One of the most prestigious ceremonies in the sector, there’s plenty of interest in who wins what at the annual International Gaming Awards.
The 2022 edition was held at the Savoy Hotel in London earlier in April, and there were some big wins in the most competitive of categories.
Of the most fiercely contested, it was Videoslots.com that took home the honour of Online Casino Operator of the Year. It’s an award handed to the firm that has ‘shown innovation and invention in the casino sector’, according to the judging panel, with brands marked on their ‘originality, brand identity, marketing, payment processing, usability and games offered’.
On a stellar evening for the firm, Videoslots also landed the Slots Operator of the Year award, capping an excellent 12 months for the Maltese outfit.
#gamingawards2022 https://t.co/22hyymNqaH
— Gaming Awards (@gamingawards) April 12, 2022
Kings of Casino
It was a rewarding evening too for LeoVegas. The Scandinavian firm trousered the award for Online Gaming Operator of the Year – the fifth occasion in a row in which they have triumphed in the category. The brand’s CEO, Gustaf Hagman, was in bullish mood, describing his company as the ‘king of casino’. “At LeoVegas, we are passionate about creating the world’s greatest iGaming experience,” he said.
“Winning Online Casino of the Year for a fifth consecutive time is an amazing team effort, and goes to show that we are the king of casino.”
Other big winners on the night included Pragmatic Play, who landed both the iGaming Software Supplier and Live Casino of the Year trophies, while Kindred and 888 were recognised in the Bingo and Online Poker Operator categories.
Awards for mobile excellence and innovation were given to Coolbet, the ‘soft’ odds bookmaker and casino firm, and back-end provider Rootz respectively, and if you are seeking inspiration for your next casino adventure then you may be interested to know that Casino de Monte Carlo was crowned the best in the business.
If you are seeking ideas for which online slots or table games to try next, it may also be worth noting that Yggdrasil (RNG Casino Supplier of the Year) and Quickspin (Slot Provider of the Year) were also amongst the winners, while Game of the Year went to Scarab Kingdom from the Just for the Win team.
An Outstanding Contribution
It’s not just brands within the iGaming space that are rewarded at the International Gaming Awards – key individuals have a chance to shine too.
In 2022, the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Isai Scheinburg, an industry veteran who has enjoyed a checkered past few years.
The PokerStars founded decided to sell his shares in the firm to Amaya back in 2014, pocketing a cool $4.9 billion – today, that’s around £3.77 billion.
But he was indicted as part of the infamous Black Friday legal battle, in which the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Cereus were accused of money laundering and bank fraud. But Scheinberg and his co-defendants ‘won’ the case, in a fashion, with the billionaire sentenced to time served and forced to pay *just* $30,000 as a settlement.