More than 800 gaming industry professionals will be on hand for the 2017 EGR Operator Awards to be held October 26 at Grosvenor House at Park Lane in London. The awards have come to be known informally as the Oscars of the eGaming sector due to the-the prestige associated with being nominated as well the selection process which relies on a sort of peer review. Once nominated, or ‘shortlisted’ operators and others in the industry may vote for winners.

The shortlist was announced on September 7 after judges reviewed entries and participated in a conference call to decide the nominees. All information about the companies and winners is held in strictest confidence until the awards are announced on Oct 26. Before the awards, the judges will review voting and other criteria to determine the final winners. Simply being nominated is a privilege, and industry websites tend to keep the logo on their pages for years on end as a badge of honor.

Nominees in nine categories are subject to a unique final judging procedure. Those who find themselves in the Headline Categories shortlist will have an opportunity to present their submissions to a judging panel in person. They will have five minutes to present and then five minutes to answer questions from the panel. This will take place about a month before the final awards ceremony and will be held at the Athenaeum Hotel in London on Thursday, September 28.

The most hotly contested categories to headline this year are:

Affiliate of the year
Bingo operator
Casino operator
Mobile operator
Operator of the year
Poker operator
Rising star
Socially responsible operator
Sports betting operator

It is not uncommon to see a company that first appears on the Rising Star shortlist to be in contention or even take home the honors in one of the above operator categories the very next year. One Rising Star we have our eye on to advance rapidly is Red Queen Casino. The gaming site was launched in 2014, but the operators have been in the highly regulated and competitive UK gambling business since 1982 and have checked all boxes we believe the judges may use to determine a winner.

All told there are accolades up for grabs in 30 categories and several of the top names are represented in several categories. The list is far reaching enough to include such categories as Slots operator, In-house product, eSports operator, and Affiliate program among others.

In a nod to the changing eGaming landscape Bitcasino has been shortlisted for Slots operator and in recognizing innovation and player engagement, Play’n Go’s Viking Runecraft is in contention for Game of the year. Although released to late to be considered for this competition, keep an eye on next year’s awards for Yggdrasil Gaming’s Jungle Books – or any other slots they release using their groundbreaking Fusion Realms mechanic.

On the Shortlist for the coveted Operator of the year award in 2017 are:

bet365
Ladbrokes Coral
LeoVegas
Lottoland
Mr Green
Pinnacle
Sky Betting & Gaming
The Stars Group (Amaya)

In June, EGR held the B2B Awards 2017 to recognize the companies that power the eGaming industry.

To book one or more tables for 10 please visit the EGR Operator Awards 2017 website. Individual seats for the event will not be available until one week prior if there are any spare seats available.

For table booking queries please contact:

Clark Beecroft
c.beecroft@egrmagazine.com
+44 (0)20 7832 6596