The vote is open for the igaming affiliate community to determine its’ Game of the Year, one of the most prestigious categories in the annual iGB Affiliate Awards,taking place on the evening of Thursday 9 February at The Troxy, London’s iconic art deco venue.

The Awards are an integral part of the iGB Affiliate London experience and highlight the ‘best of the best’ across a broad range of categories comprising Best Poker Affiliate; Best Sports Betting Affiliate; Best Casino Affiliate; Best Bingo Affiliate; Best Crypto Affiliate; Best Affiliate Manager; Best Affiliate Programme; Best Affiliate Network; Best Tech for Affiliates; Best Tech for Affiliate Programmes; Best Digital Agency; Marketing Campaign of the Year; Rising Star; Best Newcomer; Innovation Award; Affiliate Employer of the Year; Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year and Game of the Year, which is the only competitive category decided by an industry vote. An in-house panel will select this year’s Affiliate Idol, aka the Lifetime Achievement Award.

iGB Portfolio Director Naomi Barton, stated: “While there are thousands of new titles released to the market each year, only a small number break through and establish themselves as a sustained driver of revenue for affiliates. This award lets the industry pick out the titles released by suppliers and studios in the past year that have put themselves in with a shout of becoming the next Starburst.”

The winner of Game of the Year will be decided by a vote on the Top 10 slots released in the period 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022. The shortlist for 2023, provided by iGB’s official casino data partner eGaming Monitor, comprises: John Hunter & The Book Of The Fallen (Pragmatic Play); Fishin’ Pots Of Gold (Gameburger Studios); Secret Of Dead (Play’n GO); Gonzo’s Gold (NetEnt); Fishin’ Frenzy; The Big Catch Megaways (Blueprint Gaming); Leprechaun’s Luck Cash Collect (Playtech); Links Of Ra (Slingshot Studios); Solar Queen Megaways (Playson); Dragon King Legend Of The Seas (Red Tiger) and Return To Paris (Betsoft Gaming).

Expanding on the importance of the event, Naomi Barton added: “The black-tie Awards, which also comprise a three-course sit-down dinner and an entertainment-packed stage show, represent the perfect way to celebrate the industry and recognise the talented individuals who are driving its development. The Awards, which are purely for the igaming affiliate world, are a central part of the iGB Affiliate London experience which this year will involve in excess of 170 leading brands occupying a total of 11,800 square metres of floor space, making it more than a fifth (22%) bigger than the 2022 edition which was held in April last year.”

Vita Media Group, a Danish iGaming company, won the Casino Affiliate of the year award at the 2022 edition of the EGR Operator Awards held in London.

The Casino Affiliate of the Year Award is the first major award that Vita Media Group has won.

Vita Media Group’s CEO Jimmi Meilstrup believes this award comes as an appreciation from the iGaming world to all the employees in the company who are delivering extraordinary results every day.

“On behalf of everyone in our company, I am deeply grateful for this award which is the first large-scale award that we have won as a company. From day 1, we promised the iGaming world we are going to build this company on the principles of loyalty and trust. Through hard work, a lot of research, and indeed a great amount of quality traffic generated and delivered, we have excelled in casino affiliation. To everyone who chose Vita Media Group as a partner, thank you, and be sure to expect even better results from us in the future” commented Jimmi Meilstrup.

During the award night held in London on October 27 th , 2022, Vita Media Group was shortlisted 4 times in different categories:

• Affiliate of the year (Headline category)

• Casino Affiliate of the year

• In-house product for the in-house developed iGaming loyalty and reward platform Ekstrapoint.com

• Affiliate Program for the fast-growing developed affiliate program OMG Affiliates

In the Casino Affiliate of the year category, the judges from the EGR Operator Award were reviewing applications based on significant traffic, player numbers, ROI for operators, ability to build strong partner relationships, brand innovation and marketing, and player retention strategies.

The EGR Operator Awards, considered the Oscars in the iGaming industry, are organized by EGR Global, a leading publisher of online gaming B2B news, analyses, and research.

In 2021, Vita Media Group was shortlisted for the first time at the EGR Operator Awards in the Affiliate of the year category for affiliation services and the Rising Star category for its affiliate program OMG Affiliates.

The Casino Guru Awards is the latest project by Casino Guru inspired by guiding the dialogue on consumer safety, and it reflects on the company’s ambition to acknowledge and reward achievement in the gambling industry, specifically in the sectors Casino Guru has contributed to –responsible gambling and consumer education. Casino Guru Awards is the result of this long-term commitment to making gambling safer, fairer, and more accountable for all participants.

Drawing on years of experience as the defining affiliate service in the industry, Casino Guru has transcended its core model to make global changes to the industry, including through its Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, Casino Guru Academy, Fair Gambling Codex, and other initiatives.

Now, the company is stepping up its responsibilities of a gambling industry custodian with the Casino Guru Awards which will celebrate the most committed operators in industry and the professionals who shape its future. The inaugural edition of the event is designed to raise awareness for the Awards and help the most deserving companies serve as good role models industrywide and reach a broader audience.

To participate, companies may nominate themselves through the end of November 2022. Casino Guru will also select worthwhile nominees that will be added to our list in a process that is fair, transparent, and above all else, distinguishes and focuses on merit. A shortlist will be announced in December2022with the official ceremony held online in February 2023. All decisions regarding the outcome of the event will be carried out by hand-picked judges.

Casino Guru Awards will feature judges from some of the biggest companies that are well-established names in the industry, including Kindred Group, Betsson, Gamban, Epic Risk Management, Gordon Moody, and more. The panel will include close to 15 external judges and five of Casino Guru’s own specialists.

Commenting on this project, Daniela Kianicová, PR & External relations Lead at Casino Guru, said: “Casino Guru Awards is a natural continuation of the efforts Casino Guru has put into making gambling safer, fairer, and more transparent for everyone. We worked on the Awards and the categories with the idea to emphasize on areas of the industry that are crucial to consumer safety and can always be improved on.

Our commitment to safer and responsible gambling is unflinching and I am honored to have the opportunity to work alongside the industry’s most distinct professionals to make gambling safer for players. It’s clear to me that Casino Guru Awards will be a benchmark for companies in the industry and a high accolade for any entity that wants to help write the gambling world of tomorrow.”

Casino Guru Awards will run in several categories which will focus on a mix of business achievements and consumer needs. The company feels strongly that achieving a level of excellence across these verticals will result in a better gambling industry for all. The categories include “The Fairest Bonus Policy,” which assesses the fairness of Bonus T&C’s and whether a bonus accounts for breaching applicable rules by accident, among other and equally important criteria.

“The Fairest General T&Cs” category will focus on how a casino’s T&Cs ensure that customers are protected and safeguarded and that they do not fall prey to predatory or hidden rules and details. In true Casino Guru spirit, “The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative” will focus on those operators and companies who understand the importance of responsible gambling and problem gambling prevention.

There is a separate category that will independently assess “The Best Implementation of RG Tools” and “The Most Transparent Casino.” Another important category will be “The Most Effective Handling Complaints,” which is another area where the Casino Guru team feels improvements can be made, giving operators an incentive to operate in a clear and consumer-centric way. Casino Guru is experienced in this particular area having established the Casino Complaint Resolution Center which has thousands of closed cases already.

Last but not least, there is “The Voice of the People” which will be decided by the players, without any intervention. You may find out more about the Casino Guru Awards on the official page, including details about submitting a nomination, who the judges are, and what to expect in the months that lie ahead.