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Recognising excellence in game development: Nominations open for CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards

Published

1 year ago

January 13, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

SBC is excited to announce that nominations for the Game Creation and Game People categories of the prestigious Game Developer Awards, returning to Malta for their third edition in May, are now open. The nomination period will last until 24 February.

The awards ceremony, which is part of the CasinoBeats Summit conference and exhibition, will take place at the InterContinental Hotel on 25 May. The lavish event that recognises and celebrates the creative and innovative game development teams behind the industry’s most successful titles will be attended by 400 guests.

The CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards will feature 19 categories that honour the top game studios, individual casino games, streamers and game elements as well as innovation and the people who have contributed to the success of the best casino titles of the year. The categories are divided into five main groups:

Game Performance (Slot of the Year, Slot to Watch, Slot Debut, Slot Legacy Title, Slot Collaboration of the Year)
Game Creation (Game Mechanic of the Year, Game Feature of the Year, Game Licensed Content, Game Retro-style, Game Design & Art Direction, Game Music/Soundtrack)
Game Marketing (Streamer of the Year, Innovation in Marketing)
Game People (Product Manager, Game Designer, Game Composer).

SBC has also once again teamed up with SlotCatalog, a casino game ranking and insights platform, to create three data-driven categories for the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards 2023.

These categories include Outperforming Game Studio of the Year, which will be presented to the three game studios (small, medium, large) whose slot rank has increased the most compared to their position a year ago; Game Studio of the Year, which will be given to three game studios with the highest slot rank over the last 12 months; and Rookie of the Year, which will be awarded to the new game studio that went from having no distribution last year to achieving the biggest impact over the past year

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of the event organiser SBC, said: “The CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards are a truly special occasion in my eyes. This ceremony is an opportunity to honour the often overlooked elements of game development, such as the best soundtrack, innovative game mechanics, unexpected success, and the individuals who made it all happen. It’s an event that recognises and celebrates the creativity, fun, and entertainment that make our industry a great place to work.”

The shortlists for the Game Performance and Game Marketing categories of the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards will be selected by SBC’s independent panel of judges, and the winners will be chosen through audience live voting at the CasinoBeats Summit conference and trade show.

The Game Creation and Game People categories will be open for nominations from 12 January to 24 February and the winners will be decided by the independent panel of judges. The Game People category is a new addition to the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards that aims to recognise and celebrate individuals who have actively contributed to the success of a top casino product.

The SlotCatalog categories, which are purely data-driven, will not require nominations or go through a judging process.

Last year’s winners of the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards included companies such as Blueprint Gaming, Habanero, Peter & Sons, Playtech, Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming and Stakelogic.

This year’s ceremony at the luxurious InterContinental Hotel will feature a welcome drinks reception and a lavish three-course dinner with complimentary beer, wine, and spirits. Tables and individual tickets are available to purchase here.

The shortlists will be announced on 21 March. Nominate here.

Angela Bernhard Thomas

CAPCOM’S STREET FIGHTERTM 6 GOING TO COLLEGE THIS FALL

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

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CSMG will create and operate College Street FighterTM Tour in North America for the 2024-25 academic year
College conference Street Fighter 6 champions will punch their ticket to the national Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) & May Madness in 2025

Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG) announced today during the kick-off of its Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) Texas presented by McDonald’s that it has joined forces with Capcom to launch the College Street FighterTM Tour during its 2024-25 academic year with the finalists competing at CECC Texas in 2025 throughout its May Madness event. Street FighterTM 6 will join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Overwatch 2®, Rocket League, and VALORANT as part of the official game titles for CECC.

“We are immensely excited to welcome Capcom into the CECC family and provide a path to glory for student athletes to showcase their skills in Street Fighter 6,” said Michael Schreck, Chief Executive Officer for CSMG. “In our fourth year of building May Madness, we continue to listen to our players, coaches and fans on how to make our event more inclusive, and the partnership with Street Fighter 6 is a resounding success.”

“The Street Fighter franchise is a multi-generational and global game series, so it’s important for us to continue to grow that fandom at the collegiate level,” said Michael Larson, Head of Esports at Capcom USA. “CECC continues to set the standard for competition and community, so it’s a natural format for expansion, and we’re eager for College Street Fighter Tour competitors across North America to show off their skills and join us in Texas next year.”

”The vision for the College Street Fighter Tour is a publisher backed esports series that integrates into the existing infrastructure of The Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup, a bracket style event series that takes place every year and has been coined May Madness. The path to championship includes invitational bids to national and regional level conferences as well as official CECC qualifiers held regionally,” said Angela Bernhard Thomas, Chief Esports Officer for CSMG’s ESPORTSU.

Every college or university from a 2-year or 4-year institution can participate through their conference or through select qualifiers. Wim Stocks will serve as the Commissioner of the College Street Fighter Tour and bring his 20 years of experience in college esports to create a dynamic and engaging format of competitive gaming.

“Since the launch of Street Fighter 6 in June of ’23, it is clear the rich legacy of Street Fighter is stronger than ever and helping lift the fighting game community to still greater heights,” said Stocks. “Having a structure now for a national collegiate competitive series, league, and events, Capcom and ESPORTSU are building a phenomenal ecosystem and mechanism for developing up and coming Street Fighter 6 competitors.”

More details on the College Street Fighter Tour will be shared later this year.

CSMG welcomes 84 teams (up from 64 in 2023) this weekend from a record breaking 19 conference champions to the largest scholastic esports festival globally. They will compete at Esports Stadium Arlington on May 3-5 for the chance to hoist one of the coveted trophies. Fans can watch the CECC Texas on ESPORTSU’s Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/esportsu.

CECC Texas 2023 was also recently awarded LAN Event of the Year during the inaugural Scholars Awards in Las Vegas, which are produced in partnership with the Esports Awards.

Clark County

Clark County residents can bring a friend for free to next week’s Super Bingo $160,000 tournament at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, May 6-8

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

clark-county-residents-can-bring-a-friend-for-free-to-next-week’s-super-bingo-$160,000-tournament-at-the-plaza-hotel-&-casino,-may-6-8

Home to downtown Las Vegas’ only bingo room, the Plaza Hotel & Casino is offering Clark County, Nevada residents who register to play in next week’s Super Bingo tournament the opportunity to bring a friend for free.

Happening Monday, May 6 through Wednesday, May 8 in the Plaza’s expansive ballroom, Super Bingo is expected to draw nearly 1,000 people from the local Las Vegas valley and across the country and Canada for the opportunity to win big playing fun-filled games of bingo over two days, with a $50,000 super coverall both days while socializing with like-minded bingo players.

Bingo-only registration is $160 per person, and Clark County residents who register can bring a friend for free. Registration is available online at https://www.plazahotelcasino.com/bingo/super-bingo-registration/. Hotel-and-bingo packages start at $300 for a four-night stay with no resort fee.

All Super Bingo players receive one 6-on paper pack for both days, two daubers, free drinks via an open bar at all sessions, boxed lunch both days, and $10 in free slot play after the first day’s session.

The Plaza’s Bingo room offers six daily bingo sessions at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and is located on the 3rd floor. By parking on the third floor of the Plaza’s self-parking garage, guests have convenient and direct access to the Plaza’s bingo room and parking is validated for bingo players.

Gambling in the USA

Kambi Group plc extends Mohegan partnership with on-property sports betting agreement in Pennsylvania

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

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Kambi Group plc (“Kambi”), the world’s trusted sports betting partner, has agreed a long-term on-property sportsbook partnership with Mohegan to provide its award-winning sportsbook at two retail locations in the state of Pennsylvania.

The partnership will see Mohegan utilise Kambi’s cutting-edge retail sportsbook offering across more than 20 kiosks in sportsbook locations at Mohegan Pennsylvania and Mohegan Pennsylvania at Lehigh Valley Race and Sportsbook.

The deal further strengthens Kambi’s relationship with Mohegan, which already utilises Kambi’s suite of sports betting products at ilani in Washington, as well as online and on-property in the Canadian province of Ontario at Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.

Kristian Nylén, Kambi CEO and Co-founder, said: “With several successful partnerships with Mohegan already in place, we are pleased to agree this new partnership as we continue to build on our strong relationship.

“This latest deal further reinforces Kambi’s position as the sportsbook provider of choice for tribes across North America, and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration with Mohegan.”

Tony Carlucci, President & GM of Mohegan Pennsylvania, said: “Mohegan Pennsylvania is excited to continue utilising the same Kambi technology platform that existed under our Kindred partnership, which will help to create a seamless process as the Sportsbook at Mohegan Pennsylvania fully rebrands later this Spring.”