Global Gaming Awards 2015 winners revealed
MGM Resorts was the big winner at the Global Gaming Awards 2015 after scooping three prestigious gongs including the coveted Land-Based Operator of the Year trophy.
The operator impressed an independently-audited judging panel comprising 50 leading lights from across the trade after posting steady growth figures that culminated in a 65% net income increase in the first quarter of 2015.
It also demonstrated a strong commitment to green initiatives, corporate giving and customer experience, scooping the Responsible Business and Customer Loyalty Program awards.
There were 12 gongs handed out in total as leading land-based and digital operators joined the world’s biggest suppliers at a glittering ceremony held at the Venetian Palazzo Congress Center during G2E Vegas.
Bet365 scooped the Digital Operator award after it blazed a trail of innovation and emerged as a leader in the in-play betting market on the way to posting a 32% profit rise to £478m in the year to March 2015. PokerStars proved a strong runner-up in recognition of its continued dominance of the online poker market.
Among the suppliers, Scientific Games was the pick of the bunch as it won two awards and achieved two runner-up finishes. It was named Land-Based Supplier of the Year after enjoying a 64% increase in yearly revenue to $1.79bn for 2014 and completing its merger with Bally Technologies. It also sold 2,000 video lottery terminals to the Oregon Lottery and also secured a contract to provide the National Lottery of Norway with instant games and related marketing services.
The supplier went on to win another award as its vice president of sales and operations for Latin America Ricardo Regner was named Latin America Executive of the Year.
It narrowly missed out in the Casino Product and Land-Based Gaming Innovation categories.
IGT ultimately scooped the Casino Product award for its all-conquering S3000, which ushered Scientific Games’ Blade s32 into second place.
Scientific Games’ Take ‘n Play was beaten by IGT’s Powerbucks in the Land-Based Gaming Innovation category.
Powerbucks was the industry’s first multi-state progressive jackpot network and it has allowed casino operators to create jackpots that can rival payouts seen in multi-state lotteries.
The future success of the industry lies in its ability to fruitfully exploit digital channels and the Global Gaming Awards seeks to champion those taking the industry on to the next level with a range of digital awards.
Microgaming’s VR Roulette took victory in the Digital Gaming Innovation category after proving to be one of the most significant wearable technology products to have ever hit the industry.
Microgaming also won Digital Product of the Year for its Jurassic Park slot, leaving it level with Scientific Games on two awards.
Digital Industry Supplier of the Year went to NetEnt, which added 21 desktop games and 13 mobile games to its portfolio in the course of the year, including the first to feature real-time 3D graphics and its first created entirely in HTML 5.
Income Access retained its title as the world’s leading digital acquisition program after making major inroads into the US market and launching the first US online cash bingo brand in partnership with Twinspires.
Each award was decided by a panel of 50 judges made up of esteemed industry executives from a range of sectors and continents.
KPMG Gibraltar, one of the world’s largest corporate advisory firms, was signed up as an official partner to help provide evidence that voting was conducted in a transparent and fair manner, and that the results were an accurate reflection of the votes cast by the 50 judges.
The Global Gaming Awards are powered by Gambling Insider and presented to the industry in association with G2E Vegas. NYX Gaming Group was the Lead Partner of the Global Gaming Awards 2015.
Here are the winners in full:
Land-Based Operator of the Year: MGM Resorts International
Runner-up: Borgata
Award sponsor: Intralot
Digital Operator of the Year: Bet365
Runner-up: PokerStars
Award sponsor: NetEnt
Casino Product of the Year: S3000 by IGT.
Runner-up: Blade s32 by Scientific Games
Digital Product of the Year: Jurassic Park by Microgaming
Runner-up: Campaign Manager by Playtech
Digital Acquisition Program of the Year: Income Access
Runner-up: Paddy Power
Award sponsor: Betradar
Customer Loyalty Program of the Year: M life by MGM Resorts International
Runner-up: PokerStars VIP Club by PokerStars
Award sponsor: Bet Construct
Land-Based Supplier of the Year: Scientific Games
Runner-up: Aristocrat
Digital Industry Supplier of the Year: NetEnt
Runner-up: Playtech
Land-Based Gaming Innovation of the Year: Powerbucks by IGT
Runner-up: Take ‘n Play by Scientific Games (formerly Bally Technologies)
Digital Gaming Innovation of the Year: VR Roulette by Microgaming
Runner-up: The Spin Lab by NYX Gaming Group
Award sponsor: OpenBet
Responsible Business of the Year: MGM Resorts International
Runner-up: Unibet
Award sponsor: Microgaming
Latin America Executive of the Year: Ricardo Regner – Scientific Games
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