewards4Racing has capitalised on the trend of punters moving away from free bets, by taking note of customers in other industries moving towards gift vouchers and experiential incentives. The Rewards4Racing programme allows members to collect points every time they bet at a participating racecourse with one of their three partners (bet365, Betfred and Coral).

These points can then be spent on raceday tickets, upgrades and experiences at over 900 race meetings a year.  GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 47

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: The goal has been to deliver innovative, disruptive solutions to diverse and complex problems. The most common to date being SEO. Our small team of domain experts, engineers and bleeding-edge academics, coordinated by an ex-military project manager, has helped over 80% of the top 50 iGaming operators fix many SEO issues - Media Skunk Works Membership has doubled since 2014 and led to over £1.24bn being staked by members with the betting partners, and has delivered 58,400 new signups in 2016. From a standing start in 2011, Rewards4Racing has come out of the gate quickly.

The fourth shortlisted nominee in the Digital Acquisition category is a young brand that continually breaks new milestones in the online casino space.

OVO Affiliates belies its age with one of the most widely respected programmes in the affiliate space. Promising to offer “VIP treatment for all players” and with no negative carryover and revenue share beginning at 30%, OVO Affiliates boasts an experienced team of dedicated affiliate managers committed to delivering best-in-class support to the company’s affiliate partners.

Now in the Shortlist we move from a young gun, to an industry stalwart. Ladbrokes Partners is a name synonymous with quality in the online gambling industry, with a host of top converting brands across verticals including sports, poker, bingo and casino.

With regard to commission, partners are able to select a plan that best suits them, be that through competitive revenue share, CPA, or a hybrid of the two. Offering reliable payments, proven conversions and real-time reporting stats, there has never been a better time to be a Ladbrokes Partner.

48 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

In its mission statement, Maltesebased firm Energy Partners says that it aims to provide the optimal environment for its affiliates to focus on customer acquisition. Noting that while some affiliate managers are great at winning affiliates over, some have their main strength in ongoing service delivery, Energy Partners is aiming to excel at both.

Energy Partners offers an excellent deal to get affiliates started, with 50% revenue share guaranteed for the first two months and account managers on hand to arrange an attractive deal moving forward.

As any good affiliate provider will tell you, having a good relationship with your affiliates benefits both parties and our seventh nominee is one that exemplifies this philosophy. Affiliates of LeoVegas are known as “Friends of Leo”, a moniker that perfectly captures the kind of culture that LeoVegas Affiliates fosters with its partners. Working across LeoVegas’ fast growing casino, live casino and sportsbook offering, affiliates automatically have 25% revenue share, increasing with their performance. The LeoVegas Affiliate Academy offers handy insights and tips of the trade, enabling the programme to work efficiently and effectively in partnership with its affiliates.

This is the second time in two years that LeoVegas has been nominated for this award, narrowly losing out to Unibet in 2016.

An industry veteran, the Interwetten Affiliate program was founded back in 1990, and this experienced-hand has been on the market long enough to truly understand what makes a truly successful affiliate program. The affiliate program starts at 25% revenue share and climbs up to 35% based on performance tiers, with no negative carry over. With the affiliate program proving to be a continued success year-after-year, Interwetten is maintaining its reputation as one of the pioneers in the gambling affiliate industry.

The penultimate nominee in the Digital Acquisition category functions as a part of Europe’s fastest growing online casino and Casumo Affiliates is rapidly becoming an essential partner for all affiliates. The program acts as a unique and highly effective converting engine that generates fantastic results both immediately and long-term. As one of the most sought-after online casinos across Sweden, Norway, and Finland, Casumo has tremendous benefits for their members, increasing player value and retention. Casumo has never followed the crowd and are relentlessly challenging all the pre-defined rules out there to create the best affiliate experience available.

Our tenth and final nominee is one of the foremost authorities in SEO techniques, Media Skunk Works specialise in helping online gaming businesses significantly improve their visibility.

Founder Paul Reilly was instrumental in building their key asset; a system they hail as the SEO industry’s first accurate predictive modelling technology for anticipating and avoiding future search engine algorithm updates. The company operates with strong ethics in an industry not known for this quality, and even polygraphs its employees to ensure their integrity. 

AWARD SPONSOR

ULTRAPLAY is a modern technology company founded in 2010, with a core ambition to offer an innovative approach to the online gaming industry by providing advanced betting solutions, focused on eSports, sports betting, casino, live betting and Bitcoin solutions.

Staffed by a team of iGaming professionals with vast experience in betting product development, operations, eSports and marketing, UltraPlay is a trusted partner for delivering superior sports software and odds products to its customers.

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

LAND-BASED INDUSTRY SUPPLIER The award that acknowledges the companies driving brick-and-mortar casino and retail betting development behind the scenes SPONSORED BY:

AGS Ainsworth Game Technology Aristocrat Leisure Aruze Gaming Everi Holdings IGT Interblock Konami Gaming, Inc. Novomatic ScientiďŹ c Games 50 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 Operators are fundamentally the be-all and end-all of the industry in the eyes of the customer. It's one thing to put on a show at the front of house, but it’s those people and companies running the operations behind the scenes who truly understand how the industry is developing, and the ones who are driving it forward.

Their actions, offers and services are testament to their own connection with and understanding of the gaming industry.

The products that customers play on a daily basis would not be possible without the ingenuity, skill and dedication of the industry's suppliers. The manufacturers included in this year’s Shortlist have worked behind the scenes to develop, construct, and improve the games, terminals, and other hardware that goes into making the modern day gambling experience as enjoyable as it is.

Casino suppliers tend to dominate the Land-Based Industry Supplier of the Year Shortlist, as the casino industry contributes the lion's share of brick-andmortar gambling globally. As opposed to the Land-Based Casino Product category, which focuses on individual launches, the Land-Based Industry Supplier category examines the operations of suppliers as a whole over the past year. The award evaluates a number of different factors such as geographical expansion and trendsetting technology development, as well as new product launches.

These companies collectively make gaming as dynamic and interesting for players as it is today, which is why we honour the best with this unique and special award.

The first nominee to be shortlisted in the Land-based Industry Supplier of the Year category is the second largest Australian firm that has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months, Aristocrat Leisure. The manufacturer has had another tremendous year, in which it had brought to market some of the most eagerly-anticipated slot games in recent years.

Focused on its stated aim – “to create the world’s greatest gaming experience every day”, Aristocrat now holds 23% of ship share in North America, with impressive growth across both its Class II and Class III offerings. During the first-half of FY 2017 Aristocrat delivered a massive 49% lift in net profit after tax and before amortisation of acquired intangibles (NPATA) to $272.9m, proving its spot on this prestigious Shortlist is well-deserved.

Continuing with the casino market manufacturers, the next nominated company in this category is IGT, which has yet again reinforced its reputation as one of the titans of this industry in

both 2016 and 2017, rolling out a series of groundbreaking premium gaming experiences, including the firstof-its-kind SPHINX 4D cabinet.

It also revealed five new cabinets to support its extensive library of top-tier premium titles, and continues to excel in international markets.

As another one of the leading providers in the industry, Interblock released more than 12 new products and functionalities at G2E 2016, doubling its impressive portfolio of electronic table games (ETG). Interblock is using its innovative products and data-driven industry insights to bring new innovation to players all over the globe, its drawing in the next generation EGTs of players and keeping existing players playing longer and more often.

Another supplier who has reaped the rewards with some impressive results in the past year is Konami Gaming, Inc. The digital entertainment business has reached new heights over the last year, leveraging proven technology from its powerful legacy in amusement and video games to innovate next generation gaming products.

With this in mind, the company recently premiered its first skill-based concepts, including a Frogger skill game now live in Nevada, as well as Beat Square, an exciting tournament-style rhythmic dexterity game. In the last year Konami has also pioneered its new Crystal Cyclone multi-station machine, alongside the groundbreaking Fortune Cup horse racing game. Year-after-year Konami continues to push the boundaries, setting the bar for other suppliers and manufacturers alike, paving the way for innovation in a rapidly growing market.

The next nominee the panel felt worthy of distinction is Scientific Games. This Shortlist nominee is a leading innovator in the global gaming industry, with operators in regulated markets all over the world partnering with the firm for its games content, technology, customised programs and managed services that engage today’s players in new and exciting ways. Recording a 24% increase in unit shipments for Q1 2017, the market is clearly responding to the innovation inherent in Scientific Games’ approach.

Aruze Gaming has long been a trailblazer in serving the land-based gaming industry, with a host of excellent products continuing to rank highly with players and operators alike on casino floors. With a host of renowned slot games, including the Tower Stack and Ancient Wheel series, complementing an excellent selection of cabinets, Aruze Gaming well and truly earns its place among the industry’s heavyweights.

The past year has been another filled with important milestones, but the future is looking even brighter. This supplier is setting its sights on tapping into new opportunities in the casino sector, with a number of exciting new products being launched at G2E Vegas this year that aim to create a market niche somewhere between slot machines and electronic table games.

Another nominee on this esteemed list is Australian heavyweight, Ainsworth Game Technology. Ever since it burst onto the scene back in 1995 it has grown at an impressive rate year after year, celebrating the opening of its sprawling $40m North American headquarters in September 2016. 

What they said: IGT is a total solutions provider that is committed to gaming innovation. IGT products such as SPHINX 4D, Wheel of Fortune Slots, PlaySpot, Cardless Connect, S3000 cabinet and others illustrate the Company’s depth and breadth of portfolio, and reinforce IGT’s position as the leading land-based industry supplier - IGT

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 51

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: As the gaming industry strives to reach new audiences, Konami is actively delivering proven technology from its legacy in amusement and video game entertainment to innovate next generation casino gaming products like never before, while offering a landmark array of core product releases to power today’s global market - Konami The company recently launched its A640 cabinet, which delivers fresh gaming experiences to players through its bold and dynamic design, complete with a sleek 40’’ LCD screen and optional 21.5’’ topper. As a supplier, the largerthan-life products that Ainsworth Game Technology produces are synonymous with its mission to continue pushing the strong momentum they’ve been sailing on for the past several years.

With its roots in the Class II Native American market, AGS has grown to be one of the most significant players in supplying the US casino mareket. The recent launches of its stunning premium cabinet Orion, its white-label Bonus Spin progressive table technology and new single-deck card shuffler generated huge interest at G2E 2016.

More than 500 placements of Orion were secured in the immediate wake of G2E, as the firm continues to go above and beyond for its customers.

Furthermore, the recent acquisition of Cadillac Jack, an entry into the table games market and the addition of a mobile gaming segment with the acquisition of RocketPlay, denote a dramatic expansion of AGS products. Increased slot titles and jurisdictional licenses have made AGS the second largest supplier of Class II games in the world, and its presence in Class III casinos continues to grow apace.

Our penultimate nomination for this category is a company committed 52 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

Achievements include seven consecutive quarters of growth; operating income doubled from a year ago; a 40% increase in share price; and 20% increase in bond prices. The Company's Gaming, Lottery, and Interactive businesses are all performing well, providing the broadest portfolio of games, systems, and services - Scientific Games

to changing casino floor operations for the better, Everi Holdings. Its financial performance this year has shown steady growth with revenue climbing to a total of $237.5m for Q1 2017 compared to $205.8m a year prior. While its operating income increased dramatically from $3.8m to $22.6m. The company has recorded consistent demand for its varied portfolio of three-reel mechanical games, while its market-leading payments segment continues to take the industry by storm.

Earlier this year Everi launched a new slot, titled Casablanca, which is fast becoming one of the main attractions to the company's Empire MPX gaming cabinet. The casino, which was developed in partnership with the consumer product arm of Warner Bros. is Everi’s first WideArea Progressive (WAP) licensed game theme.

Last but certainly not least in this category is industry veteran is Novomatic.

Founded back in 1980, the casino supplier’s games are among the most recognisable and technologically advanced in the industry, a fact reflected in the company’s sterling financial performance in 2016. Novomatic recorded the highest revenues in its history, achieving 10% growth to a total of €2.29bn, while the firm also increased its number of employees by 18.1% to 23,849.

Not only did the company achieve outstanding financial results in 2016, but it further set out clear strategic paths for further expansion. These

include the signing of an agreement to acquire approximately 53% of the shares in the publicly traded Australian company Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd. Moreover, the company expanded its market position in Germany, Italy and Spain by acquiring numerous smaller companies. This industry titan not only has a proven track record, but is making waves on a global scale in the gambling industry by looking to the future. 

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

DIGITAL INDUSTRY SUPPLIER The providers that the industry is relying on most to take digital gaming forward to the future SPONSORED BY:

BetConstruct EveryMatrix Kambi Malta Gaming Authority Microgaming NetEnt NYX Gaming Group Playtech SG Interactive Yggdrasil Gaming 54 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 In the eyes of customers, operators are the public face of the industry.

However, suppliers dictate the industry’s development behind closed doors, constructing new games and improving the existing ones. The Digital Industry Supplier Award praises the role that these companies play in providing operators with the tools to keep the gaming industry booming. As online gambling continues to experience double-digit growth, operators keep relying on the industry’s suppliers to fulfil customer expectations. Thankfully there are providers in the market who are capable of meeting, and often exceeding, those high expectations.

The first nominee to be shortlisted in the Digital Industry Supplier of the Year category is Microgaming. The company that won last year’s award in this category maintains its position as a trailblazer in game development. Microgaming’s emphasis and dedication to expand its portfolio is outstanding: it launches new products every month including some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Microgaming established its first online casino in 1994 and since then it hasn’t stopped generating original products. As one of the world’s leading software providers, Microgaming boasts more than 600 brands spread around the globe. Additionally, it currently holds the largest and most diverse digital portfolio, with a staggering figure of over 2,000 different games and variants.

In 2017, it also consolidated its VR and AR technologies, putting the company at the forefront of those potentially lucrative verticals. Complementing Microgaming‘s extensive game library

is its exceptional financial results. 2017 was another successful year for the giant software developer. For instance, Quickfire, an instant-play Microgaming-powered platform, has hit double-digit growth and supplied cutting edge content to over 500 different brands.

Another one of those companies that has been recognised for its digital offering over the past twelve months is Playtech. Its emphasis on omnichannel products, developing retail, mobile and digital offerings paid off last year when it won this category. Playtech’s unique omnichannel scheme has well-deservedly placed it again in this year’s best-in-class.

The supplier operates more than 130 licensees globally, including many of the world’s leading regulated online, retail and mobile operators, land-based casino groups, government-sponsored entities such as lotteries, and new entrants opening operations in newly-regulated markets. The pioneering Playtech ONE suite provides the option to link all products, both digital and land-based, into one seamless experience for customers through business intelligencedriven gambling software, including casino, live casino, bingo, poker and sports betting.

Last year’s winner has continued to grow at a steady pace, with substantial increases in revenue and turning this ‘nice to have’ platform into a ‘must have’.

Another business that has been awarded for its economical growth is sports betting technology provider Kambi. In 2012, it reported €19.1m in gross gambling revenue, whilst in 2016 generated a phenomenal €52.5m. For this reason, earlier this year Kambi Group Plc had been ranked in the top 1000 fastest growing European business

enterprises by The Financial Times, placing 657 in the inaugural FT 1000 list.

Besides substantial growth, the Maltabased company had a successful year by signing new operators. During 2016, it secured five agreements. Further, in July 2017, Kambi renewed its contract with UKlisted operator 888 Holdings’ sports betting division 888sport. The parties have just announced a multi-year extension to their relationship, which began four years ago and has seen revenue grow more than five-fold over that time span.

Kambi may well be a corporate giant in the industry, but there are plenty of smaller suppliers in the market who have had a sterling year, and subsequently have caught the eye of the nominations panel.

The first of these to be awarded with a Global Gaming Awards nomination for its performance in the past twelve months is Yggdrasil Gaming. It has emerged as an ‘established underdog’ and has fast become one of the industry’s most respected suppliers. Since it received the first licence in 2013 it has substantially grown in size, amassing multiple licences and launching numerous games and products.

One of the many highlights of Yggdrasil Gaming’s impressive 12 months was the launch of the new game Yggdrasil Dragons.

This innovative business will engage, work with and support mutually beneficial partnerships between the supplier and other gaming entrepreneurs. The idea behind this initiative is to allow businesses with new and exciting ideas to access Yggdrasil’s resources, experience, and knowledge to ensure their proposition goes on to be a big success. Furthermore, the company has opened new offices around Europe, 

What they said: As a true equal-opportunity We published top-performing supplier, BetConstruct brings exceptional games like Jungle Jim, Lost Vegas, Dragonz and Tarzan®. We delivered 38K+ products and services to operators of every marketing assets online. Our progressive tier. Unique BetConstruct Spring Business jackpot network hit €647M in payouts and Management Environment gives companies of any size real freedom and flexibility created the largest ever mobile win. And to grow. BetConstruct’s solutions are our Quickfire platform enjoyed record growth powering operators’ success and launched an intelligent new incentives worldwide - BetConstruct module - Microgaming GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 55

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: Playtech has had an outstanding year delivering the industry’s only true Omni-channel capabilities to its prestigious list of global gaming brands, empowering them with cutting-edge technology that players can access anytime, on any channel or device using a single account, delivering the ultimate gaming experience Playtech testament to the rapid growth and success of this rising star.

The next nominee in our Digital Industry Supplier Award already knows what it feels like to win the title of this esteemed category. In 2015, NetEnt took the Global Gaming trophy and last year was again amongst the top ten. The company has successfully stepped into both the US and UK market with its technologically-advanced and customisable live casino offering. Its market-focused strategy has driven the company into new opportunities and joint-ventures. In total, NetEnt has signed 45 new customer agreements and launched 34 new customer casinos in the past year; numbers that underline how well the company has built on previous positive results.

Last year both NYX Gaming Group and OpenBet entered the Shortlist separately, but since then the companies have now completed their merger. The monumental acquisition improved NYX’s sportsbetting market supplying capabilities becoming one of the ten Best Digital Industry Suppliers.

2017 was another successful year for the firm, with figures up virtually all across the board. For instance, OpenBet has experienced a record-breaking year: its sportsbook processed more than two billion bets in 2016, in addition to the 68,000 betsper-minute processed at the 2017 Grand National. Currently NYX supplies over 700 casino games to more than 200 operators worldwide, which include William Hill and SkyBet. Speaking of success, this year has been smiles all round for BetConstruct. The online and land-based developer and provider, which was also shortlisted in 56 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

this same category last year, currently powers 200 partners globally, offering a wide range of services: sportsbook, live dealer casino, RNG casino suite, poker, skill games, virtual betting, financial betting and fantasy sports. In addition to noting BetConstruct’s comprehensive platform and breadth of clients, the nomination panel was also keen to praise its vision that all operators should have access to the tools and the support necessary to achieve their desired level of growth and success.

The next nominee that has made our Best Digital Supplier Shortlist was also nominated in the Land-Based Supplier category, proving how valued this business is by industry insiders across two very different and distinct verticals. The major suppliers in the industry are sometimes striving, and not always succeeding to impact the industry on one vertical, but Scientific Games, through its digital division, SG Interactive, has received the distinction of being recognised at the top of both the land-based and digital supplier markets. In the past 12 months, SG Interactive’s online capabilities have aided the supplier in signing new contracts and extensions with multiple global partners.

Shortlisting a national regulatory body such as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) for the Best Digital Supplier of 2017 may come as a surprise to some of you.

However, the MGA has had a stellar year by breaking the record number of gaming companies licensing their operations through its jurisdiction. The MGA, which is in charge of both land-based and online gambling, has recently made it far easier

for business to register in the island by reforming the legal framework around the industry.

The Authority has also intensified its efforts to fight corruption within the sector. Last June, it signed a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the eSports Integrity Coalition (ESIC), with the aim of protecting and maintaining the integrity of eSports and eSports betting.

The highlight of MGA’s extraordinary last few months is its advancing strategy to allow the use of digital currencies like Bitcoin at online casinos. It recently published a report evaluating the use of cryptocurrencies, concluding the positive impact that would have in the economy and giving the green light to Bitcoin gambling. MGA Executive Chairman Joseph Cuschieri believes that this type of currency presents great opportunities and hopes that the gaming industry will adopt it shortly.

The final nominee being recognised in this category is EveryMatrix. In the last few years, the firm has experienced excellent development, from 80 employees when it was founded in 2008 to now over 500. The software supplier continues to grow and expand its markets through Asia and Europe, never afraid of too big a challenge.

Its most remarkable products are OddsMatrix, a sportsbook delivering over 25,000 monthly live events, and CasinoEngine which is the largest content aggregator in the current market.

EveryMatrix has tripled its product line by adding new platforms and software products. For instance, MoneyMatrix offers more than 100 international payment solutions, using KYC management software.

This company is an exceptional example of how a business should grow organically without relying on mergers with, or acquisition of, other businesses. 

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

LAND-BASED GAMING INNOVATION Future-prooďŹ ng the industry and the desire to attract Millennials have been the primary drivers of change SPONSORED BY:

Agilysys - InfoGenesis Flex

KGM - CONNECT

Gamblit Gaming - Gamblit Model G

Konami Gaming, Inc. Beat Square

IGT - SPHINX 4D

Lightning Box Games Silver Pride

Jackpot Digital Jackpot Blitz

Ortiz Gaming - OrtiZone

JCM Global - FUZION

zennTEK - ZIS

58 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 The gambling industry relies on the oldest of human impulses, the desire to risk certainty and future security in pursuit of unknown riches or dreams, but this doesn’t mean there isn't a place for innovation in the industry. While it is true that land-based gaming has remained largely constant in the scope of its offerings for the better part of a century, the drive to reinvent the gambling industry with originality and excitement to compete with the entertainment provided from other sources has never been stronger.

Innovation has two primary purposes: the first is to keep existing customers from becoming bored with a stale product and second to attract new customers who are not currently drawn to the products being offered by your business at present. Today’s younger generation are now being exposed to a multitude of new and constantly changing sources of entertainment, far more than their counterparts in previous generations making this generation perhaps the most challenging one to appeal to and innovate for.

A commonly held belief in almost all business sectors is that innovation is primarily the responsibility of smaller, entrepreneurial companies that have the flexibility and risk-taking appetite that the industry giants lack. Although this has a certain element of truth in gaming as well, there are a number of industry heavyweights that choose to focus on developing revolutionary products while also maintaining steady growth, with a number of these companies appearing in the Global Gaming Awards Land-Based Gaming Innovation Shortlist.

Our first shortlisted nominee to this category is one such firm, operating as an industry leader whilst also providing a sustained commitment to innovation in the land-based gaming sector. Looking to win the award for a second time after just missing out last year, IGT has maintained its commitment to transforming the gaming industry with products that set new levels of inventiveness in the land-based market.

The supplier’s SPHINX 4D game represents this ethos perfectly, leveraging gesture recognition functionality and air-haptic technology to allow players to interact with the game's 3D objects and offers a truly immersive, next-generation gaming experience. For players, the proprietary technology involved in enabling this experience has amazed, and it will be some time before another feature with this kind of impact will come along. Our panel of judges were also blown away by the game, deeming it a genuine game-changer in this category.

What they said: Major players on the Vegas strip are reaping financial returns, with 20-40% revenue lift whether poolside, at the tee or convention area. Unlike other mobile tablets, these perform in inclement weather (rain, snow, splashes), broad temperatures and are resistant to drops and shock, featuring an ultralong battery life - Agilysys Silver Pride was the first slot to transition from online to the U.S land-based market. A desktop and mobile hit in Europe, it reversed the traditional route, going live with Everi Games in January. The truly multi-channel 4x5-reel, 1024 ways slot features exciting gameplay, engaging maths, and eye-catching graphics Lightning Box Games

The next shortlisted company is another established industry heavyweight that is making an effort to make casino gaming more social. Konami Gaming, Inc. has brought out a number of skill-based products this year, but the one that really stands out is the rhythm-based Beat Square. Channelling the popularity for dance arcade machines, Konami Gaming, Inc.'s Beat Square features a standing dashboard game pad with illuminated square buttons in a 4x4 grid.

Players select a song and tap the lit-up squares in identified rhythmic patterns to achieve higher points and random credit awards. Players can compete with one another and play against daily and all-time leader boards, and the machine delivers the necessary payback percentages through skill and random awards. The competitive nature exhibited by players of the original arcade machines is sure to translate well into a wagering mechanic.

The third nominee in the category is an industry-leading purveyor of skill-based content. In the past year Gamblit Gaming

has installed the Model G at multiple casinos, including Harrah’s Resort Southern California and across Caesars Entertainment properties in Nevada and California.

Positioning itself as the supplier of choice for casinos looking to attract the next generation of gamblers, its groundbreaking Model G gaming table is capable of hosting two to four players for a competitive and revolutionary gaming experience. Each gaming table offers a unique, multi-player/multi-game machine with access to a shared 42" touch screen, plus a USB charging port, purse hook and two cup holders for each player.

Next up we have Jackpot Digital’s Jackpot Blitz platform, which represents a significant leap forward in the poker electronic table games segment of the casino industry that makes it a natural choice for the awards and our fourth shortlisted nominee. The platform features enhanced touch screen functionality and a stunning modern design, with the 84 inch screen capable of accommodating ten players at a time.  GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 59

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: FUZION creates a world where the slot machine can be utilised in new ways to unlock greater value for operators and players.

FUZION integrates with the BV, printer, cash box and back end system. That connection boosts revenue, increases efficiency, increases player convenience & empowers targeted marketing - JCM Global The product aims to provide operators with unparalleled operational efficiency and profitability through patented dealerless operations, easy-to-use ETG management software, seamless accounting, multi-table tournaments, interchangeable game offerings, and industry-leading gameplay speed.

Our fifth nominee aims to bring online gaming into the casino, with a flexible software design that allows it to be used in other screen applications on walls, tables or kiosks. KGM’s CONNECT interactive gaming tables can also deliver marketing content through an integrated advertising campaign that delivers targeted messages in real-time as gamers play and the software can predict and adapt, based on the player's past behaviour.

Players don’t even have to wager with real money, giving them the chance to try out games, while those placed in jurisdictions that allow realmoney iGaming can play them as if they were at home.

Billing itself as “an advanced technology lab bringing excitement back to the casino floor”, zennTEK has lived up to that billing with the Zenn Immersive System. The platform transforms the slot floor by projecting themed content onto surfaces surrounding the player, bringing a fresh and exciting new prospect to the casino floor.

The ZIS produces a rich and rewarding atmosphere in which to play slots, immersing players ever more deeply into the game experience. This marks the second time the firm has been shortlisted to this category, after being shortlisted in 60 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

2016, but the first time that the company has made the list under its new name which may prove to be a lucky omen.

As you see from our previous shortlisted nominees, the desire to bring innovation into traditionally unchanging casino floors is becoming a potential area of expansion for land-based operators and our seventh nominee is no exception.

Ortiz Gaming’s OrtiZone turnkey solution grants casinos all over the world the ability to unlock their potential, transforming any space into a profitable gaming area and customised to the operator’s specific needs. The OrtiZone server is well equipped to revitalise the floor of any casino and able to hold any Ortiz Gaming title in any location the casino has available.

Standing out from the crowd in the slots industry is more challenging than ever, as slots become progressively more innovative in their incorporation of gameplay-based elements. In this market, experience counts for a lot and Lightning Box Games have over 20 years' experience in math-based slot design.

The Australian slot design specialist and leading provider of Class II and Class III gaming content launched the cutting-edge Silver Pride slot title to the US market in a deal with Everi in January 2017. The innovative game has exciting gameplay and eye-catching visuals, and has been warmly received on US casino floors, further underlining Lightning Box’s pedigree in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Innovation in this sector is not limited to just front-of-house offerings, often

innovations brought in behind the scenes can prove to be just as game changing as those more visible ones.

The final two shortlisted nominees in the Land-Based Innovation category exemplify behind-the scenes innovations which have the potential to make the gambling industry more streamlined and more efficient over the next decade.

One of the world’s top providers of casino management solutions, Agilysis’ groundbreaking mobile point-of-sale solution, Infogenesis Flex, has gone from strength-to-strength in the last 12 months. It has been recognised by the market as a game-changing, efficiency enhancing product that offers full pointof-sale functionality on a convenient tablet device. The InfoGenesis Flex system carries enough capacity to run an entire Point of Sale item database, which enables prospective operators to use the solution anywhere throughout their venues.

Our tenth and final nominee to the Land Based Innovation category, JCM Global, is a leader in creating innovative and award-winning automated transaction technologies. Its FUZION product was one of the stand-out reveals at last year's G2E, with those who saw it astonished by the amount of technology packed into one product. Compatible with any back-end casino content management platform, FUZION combines JCM’s bill validator technology with a system that delivers an incredible array of vending options from the cabinet, including lottery tickets, race and sports betting tickets, and even tax forms. It was undoubtedly among the hot topics at G2E 2016 and momentum from this launch has been building steadily over the year, making it a natural choice for the Shortlist. 

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

DIGITAL GAMING INNOVATION These innovative companies are having a greater impact on evolving a fast-moving industry than their competitors SPONSORED BY:

AuthenticGaming Bet on Stats

Ganapati Malta - Gungrave

Be the House Cash-Out Roulette

Konect Games Forfeit Football

Betgenius - eSports trading

Leap Gaming - Instant

bettingexpert - SmartBets

Quickspin Achievements Engine

Bit8 - Lotto Hero

Snapscreen

62 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 The relatively young digital gaming industry is famous for its fast-moving pace and exciting, innovative products.

This year’s awards Shortlist is no different, offering up a whole host of riveting new advance from the gaming innovators around the globe.

Digital's driving soul is a requirement from operators to stand out from the crowd and meet the ever-changing needs of the customer. As the sector sees such rapid growth it can often be a tall task to innovate something truly unique and rewarding, however, these operators have earned their place on the Shortlist due to their ability to deliver a product that the customer wants even before they know it themselves. These products are at the very forefront of technology, offering both online and land-based operators a glimpse into the future. Through ingenious design and technology these products have been able to establish themselves as industry pioneers.

The mix of businesses in this category shows how big the impact of digital technology has on the gaming market, and this year the companies representing this category come from verticals such as lottery, online casino and sportsbetting.

Each has proven that there is still room in this industry to push the boundaries or turn an established favourite on its head to create an entirely new form of gaming.

To kick-off this year’s Shortlist for the best Digital Gaming Innovation in 2017, Bit8 is bringing lottery into the 21st century with its new game-changing Lotto Hero. The revolutionary product allows players to win €1m on the hour, every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The game occupies a unique position in the market and has a rewards structure that keeps the player coming back for more. This product can safely boast the fact that it can increase acquisition, retention and conversion. It may be a simple game but it was anything but to develop, and its mass appeal is a result of its clever design. Despite this significant innovation there is no doubt that Lotto Hero will have some tough competition this year.

Another much loved game, Be the House’s Cash-Out Roulette has taken the industry by storm. Launched only recently back in autumn last year, Be the House has already developed, certified and launched with several of the largest online gaming operators including Betfair and William Hill.

The patented offering uses a parlaytype structure to allow players to win lotteryesque wins on roulette. For example, players can wager that of the next 50 spins, 30 will be black. The odds and dynamics are calculated dynamically allowing players

to cash out at any point between the first and 50th spin. These complex algorithms are masked by a user-friendly interface, which has been a hit with players and online gaming operators. The cash out feature brings modern innovation to a much beloved classic and could lead the way for many similar products in the pipeline.

Following the trend of using dynamic maths to develop products is Betgenius. The company has pioneered eSports trading, offering up to 50 ingame markets across 15 game titles.

Powering over 20 regulated bookmakers and providing customers with pre-match and in-play odds on all major eSports competitions has resulted in Betgenius acquiring the largest market share of their area of expertise. eSports can now be quantified, analysed and made available to all. This innovation is trailblazing for any future operators seeking to capitalise on the huge growth in the scale and support for eSports competitions. It offers the

possibility of turning these events into huge wagering opportunitities without putting the operators at any great risk.

There is a clear trend this year in new developments taking into account that the next generation of casino goers want to be able to interact with their odds.

AuthenticGaming’s Bet on Stats feature is unique for its live roulette website, providing players with an alternative view of the traditional betting table where the numbers on the table are replaced with the “hit rate” of each number for the last number of spins. The stats on which to base the “hit rate” on are set by the player and range from the last 50 spins up to the last 500 spins. Hot and Cold numbers are integrated into the betting and players can easily add neighbours to their bets by betting on the table as normal. This eliminates the need for race-track betting, which is enables it to utilise a much clearer and simpler UI that is suitable for play on the smaller screens of smartphones. 

What they said: AuthenticGaming deliver online games, streamed live from premium land-based casinos. The games are enhanced to create a "better than real life" experience by adding player functionality that cant be delivered in a land-based setting. "Bet on Stats" is one in a series of innovative features exclusive to AuthenticGaming - AuthenticGaming We are the only supplier in the market designing and building games based around Japanese culture and themes. We use Japanese technology to ensure the maths and the mechanics of our titles are authentic and true to form. We wanted our games to be instantly recognisable as a Japanese product, so use anime and manga - Ganapati Malta

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 63

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

What they said: Betgenius has been at the forefront of eSports betting ever since launching the word’s first B2B solution in 2015. We now supply 20 partners including Unikrn, Betway, Danske Spil and Sky Bet with a service driven by a team of 20+ eSports traders and exclusive data partnerships with the sector's biggest rights holders - Betgenius The multi-functionality of the game is unrivalled making Bet on Stats a true competitor for innovation of the year.

Another innovation for the ‘out of casino’ gambler is the somewhat more casual Snapscreen, an innovation with huge potential. Snapscreen is to sports betting what Shazam is to music. By simply taking a photo of a sports match playing on a TV screen, Snapscreen will automatically recognise exactly what it is and supply the user with odds related to the match, all within one second. It is seamlessly integrated into betting apps and offers an incredibly intuitive way to get users to place spontaneous bets. The product could easily become a staple for all sports betting operators, turning casual sports meet-ups into exciting gambling opportunities for players.

Turning new technologies into gambling ventures is a popular theme in the Digital Gaming Innovation category this year. Gamification is the buzzword of the moment for online slots, with players reacting well to the challenge of collecting points or unlocking achievements.

Quickspin’s Achievements Engine offers just that. It makes use of six unique game events that take place in all the supplier’s slots, such as when a scatter appears or when the player has a win with two wild symbols, and rewards players with Quickspin Tokens for achieving them.

Achievements are set over four levels, and pay out at each level. Players can then cash in their tokens to trigger the game’s bonus feature, which is usually free spins but could also be re-spins, side 64 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

games, and so on. Players can track their progress, as well as claim and collect their reward on a designated page within each Quickspin slot. It is a relatively simple tool, but one that drives entertainment value and fun by giving back part of a player’s expected losses as tokens thus increasing player satisfaction and retention.

One of the youngest competitors in this year’s awards is Ganapati Malta, which was only established in 2016 but has quickly risen to become a significant force in online gaming development and innovation. The Japanese company looks to bring the best of Japanese popular culture to Western gaming, and their new range of online slots released through Ganapati Malta bears this out.

The product that has earned Ganapati its spot on this year’s Shortlist is Gungrave.

The product revives an existing console game from the 90s and features exciting shooting-based bonus stages involving boss battles. Everything about the company is modern and exciting, and it’s no surprise that their CEO, Mitsuya Fujimoto, used to be a music producer. Their innovations reflect their youthful set up and it has ambitions to be one of the online gaming sector's main game developers.

The eighth contender fighting for 2017’s Digital Gaming Innovation Award is bettingexpert’s SmartBets customisable odds comparison site, that has been fully optimised for use on both desktop on mobile. Bettors can create a dashboard tailored to their favourite teams, sports and betting markets, while the app also

features one-click bet integration with a selection of major operators. The service is now live in a variety of countries, including the UK, Germany and Sweden.

The increased betting opportunities, insightful analysis and markets covered have made it a firm favourite with players.

Pushing the boundaries of possibility in virtual gaming is the new on-demand offering from Leap Gaming. Known for their incredibly realistic virtual sports products, the innovation they have been nominated for allows bettors to place bets and order events on the fly, providing immediate gratification, and they have simplified the UX to make the product much more mobile friendly. Players can now play how and when they want, with operators able to set margins and control the scope of sports offered. The player is empowered too, able to skip to the outcome and re-bet if desired, creating a high-frequency betting experience.

This innovation creates a virtual world of tennis, horse and dog betting all from the convenience of a phone or computer.

Our final nomination in this category impressed the panel for a unique product that turns sports betting on its head to create a gaming experience with social interactive play at its heart.

Konnect Games’s new Forfeit Football blends the beautiful game of football with a turn-based forfeit mechanic. Groups of friends join a game, and every time a specified event such as a corner or free kick happens in a match, a cash forfeit is paid into a pot by whoever is holding it.

The pot then moves to the right until a payout event such as a goal or full time happens – whoever holds the pot wins it. The game can be linked to a player’s betting account so they can use existing funds, and the message board and minuteby-minute commentary makes this simple game engaging and fun. It is also linked into Facebook, making creating player groups extremely easy. 

AWARD SPONSOR

NYX GAMING GROUP are among the worldwide leaders in digital gaming system development, providing gaming solutions to a range of well-known gaming operators, WLA members and media companies globally. NYX Interactive offer an Open Gaming System to provide high quality bingo, casino, lottery and platform entertainment to their customers.

NYX Interactive has won awards for innovation and growth. Along with NextGen Gaming, NYX Interactive make up NYX Gaming group.

www.nyxgaminggroup.com

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS The gaming companies that have dedicated themselves to increasingly- important corporate social responsibility SPONSORED BY:

Aspers

GeoComply

BMM Testlabs

MGM Resorts International

Caesars Entertainment

Paf

Gala Coral

Hard Rock International (Seminole Tribe)

Gaming Laboratories International

Sportradar

66 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 The companies nominated in the Responsible Business of the Year category can come from any sphere or vertical within the gaming industry, making this category a particularly diverse one. Indeed, the cross section of shortlisted nominees in the 2017 Responsible Business category includes landbased and digital businesses, and operators and suppliers from all over the globe, proving the universal desire of the gaming industry to act in a progressive, accountable and conscientious fashion.

Two-time winners of the Responsible Business of the Year category, MGM Resorts International, were pipped to the post in 2016 by GeoComply, however, this year they will be looking to bounce back and take home the award for a record third year. MGM’s exceptional environmental performance is just one of the reasons it has been nominated in this category year after year. Achieving LEED Gold Certification for The Park, MGM National Harbor and T-Mobile Arena, it has introduced an industryleading program to reinforce responsible gambling amongst players to normalise the conversation about compulsive play.

MGM recently announced a partnership with the British Columbia Lottery to license its GameSense responsible gambling program to all of MGM’s US properties including its ten Vegas resorts. It will also donate $1m over five years to UNLV’s International Gaming Institute to conduct research on compulsive gambling using data collected through the GameSense program.

Aiming for the coveted title of Global Gaming Awards Responsible Business of the Year are rival Vegas firm Caesars Entertainment, who themselves have been shortlisted in this category for the last three years but have thus far failed to take home the gong.

The company’s HERO employee engagement program encourages volunteering, and in 2016 employees racked up 400,000 volunteer hours. Efforts to reduce impact on environmental resources are in place throughout the company and employees are rewarded for at-home green practices through CodeGreen@Home.

In addition, Caesars is making significant strides towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and from sifting through every bag of trash in order to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill to recycling used bars of soap to help the homeless, Caesars places high importance on reducing its impact on the planet while improving communities.

It isn’t only Vegas-based casinos which are dedicating their time to corporate social responsibility initiatives and our third nominee in the Responsible Business category has a long history of helping problem gamblers in its home state.

For more than a decade, Hard Rock International (Seminole Tribe of Florida) has been the largest voluntary contributor

to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) and has been one of the organisation’s strongest supporters. In 2010, as part of its compact agreement with the state, the tribe agreed to provide $1.75m in funding for compulsive gambling treatment and services in the State of Florida.

As a result, this has enabled the FCCG to develop and implement a state-wide treatment program which provides free treatment for problem gamblers and those adversely affected by gambling. The Seminole Tribe have won many awards for exhibiting leadership and commitment in going above and beyond the aid of the Florida’s problem gamblers.

Our whistle-stop tour of the shortlisted nominees in the Responsible Business category now takes us across the Atlantic to a company that has championed self-regulation and social responsibility since day one, back in 1926.

As one of the founding members of the self-regulating industry body The Senet Group in the UK, Gala Coral truly understands and places real value on the importance of

responsible gambling. They have taken all the necessary measures and beyond to improve industry-wide approaches to advertising and ensure the market is socially responsible. Gala Coral sets the highest of industry standards in order to overturn the traditional negative connotations that come with the term gambling and romote an industry that cares and looks after its community.

Our fifth nominee in the Responsible Business of the Year category takes community engagement and social responsibility to a whole new level. The Community Action Responsible Gambling Group sponsored by Aspers is the longest continuously running responsible gambling project run by any operator in the UK. CARG operates at every location that Aspers has a casino and on a quarterly basis it meets with local community and faith groups and any other stakeholders interested in problem gambling.

The Aspers Good Causes Fund was set up

by Aspers Casino and Newham Council to support community projects which help 

What they said: The leadership position Sportradar has achieved in the sports betting space comes with a rare opportunity to protect not only the betting ecosystem, but also the wider sports world from match fixing. We are hugely proud to have secured over 200 sporting sanctions and 24 criminal convictions in just the last few years - Sportradar GLI works with countless regulators worldwide to help strengthen or implement responsible gaming programs. GLI audits programs using an exclusive tenstep process and makes customised recommendations based on internationally accepted criteria, resulting in stronger jurisdictions, protected players and a greater public trust - GLI

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 67

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017 residents to build confidence and skills and improve community life in Newham. The fund opened in 2013 to any organisation working in the fields of education, art, dance, music, sport and the environment.

62 projects have now been successful in receiving awards in 2016 with Aspers donating over £73,000 to local causes in the Newham area.

The sixth nominee in the Responsible Business of the Year category has been a household name in its native Finland since its founding in 1966. Paf has become a licensed betting company that was founded by a charity organisation to donate money for good causes. This is a mission that never changed, if the player wins, he gets to keep his money. When Paf wins, they donate the surplus. An independent allocation board distributes all the profit to non-profit associations, organisations and good causes on the Åland Islands. In 2015, Paf distributed a total of €20.7m in different grants and loans.

As the operator of a legal gambling monopoly, Paf places a huge amount of emphasis on being socially responsible. It has a dedicated team of staff to ensure players don’t enter what they describe as the ‘red zone’ of betting in a bid to prevent problem gambling. The company's digital strategy is also paying off, with Paf reporting a 7% rise in online revenues in 2016, with its annual profits donated to the Åland Government.

The patchwork of online gaming regulation in the US has created a market where certain games can only be played digitally in particular areas of the country or indeed areas no larger than your average casino floor. In both cases, the need to restrict accessibility to certain websites in specific areas is crucial to ensuring that the game and its developer remain on the right side of the regulatory world.

The current holders of the Global Gaming Award for Responsible Business of the Year should need no introduction having been an industry leader in this area since its beginnings

AWARD SPONSOR

Microgaming is the leading supplier of casino, poker, bingo, sportsbook, live dealer and back-office software, providing 500+ gaming brands worldwide with access to 850+ casino games and a branded portfolio that includes Playboy, Terminator 2™, Jurassic Park™, Game of Thrones™ and Bridesmaids™.

The award-winning, millionairemaking Microgaming is the father of player protection and responsible gaming. And through Microgaming PlayItForward, it is a pillar of its local community on the Isle of Man. 68 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

What they said: We are grateful to be recognised and shortlisted for the Responsible Business Award. Compliance is our key focus and has always paved the foundation of our solutions. Since inception we have worked hard to ensure our solutions build integrity and trust in online and indoor gaming by developing cutting edge technology - GeoComply in 2011. A global leader in geolocation technology, GeoComply’s technology continues to lead to safer, more responsible, regulated digital gaming in casinos and regulated states in the US and further afield. The company expanded the reach of its Solus geolocation and anti-fraud solution to US lotteries, a solution effectively tailored to web-browsing and userfriendly integration.

Maintaining the integrity of the gambling industry is a vital part of ensuring that it remains a viable business model for generations to come and not all credit for the industry's continued success should go to those operating at the traditional frontof-house. Often firms which work behind the scenes have as much input in shaping the integrity of the industry as those at the forefront of it and our last three nominees are no exception, each carving out a reputation for maintaining and improving the integrity of the gambling industry as a whole.

Emerging as a key player in facilitating gaming manufacturers’ entry into regulated markets, BMM Testlabs offers insight and engineering expertise within gaming compliance, including customised training and education for gaming compliance issues affecting manufacturers, operators and regulators operating in the gambling industry.

In tandem with these activities, BMM continues year after year to give back to all Tribal communities with their charity and outreach programs. The Next Generation Initiative provides access to financial and educational resources, helping to secure the success of Tribal communities, their future Tribal leaders and the protection of Tribal sovereignty.

A widely respected and trusted name in the gambling industry, Gaming Laboratories International has serviced operators in over 475 separate jurisdictions for the last quarter

of a century. The testing and accreditation company offers more than just an approval service for gaming machines. They are fully invested in the industry they support, running the GLI University to help regulators keep as up-to-date as possible in new technologies.

They help new regulators understand the testing process, and how accurate, thorough testing benefits their jurisdictions to ensure the integrity of gaming. They are also extremely active on the speaker circuit, sharing their knowledge at many of the global gaming industry events.

Our tenth and final nominee to the Responsible Business of the Year category focuses much of its efforts on stamping out match fixing out of sports betting. Sportradar’s integrity program workshops are designed to educate senior and relevant members of betting industry organisations on how events can be manipulated, providing key expertise on how to avoid match fixing. Experts at the company run informal sessions with sports professionals to educate them on the dangers of match fixing, how it may occur, why match fixers will be caught and what the consequences of being caught will be.

Sportradar counts some of the leading sport rights holders as its partners, including UEFA, AFC, NHL, IIHF, ICC and FIBA and monitors odds movements and patterns worldwide to identify suspicious activities through its Fraud Detection System (FDS). The Reports generated by this system provide a data-driven and accurate insight into the markets on particular matches and have been used as part of sports disciplinary procedures as well as criminal investigations and prosecutions.

The company’s Integrity Services also include the Fraud Prevention Service (FPS) through which it offers education tools and services that have been delivered to federations, leagues and clubs around the world. 

Unlock the biggest characters

For more information contact sales@microgaming.co.uk

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

EUROPEAN EXECUTIVE The people who have individually had the biggest impact on gaming in Europe SPONSORED BY:

Walter Bugno

Per Eriksson

Fred Done

Itai Frieberger

Angelo Dalli

Gustaf Hagman

Vladimir Dokov

Bernard Marantelli

Fredrik Elmqvist

Mor Weizer

70 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

Walter Bugno

Fred Done

Angelo Dalli

The Global Gaming Awards’ final category recognises those individuals who have significantly contributed to the gaming industry as the executives of some of the gaming world’s most influential and high profile companies.

With so many individuals making their mark on the gaming industry in 2017, narrowing the nominations down to ten finalists was an incredibly challenging task.

Our judges used a number of criteria for choosing these ten worthy executives rather than just relying on financial performance. It was important to also consider those who had taken risks, delivered amazing new products and been pioneers in new geographical markets.

For industry legend Walter Bugno, it has been another strong year at the helm of IGT. He leads the company’s lottery, gaming, and interactive businesses throughout Europe (B2B only in Italy), the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2016 under Bugno’s leadership the company completed the integration of the IGT and GTECH International operations, and recently secured multi-year lottery contracts in Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Colombia and Argentina. He has substantially increased its international gaming install base, driven growth in the Australian business and fortified IGT’s position in Asia and Latin America.

Bugno has also led the expansion of IGT’s interactive product portfolio and overseen

entry into several new regulated geographies.

It’s been a case of onwards and upwards for online gaming software developer Playtech, which posted record profits of almost 20% in 2016 and its CEO Mor Weizer has been keen to push the company forward into new and uncharted waters. Playtech were the first operator to successfully enter the Czech Republic online gaming market with an online casino for Czech players. It concluded business deals with industry heavy hitters including Rank Group and Caesars, while also negotiating strategic partnerships with online gaming suppliers Captain Up and Featurespace.

A good start to 2017 culminated in a multiyear deal with global entertainment giant Warner Bros, in which the company gained access to licensing opportunities from the widely successful DC portfolio of characters. This trend looks set to continue with the company’s recent expansion into the UK’s racecourse market.

As the CEO of Bit8 Malta since 2011, Angelo Dalli is responsible for reinforcing and continuously strengthening the operating platform while also strategically developing the business. He is also a prominent member of the Remote Gaming Committee of Malta Chamber of Commerce and has become a leading figure in the Maltese Gaming Industry. In this capacity Dalli has been appointed to represent the Malta Chamber of Commerce on the Maltese Government Digital Strategy Board and the LGA Cloud Computing expert group.

In 2017, the company blazed a new trail with the launch of its interactive lottery hero application for mobile, offering players the chance to win €1m every hour, in what would be an industry first. Thanks to its functionality and flexibility, Bit8’s platform has gained widespread commercial success with its customers including some of the top online casinos internationally.

Betting industry veteran Fred Done built the BetFred business empire from the ground up with his brother Peter. They started the chain with a single betting shop in Salford in 1967 and have since built it into one of the world’s largest independent bookmakers.

A prominent firm within the UK sports betting hierarchy, Betfred has interests in football, notably sponsoring the Scottish Cup and a number of teams across the English Football league and horseracing partnerships with a number of UK and international racecourses.

As well as reporting promising figures for 2016 and for 2017’s Q1 period, Betfred has seen a significant rise in customer engagement.

The brand is still one of the leading providers of sports betting markets in the UK, but it has branched out to offer wagers on entertainment and on political occurrences – attracting a host of new clients.

Improvements to the mobile app, a sustained advertising campaign and sponsorship of the Snooker World Cup have all raised the brand’s profile and improved profitability. Although planned changes to fixed odds betting 

Vladimir Dokov

Fredrik Elmqvist

Per Eriksson

GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM 71

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2017

Itai Frieberger

Gustaf Hagman

Bernard Marantelli

Mor Weizer

72 GLOBALGAMINGAWARDS.COM

terminals might cut revenues for the popular bookmaker in the coming months and years, new deals with innovative online slot providers will likely help the company weather any future storms.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Bulgaria, Euro Games Technology (EGT) has always prided itself on a reputation of being amongst the fastest growing companies in the global gaming industry. Today, a wide range of EGT products are operated in over 80 countries in Europe, Asia, South and Central America and Africa, with its Managing Director Vladimir Dokov overseeing this period of expansion.

Key to this success has been the company’s Spider CMS system with its modular approach proving to be appealing to industry companies throughout the world.

EGT’s video slot department includes gaming machines, mystery and progressive jackpot systems, a library of gaming titles and accessories. Its multiplayer department covers a product range of live, automated and virtual roulette games (including touch table roulettes), semi-electronic Blackjack tables, and versatile multiplayer terminals. The Interactive Department aims at delivering solutions for the online and mobile market by adapting well-established land-based games, as well as developing new products for the interactive niche exclusively.

2017 is proving to be an exceptional year for 888 and it’s CEO Itai Frieberger, who has only been in the job for just over 12 months but has presided over record growth in which pre-tax profits grew 82%. Company revenue from its casino division rose 21%, whilst the sports unit’s revenue grew 49%, with total group revenue rising 13% to $520.8m.

Since its creation in 2011 LeoVegas has experienced rapid growth due to the overriding increase of smartphone use and a “mobile first” mentality of its founders. Co-Founder and current CEO Gustaf Hagman stated that the company “was born out of the smartphone, which today is the fastest growing channel for entertainment”. In its first financial update of 2017, the firm announced a corporate revenue lift of 49% to €44m, with 18.3% of its group revenues generated by regulated market activity and a significant increase of 75,000 new depositing customers for the first three months of 2017, which supported its high player activity of 170,000 active players. These promising revenues mean that LeoVegas returned to positive figures on its corporate earnings performance, recording EBITDA of €6m and operating profit of €5.5m, and the company has been keen to build on its successes by expanding into the Danish online gaming market.

Yggdrasil Gaming and its CEO Fredrik Elmqvist enjoyed a stellar 2016, with positive momentum continuing to build. The business recorded significant growth in 2017 with revenue of over 134% in Q1 2017 totalling SEK 33.3m.

An increase was also recorded in the number of player transactions, which climbed by 121% to

AWARD SPONSOR

SCIENTIFIC GAMES CORPORATION is a leading developer of technologybased products and services and associated content for worldwide gaming, lottery and interactive markets. The company’s portfolio includes gaming machines, game content and systems; table games products and shufflers; instant and draw-based lottery games; serverbased lottery and gaming systems; sports betting technology; loyalty and rewards programs; and interactive content and services.

701 million, while mobile gaming now accounts for 52.3% of Yggdrasil’s total gross game win.

2017 also saw the launch of Yggdrasil Dragons, an initiative aimed at giving new entrepreneurial partners access to the company’s technical framework and licensing infrastructure.

The company entered the Italian and Georgian gambling markets after concluding deals with operators exposed to both countries and secured a lucrative integration partnership with Europewide sports book operator William Hill, whilst expanding their offices across Europe.

Under the stewardship of Per Eriksson, NetEnt have gone from strength to strength, signing a record 21 new customer agreements and presiding over the launch of 14 new customer casinos during the first half of 2017.

Operating profit climbed to SEK 281m, an increase of 12.2% on last year’s total of SEK 251m, while operating margin amounted to 35%. The company’s profit after tax grew at a similar rate, rising 9.6% to SEK 258m.

NetEnt continued to execute its plans for expansion into new markets in the second quarter, obtaining a supplier licence in British Columbia, Canada and launching its games in the Serbian regulated market.

Last but certainly not least, pool betting operator Colossus Bets has signed deals for the distribution of its sports pools across five continents with live B2B partners now including Betfair, Ladbrokes and BoyleSports. However, it is primarily known for its groundbreaking regular £10m Colossus Draw, the brainchild of CEO and Founder Bernard Marantelli.

The company’s self-confessed mission is to democratise sports betting by offering accessible, winnable pools with unique, patented cash-out opportunities. Colossus Bets has distributed more than £50m in prizes since its B2C launch in 2013 and Colossus pools have now gone-live with over 28 B2B partners, including Betfair, Betclic, Ladbrokes Australia, Matchbook and The Football Pools. In 2017, the company added to this innovation with the launch of its industry first ‘Syndicates’ offering which enables players to crowdfund a Colossus Jackpots ticket. 

SCIENTIFIC GAMES IS DEDICATED to being the industry’s most diversified and complete global solutions provider.

Join Scientific Games this year as we unveil the best in gaming – from player-favorite classic titles showcased on our newest platforms, to the most innovative and cutting-edge technologies designed to enhance your entire operation – on the casino floor, behind the scenes, and beyond.

Visit us at ScientificGames.com

© 2017 Scientific Games Corporation.

...to everybody who has contributed towards the success of this year’s Global Gaming Awards. Each year the Awards somehow manage to take it to the next level, and this year was no different.The success of the 2017 Global Gaming Awards could not have been achieved without the support and dedication of everyone who has been involved in the rigorous process.

That includes the 60 members of the Judging Panel, our largest and most esteemed panel to date, the highly knowledgeable Nomination Panel, and our trusted voting adjudicator KPMG Gibraltar. We would also like to say a special thank you to our Lead Partner BetConstruct, to all of the Awards’ sponsors, and to our friends at G2E Vegas. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with all of you, and yet again we have managed to create and deliver the most respected and revered awards in the global gaming industry.

Want to find out who has won each accolade at the Global Gaming Awards 2017 but can’t make the presentation ceremony at The Venetian Las Vegas?

From October 3rd the full results will be available at globalgamingawards.com

P L AY O N

T:276 mm

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GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS 2015 SHORTLIST

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The Global Gaming Awards, brought to you by Gambling Insider in association with G2E Vegas, the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions. Official voting adjudicator KPMG Gibraltar