THE IGA FINALISTS

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Australia/Asia Tech Supplier

BBIN BetConstruct Funky Games Platipus SA Gaming SimplePlay Tangam Systems UltraPlay (ODDS.GROUP) 1xBet Aspire Global BetConstruct Betsson Group Casumo ComeOn Group Mediacle SOFTSWISS Yolo Group

Charitable Community Award

BBIN Digitain Galaxy Entertainment Gamomat Les Ambassadeurs Melco Resorts & Entertainment Pragmatic Play Sands China

Best Customer Service Company

Crypto Company of the Year

1xBet Aviatrix Platipus SOFTSWISS Yolo Group

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Best Bingo Product

Mkodo Neko Games NSoft Pilot Games Relax Gaming Casino de Monte-Carlo Galaxy Entertainment Genting MGM Resorts Summit Ascent Holdings Wynn Resorts

eSports Innovator of the Year

1xBet Abios Betsy Games FaZe Clan Oddin Spotlight Sports Group Ultraplay (ODDS Group)

Casino Operator

Game of the Year (Studio)

All41 Studios – King of Crystals AvatarUX – MonkeyPop Game burger Studios – Fishin’ Pots of Gold Just for the Win – Amazon Kingdom Fortune Factory Studios – Mask of Amun Platipus – Wild Crowns Snowborn Games – Masters of Valhalla Wazdan – 9 Coins Wizard Games – Gods of Kemet

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Game of the Year (Open)

Entain Group – Big Banker Gamomat – Alexandria Fire IGT – Gold Digger Light & Wonder – Dragons Unleashed Livescore Bet – LiveScore Bet Squads Low6 – Ultimate Fan Pilot Games – Open Season Pragmatic Play – Sugar Rush Relax Gaming – Money Train 3 Yggdrasil – Mexomax Multimax Betsson Group Flutter Entertainment Les Ambassadeurs Melco Resorts & Entertainment Product Madness William Hill

Innovator of the Year (Operator)

1xBet Betsson Group Entain Flutter Entertainment Rootz WeSpin William Hill

Great Place to Work Award (Operator)

Innovator of the Year (Supplier)

AvatarUX Aviatrix Checkd Group Future Anthem OneComply SimplePlay SOFTSWISS The Mill Adventure Ultraplay (ODDS GROUP) Yggdrasil

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Great Place Award (Supplier)

Aspire Global Betconstruct Delasport Digitain Fast Track Gamomat Just for the Win Microgaming SOFTSWISS The Mill Adventure Aspire Global Bragg BetConstruct Fast Track IGT Light & Wonder Pariplay Relax Gaming SA Gaming UltraplPlay (ODDS GROUP) Yggdrasil

Innovation in Poker

888Poker Entain Group EvenBet Gaming Kindred Group PokerStars Relax Gaming

iGaming Software Supplier

Live Casino of the Year

1xBet 18Bet BBIN Bombay Live CreedRoomz Swintt Vivo Gaming

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Lottery Product of the Year

BBIN IGT IGT Progressive Elnstants Mkodo NSoft Pascal Gaming Postcode Lottery Schafer Retail Solutions 1xBet 18Bet Betsson Betway Coolbet Entain Flutter Entertainment LeoVegas

Online Casino Operator

1xBet Betsson Group Coolbet Entain Group LeoVegas Rootz Snabbare Soft2Bet Videoslots

Mobile Operator of the Year

Online Gaming Operator

1xBet Yolo Group 18Bet Betsson Group Casumo ComeOn Group Entain Group LeoVegas LiveScore Bet Rootz Ltd Soft2Bet

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Mobile Sports Product

1xBet BBIN Bwin & UX Connections Chalkline Checkd Group Coolbet Delasport Expekt LiveScore Bet Aspire Global Sportingtech Bragg SA Gaming Digitain Fast Track IGT Light & Wonder ODDS.GROUP OpenBet Pragmatic Play Relax Gaming

Rising Star of the Year

Aviatrix White Hat Studios Gameburger Studios LiveScore Bet Oddin OneComply Pear Fiction Studios Platipus PopOK Gaming SpinPlay Games The Mill Adventure

Multi-Channel Provider/Supplier

RNG Casino Supplier of the Year

IGT Just for the Win Pascal Gaming PopOK Gaming Pragmatic Play Relax Gaming SimplePlay Swintt Tom Horn Gaming Yggdrasil

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Safer Gambling Award

Betsson Group Bojoko Coolbet IGT Les Ambassadeurs Technamin Videoslots 32Red Betsson Group Betway Entain Group Merkur Slots Rootz Ltd Videoslots

Sports Betting Platform of the Year

BetConstruct Coolbet Delasport Digitain OpenBet SOFTSWISS (sportsbook) Sportingtech UltraPlay (ODDS.GROUP) Uplatform White Hat Gaming

US Gaming Company Slots Operator

Sustainability Award

BBIN Betson Group Galaxy Entertainment Gamomat IGT Melco Resorts & Entertainment Yolo Group

Coolbet Design Works Gaming Entain(BetMGM)

2023 International Gaming Awards Finalists

Slot Provider of the Year

Bragg Light & Wonder Games Global Pragmatic Play Gamomat Relax Gaming Gamzix Swintt IGT Yggdrasil Inspired Entertainment Just for the Win 1xBet Sportsbet.io 18Bet Betsson Group ComeOn Group Coolbet Expekt LiveScore Bet Soft2Bet

Technology Provider/Supplier

Aspire Global SimplePlay BetConstruct Bragg Continent 8 Technologies Digitain Enteractive OpenBet Raketech Group Rootz Ltd

Inspired Entertainment Low6 OneComply Pilot Games Tangam Systems Wazdan

Sports Betting Operator of the Year

Unique Gaming Company

1xBet Chalkline Just for the Win Le Casino de Monte-Carlo One Comply Pilot Games SOFTSWISS The Mill Adventure Tom Horn Gaming Yolo Group

Is US Sports Betting Growing To Quickly?

By Ryan Murray

The Supreme Court’s historic overturning of PASPA legislation, carried out in 2018, catalysed a momentous shift in the way the United Statesrelates to gambling. In a functional sense of course, the shredding of this 24-year-old legal document, which set out the stifling parameters of the country’s sports betting marketplace, ensured that gambling could become a more recognizable feature of everyday American life. Yet, more importantly, the law change served to challenge the embedded attitudes of many U.S citizens and their political representatives, and so began a melting away of the stubborn, traditionalist stances which so oftenprove the obstacles to progress and prosperity. Such is the sensational swing in public opinion, a considerable handful of typically ‘conservative’ states, forever painted in Republican red, have now embraced their opportunity to construct a native sports betting industry – and are subsequently reaping the lucrative rewards on offer. hasn’t just attached itself to the sector previously restricted by the 1992 PASPA Act, rather, it’s also propelled all other gambling verticals on the pathtowards universal acceptance. True, these refreshed sentiments may never quite fully capture the hearts and minds of all residents, but, inarguably, the climate has changed significantly in the last four years. Now, bricks-and-mortar casinos are no longer stereotypically associated with the bright lights of Las Vegas or Atlantic City, or indeed the set boundaries of Indian reservations, rather, they’re increasingly viewed as a legitimate entertainment venue for any town or city – just ask those in Manhattan.

Whether its gaming or sports betting, the vehicle which has facilitated this dramatic re-configuration of attitudes most is the introduction (and of course legalization) of online gambling. In a world driven by convenience, the ability to place a bet in the palm of your hand, or play a slot title on your tablet, is a game-changing development. For the first time, U.S residents have gambling services readily available in the comfort of their own homes. This not only instantly increases accessibility and therefore popularity, but acts as a lever of legitimacy to the practice of gambling itself.

These events have conspired to drive the U.S gambling sector into the stratosphere. Aided by a thriving online marketplace, sportsbook and casino operators generated an astounding $15.17bn in gross gaming revenue during the three months to the end of September 2022 – the highest quarterly figure ever. Furthermore, it’s likely that revenue will continue to grow into 2023, as the market steadily heads towards pre-pandemic conditions. Ironically, it was the COVID-19 crises itself that accelerated the U.S’ migration towards online gambling platforms, with its land-based sector subject to temporary closures, reduced capacities, and strict social distancing policies – hardly a recipe for success in an industry which depends upon high footfall and an electric atmosphere.

As a consequence, the usage of iGaming sites has grown exponentially over the last twenty-four months, its customer reach extended as a product of its legalization in a rising number of states. This, coupled with the fact that 22 U.S. jurisdictions (with a further three confirmed for 2023) have established a regulated digital sports betting marketplace, illustrates the enormity of the country’s current, and future, online gambling space. Indeed, by 2028, analysts predict this segment will be worth a staggering $7.61bn.

However, could this growth, if possible, be too quick? risk. Building an incredibly popular, highly-lucrative, and vastly rewarding industry is absolutely fine, providing you have the tools to handle the inevitable threats which occur as a result of its commercial success. This reality compels us to challenge whether any thriving market is adequately equipped to protect its future prosperity, let alone one which has matured far quicker than originally anticipated. In this spirit, lawmakers, regulators, and operators must ask themselves the following question: Do we have adequate controls in place to mitigate against the risk of criminal activity? bling sector are money laundering and the act of financing terrorism. Although these illicit practices can (and do) cause significant security headaches for landbased gaming enterprises, it’s more likely they will be deployed when attempting to infiltrate the financial operations of virtual gaming firms. This development is simply a by-product of the nature of online gambling;the absence of face-to-face interaction removes an operators’ ability to detect physical indicators of suspicious activity, whilst a complex web of financial payment systems, using various digital currencies and transaction methods, creates fertile ground for individuals trying to disguise and disassociate their actions.

JOIN THE EPIC BATTLE ON 13th DECEMBER.

In response, the U.S has implemented a series of anti-money laundering (AML) and ‘combatting the financing of terrorism (CFT)’ policies, designed to strengthen the industry’s resistance to a set of activities which have had a severely destabilising impact on a number of localized online gambling markets.

But, are suchcontrol measures enough to mitigate against these increasingly malignant threats? Do they account for the numerous ways criminal syndicates can penetrate the financial structures of mobile gaming operators? Can they be easily adapted in order to address changing risks, constantly evolving to circumnavigate existing security protocols? The fact that these issues remain prevalent in marketplaces where governments, regulatory bodies, and longstanding gambling entities have sought to establish effective defences to such activity gives us a fairly good steer on the likely answers to these questions. Regardless, it seems entirely logical to look towards those who have already tried to navigate these particularly complex challenges, and take direction from the strategies, initiatives, and approaches which have garnered most success. In this way, the United States should surely consider how Europe, a continent which presides over the largest, most diverse, and most established gambling industry on the planet, attempts to address the risks of money laundering and the channelling of funds towards terrorist organizations within its gaming realm. To do this, U.S lawmakers need only review the European Commission’s ‘Supranational Risk Assessment (SNRA)’ report.

The most recent SNRA was released earlier this year, its third edition since launching in 2017. According to its accompanying mission statement, the report is intended to assess ‘the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing affecting the internal market and relating to cross-border activities.’ Moreover, its findings are then analysed to produce a comprehensive plan of action, designed to tackle any emerging patterns which seek to undermine the integrity of operators’ financial infrastructure. The report, alongside any recommended response actions, are then presented to the European Union for appraisal – a process which became a constitutional requirement after the organization’s fourth anti-money laundering directive was passed seven years ago. Ultimately, this ensures that the region’s chief legislative body is engaged on relevant themes, and can therefore make better informed decisions when constructing policies and legal covenants.

The study considers the impact, role, andpresenceof money laundering and commercial terrorist funding across all industries, but, in recent times, has gradually attributed more attention towards online gambling. This is a consequence of the sector’s SNLA ‘risk level’, which, in essence, is a measure of susceptibility.On anascending scale ofone to four, digital gaming is ranked at a ‘4’ –the score applied to those most vulnerable of falling victim to the aforementioned ills. the assessment pulls out a number of tactics and manoeuvres used by criminal individuals/groups to bypass current AML and CTF mechanisms:

- A betting account is used to deposit funds earned through business operations, or via illegal activity. Often, these ‘credits’ are used to gamble in small volumes, before being transferred into another player’s account. These are then subsequently withdrawn as if winnings had been generated through normal gameplay.

- Deployment of ‘smurfs’. Here, two highly-competent gamblers are recruited to masquerade as typical players, and made to faceone anotherin a staged contest using illegally-gotten funds, duping observers into believing the game is an entirely innocent event. The winner is clearly irrelevant, as all ‘earnings’ are re-distributed to the illicit actors who organized the game.

- Creating fictional events in order to hoodwink operators into providing odds, and then betting on markets relating to an ‘outcome’ that they dictate.

- Pay ‘legitimate’ players are fee to take ownership of their accounts, offering more money than the value of existing

New Gaming Chief Named for Bermuda

Bermudian Charmaine Smith has been appointed the new Bermuda Gaming Commission Chief Executive.

A spokesperson said, “The Chairman of the Bermuda Gaming Commission, Mrs. Cheryl-Ann Mapp, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bermudian Mrs. Charmaine Smith as the Commission’s new Chief Executive effective December 1st, 2022.

“Mrs. Smith succeeds Mr. Jean Major who was appointed Chief Executive on November 2nd, 2020. Mr. Major’s tenure with the Commission has contributed to the successful recruitment of Bermudian Mrs. Smith who previously held the post of Chief Regulatory Officer with the Commission.

The Chairperson said, “We would like to thank Mr. Major for his significant contributions to the Commission. We are pleased to have had someone of Mr. Major’s caliber leading the Commission over the previous two years.

“His tenure contributed to the successful recruitment of Mrs. Smith, and we acknowledge the role he played in executing the Commission’s succession plan, developing the regulatory framework for licensing casinos and issuing the first casino gaming license. We are excited to have Mrs. Smith accept the post and to continue to build on the work that Mr. Major has led over the last two years.”

A spokesperson said, “Mrs. Smith is a barrister and attorney of almost 25 years’ experience. Her career in public service began in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and she has subsequently worked in the areas of law enforcement, corrections, employment, labour relations, immigration, anti-money laundering & antiterrorist financing.

Rule Breaches - Dutch Regulator Warns Operators

Given the scale of commercial opportunity that that this year’s World Cup affords to betting operators, it was perhaps inevitable that a handful of sportsbooks would breach regulations amidst the excitement. In the Netherlands, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the country’s gambling regulatory body, has already had to intervene as the long-awaited tournament in Qatar gets underway, with several operators guilty of Dutch gaming law contraventions. released details of each violation.

A warning was handed to a sports betting firm who had facilitated odds for yellow card bets, a market banned in the Netherlands due to its vulnerability to match-fixing practices. Another caution was distributed to an operator who had deployed a recognized ‘personality’ to market a sponsored event, in an advertising campaign which displayed the betting brand’s logo at various points. The utilization of any ‘role model’, whether a celebrity, sports star, or other well-known individual, is also prohibited by Dutch gambling legislation. As soon as KSA notified the company of their violation, the advert was immediately de-commissioned.

Lastly, a gaming platform was given a wrap across the knuckles for offering a ‘game of chance’ product which used methodology uncovered by the operator’s licensed scope of activity. As a consequence, the operator was given an opportunity to re-calibrate the terms of the game in order to comply with the parameters of their existing license.