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Introducing the Winners of the 2024 Game Developer Awards
Play’n GO, Playtech, Elk Studios, Pragmatic Play and streamer CasinoDaddy were some of the big names celebrating victories at the 2024 edition of the Game Developer Awards ceremony.
Concluding the final day of the highly successful CasinoBeats Summit, the illustrious awards ceremony, which took place at the Hilton Malta, was a night dedicated to honouring the remarkable achievements of the iGaming industry.
The evening witnessed the return of veteran host Trudy Kerr, alongside award-winning game developer John Romero, as they handed out 28 awards to accomplished operators, game studios and individuals.
Award categories included:
- Game Performance,
- Streamers,
- Game Creation,
- Game People,
- SlotCatalog,
- Casino Platform, and
- Best Game Release.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “The Game Developer Awards offers a pivotal opportunity to honour the remarkable accomplishments of the industry, celebrating both regional and global brands as well as individual talent. This year’s shortlist was by far the most competitive we have seen, and I would like to congratulate all our esteemed winners.”
It was a good night for Play’n GO, who secured the prestigious SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Large) award for the second consecutive year, whilst also picking up the Game Music / Soundtrack accolade for their title Hugo Legacy.
The game creation categories saw:
- Playtech once again take home the Game Licensed Content award for their work on Breaking Bad: Cash Collect & Link.
- Hacksaw Gaming was awarded Game Feature of the Year for their title Chaos Crew 2,
- Relax Gaming was honoured with the Game Design & Art Direction award for Money Train 4, and
- GAMOMAT was named winner of the Game Retro-Style award for Fancy Fruits Deluxe.
Pragmatic Play notably took home two awards on the night, winning both the Game Mechanic of the Year award for their MultiHold mechanic and Slot Legacy Title for Gates of Olympus.
The SlotCatalog categories saw:
- GAMOMAT return to the stage to pick up their second award of the night for Best Game Development Company Central Europe, while
- Playson was awarded Best Game Studio In Development Countries.
- Reel Kingdom secured the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Medium) award,
- Fortune Factory Studios was named SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Small) and
- IGT Play Digital claimed SlotCatalog’s Best Game Development Company North America.
The coveted SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year accolade was presented to industry newcomers Area Vegas.
In honour of the individual achievements in the industry, the Game People categories saw:
- Andrei Filipovich of Aviatrix awarded Game Designer of the Year,
- Julia Aliakseyeva from BGaming named Product Manager of the Year and
- PearFiction Studios’ Jean-Pierre Larouche presented with the Game Composer of the Year award.
EveryMatrix won the Aggregator of the Year award, The Mill Adventure was awarded Platform Innovation of the Year, while the Best Game Release award went to Lambda Gaming for 8Bit Football Twinko.
This year’s edition saw the introduction of two new awards:
- the FTN Game of the Year award which was sponsored by BetConstruct and presented to Rubyplay for Mad Hit Olympic First, and
- the CasinoBeats Annual Community Recognition Award which was awarded to SoftConstruct for its work on BFTH Arena.
It was a big night for CasinoDaddy who took home the esteemed Streamer of the Year award, while The Slot Beasts and Haddzy were recipients of two new Streamer awards, Responsible Streamer of the Year and Next-Gen Streamer of the Year, respectively.
In the Game Performance categories:
- PowderKeg Studios claimed the Slot Debut award for their title Munition Mines,
- Stormcraft Studios won Slot to Watch for their work on Immortal Romance 2, while
- Light & Wonder and Netflix took home Slot Collaboration of the Year for Squid Game.
The illustrious Slot of the Year award went to Elk Studios for Pirots 2.
“Last night’s ceremony was a tremendous success and proved to be a truly memorable night. I would like to thank our official partner Gaming Malta, alongside all our supporting sponsors for their help in honouring the incredible achievements of the industry” Sojmark added.
The awards ceremony concluded the final day of the CasinoBeats Summit, which saw 4,500 industry professionals convene at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta, the hub of iGaming.
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1win Named Crypto Casino of the Year and Takes Top Honors at BWIGA
Global iGaming platform 1win has been named “Crypto Casino of the Year 2026” at the Belgrade Web3 & iGaming Awards (BWIGA Awards), a leading event uniting experts from Web3, blockchain, and iGaming industries. 1win Partners also received additional recognitions for “Best Affiliate Program” and “Best CMO,” highlighting its growing influence in the global crypto iGaming ecosystem.
The award recognizes 1win’s focus on building a high-performance platform designed for the crypto-friendly generation. Since its launch in 2016, 1win has been refining the balance between premium entertainment and blockchain technology, offering a product where speed, privacy, and accessibility are built into the core experience. As a Curaçao-licensed casino, 1win provides a globally accessible platform with multi-language support and seamless performance across devices, including native iOS and Android applications.
At the heart of its offering is a crypto-first approach. The platform supports a wide range of digital assets, including BTC, ETH (ERC-20), TRX (TRC-20), BSC (BEP-20), TON, SOL, DOGE, DASH, and XRP, allowing users to move funds efficiently across networks. In line with its focus on crypto users, 1win offers an enhanced bonus system, with up to 600% on crypto deposits.
Commenting on the recognition, Mike Danshin, CMO 1win Crypto, said: “Today, the market is no longer competing on bonuses or traffic, it is competing for attention. In crypto iGaming, players are exposed to similar offers across platforms, and the real difference comes from how well a brand understands its audience and builds trust. At 1win, we focus on being a truly crypto-native product. This means clear positioning, tailored communication for different player segments, and a scalable marketing ecosystem that combines global brand presence with local relevance. Receiving this award as the best crypto casino is a strong validation of our approach.”
The Belgrade Web3 & iGaming Awards is one of the key industry platforms in the region, recognizing companies that demonstrate innovation, scalability, and impact across emerging digital ecosystems. The recognition further reinforces 1win’s position as a major player shaping the future of crypto-powered online entertainment.
About 1win
Founded in 2016, 1win is a crypto platform in the global gaming industry. Operating across Asia, Latin America, and Africa, 1win offers a wide range of services adapted to regional audiences. In 2024, 1win partnered with actor Johnny Sins as its brand ambassador. In 2025, MMA legend Jon Jones joined 1win as its global ambassador. American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, Gable Steveson, stepped into the 1win global ambassador team earlier this year.
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$10M guaranteed poker
ACR Poker $10M Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms
ACR Poker is igniting the spring poker season with the Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms Special High Five Edition, offering an astonishing $10 million in guaranteed prize pools alongside the return of its celebrated High Five Series.
From April 12 to April 28, 2026, the special edition will feature two marquee events running simultaneously — an $8 million GTD No‑Limit Hold’em (NLH) and a $2 million GTD Pot‑Limit Omaha (PLO) tournament — promising some of the most thrilling online poker action of the year.
Players buy in for $2,650 and compete for massive mystery bounties, with the NLH event offering up to $500,000 for a single knockout and the PLO event featuring a top bounty of $200,000. Every knockout on Day 2 guarantees at least $5,000 in bounty rewards.
With five Day 1 flights, participants can enter multiple times and build competitive stacks for Day 2’s showdown. Qualifiers begin April 7th through Venom Fever satellites, providing hundreds of seats — some even free — via Direct, Mega, or Beast satellite events.
All players who make it to Day 2 on April 27th at 1:05 pm ET are already in the money. The climactic final table to crown this special edition’s champions will take place on April 28th at 4:05 pm ET.
ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker says the High Five edition builds on the momentum of earlier high‑stakes events like the $50 Million OSS XL, combining huge guarantees with broad access and big bounty potential for players of all bankrolls.
Featured Reference
For a similar take on this major online poker series and its prize pools, check out this article from Poker.org on ACR Poker’s dual mystery bounty events and their massive guaranteed prizes:
ACR Venom $10M GTD Tournaments – Poker.org
The post ACR Poker $10M Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI in gambling safety
BOS releases report on the prevalence of gambling addiction in Sweden
Sweden has seen a long‑term decline in gambling addiction over the past 25 years, despite rapid growth in online gambling availability, advertising, and mobile gaming.
Economist Ola Nevander’s research for the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS) shows that the prevalence of problem gambling has steadily fallen since the early 2000s, even as the market expanded. This trend emerged even with the widespread adoption of digital gaming products and 24/7 access on smartphones.
According to the findings, the proportion of Swedes classified as problem gamblers (based on the Problem Gambling Severity Index) dropped from about 2.2 % in 2008–09 to around 1.3 % by 2021, marking a significant reduction in overall gambling harm.
Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS, emphasizes that this decline suggests Sweden’s regulatory and industry efforts are moving in the right direction. While the transformation from traditional physical gambling venues to digital platforms has raised concerns, online tools such as responsible gaming technologies and AI‑assisted safeguards are helping reduce problem gambling rates.
However, Hoffstedt cautions that much work remains, because expanded game offerings and persistent advertising mean ongoing responsibility is crucial to maintain and deepen the downward trend.
Report available in full at: Problem Gambling_ENG_20260327[2]
For a similar perspective on gambling addiction prevalence trends in Sweden, see this article:
Sweden problem gambling falls but still ‘scope for improvement’ — iGamingBusiness.com Sweden problem gambling trend report (IgamingBusiness)
The post BOS releases report on the prevalence of gambling addiction in Sweden appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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