Gaming Awards
The winners of the 2023 Game Developer Awards are in
Relax Gaming, AvatarUX, BGaming, NetEnt and streamer Brian Christopher were amongst some of the winners at the 2023 edition of the Game Developer Awards, which took place last night at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta.
Closing the final day of what was a record-breaking CasinoBeats Summit, the coveted awards ceremony was presented by Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva and returning host Trudy Kerr, who handed out 23 awards aimed at celebrating the best companies, casino titles and people in the following category groups: Game Performance, Game Creation, Game Marketing, Game People and SlotCatalog.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “ Last night’ awards were phenomenal, especially with the addition of our new categories, dedicated to individual achievements in the industry. I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all our winners for innovatively pushing the boundaries of excellence and helping redefine the industry.”
Relax Gaming continued their winning streak this year by collecting the Slot of the Year award for Money Train 3, and SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – medium award, whilst BGaming took home both the Slot to Watch award for Potion Spells and Game Music/Soundtrack award for Elvis Frog TRUEWAYS.
Other winners in the game performance categories included Barbara Bang who picked up the Slot Debut award for Mustang Freedom and NetEnt who were awarded the highly regarded Slot Legacy Title for Gonzo’s Quest.
It was a successful night for casino streamer Brian Christopher who was awarded Streamer of the Year, whilst also picking up Slot Collaboration of the Year award alongside Gaming Arts for their collaborative effort Brian Christopher’s Pop’N Pays More!
The game creation categories saw Wazdan awarded Game Feature of the Year, for their work on Mystery Drop and Playtech receiving the award for Game Licensed Content, for the game Cash Collect: Gold Rush. Amusnet picked up the award for Game Retro-style with Fruits & Gold, whilst ELK Studios were awarded the Game Design & Art Direction for the stylish Nitropolis 4.
AvatarUX were big winners on the night, collecting Game Mechanic of the Year for their innovative PopWins Mechanic, whilst AvatarUX’s very own Hannah Farrugia took home the Product Manager award for her contributions to the company and wider industry.
Other titans of industry that were recognised for their individual contributions were Iris Wallner of GAMOMAT who collected the Game Composer award and Justin Chamberlain who collected the Game Designer award for his contributions to HungryBear Gaming.
SlotCatalog presented a selection of data-based game studio awards. Print Studios were awarded the SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year award, Push Gaming collected the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – Small award, whilst the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – Large award, was presented to Play’n GO.
In the Outperforming Game Studio Categories, Snowborn Games were winners of the SlotCatalog’s Outperforming Game Studio of the Year – Small award, whilst Hacksaw Gaming were awarded SlotCatalog’s Outperforming Game Studio of the Year – Medium and Pragmatic Play took home the SlotCatalog’s Outperforming Game Studio of the Year – Large award.
Decided by a live audience vote throughout Thursday afternoon, the winner of the esteemed Game Innovation Spotlight award was Nailed It! Games for their groundbreaking and forward thinking contributions over the course of the past year.
“Last night was truly unforgettable, a special thank you to our headline sponsors BetConstruct, Evoplay, SBC Advisory Partners and SYNOT, as well as all supporting sponsors, for helping us commemorate the special achievements accomplished by these Game Developer studios and the talented individuals behind the most successful titles,” Said Sojmark.
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2026 BiG Africa Summit Awards
QTech Games wins Best Innovation at the 2026 BiG Africa Summit Awards
QTech Games, a leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has won the Best Innovator Award (Shining Savannah Award) at the 2026 BiG Africa Summit in Gaborone, Botswana. The award was presented during a gala ceremony at the Grand Palm Hotel Casino and Convention Resort, where QTech Games beat strong competitors, including BetConstruct, Skilrock, and GlobaLab.
The Shining Savannah Award celebrates “groundbreaking innovation and technological innovation,” recognising companies that have delivered tailored solutions for the African iGaming market while excelling in user engagement and sustained growth over the past 12 months.
QTech Hybrid: Bridging Retail and Digital Betting
QTech’s innovation highlighted at the awards is QTech Hybrid, which enables players to seamlessly switch between traditional retail and digital play. A successful rollout across Soccabet’s 200-outlet network in Ghana demonstrates how the platform combines an AI-powered casino lobby (QTech Play) with a retail management system and an integrated Agent Management System (AMS).
The system simplifies transactions for operators and players alike, enabling deposits, withdrawals, and gameplay from both in-store and personal devices, helping operators scale their brick-and-mortar networks online.
Celebrating Excellence in African iGaming
The BiG Africa Summit recognises outstanding contributions to the continent’s iGaming and sports betting industry, from operators and technology innovators to regulators and distributors. The event showcases those who ensure a rich, engaging, and locally relevant gaming experience across Africa, the world’s second-most populous continent.
QTech Games CEO Philip Doftvik said:
“We’re delighted to have bagged another notable award for the best overall innovation in Africa over the past 12 months. Being shortlisted in such good company was already a feather in our collective cap, but victory provides the ultimate coup, validating our huge and ongoing growth in Africa with innovations like QTech Hybrid and QTechLabs.
“This win is testimony to our diligent team at QTech, and to the ever-evolving group of innovative suppliers that our offering represents. It’s a real team effort. We’ve made our name as the go-to aggregator for emerging markets and we remain committed to rolling out top-class content and retail innovation that drives new revenues for our worldwide partners across Africa and beyond.
“Being recognised for our innovation, impact and bottom-line results – to name just a few of the key judging criteria – will only embolden our expansive African mission. It’s also indicative of QTech’s broader strategic direction across emerging markets, where we are setting the gold standard and defining the future of the online casino industry, with an established reach throughout and outside of Africa.”
The judging panel added:
“This year, the calibre of nominations was exceptional, making the selection process extremely competitive. Being recognised not only as a finalist but also the market leader in Africa for its relentless innovation in our prestigious Shining Savannah category, highlights the outstanding impact and achievements QTech Games has made within the industry.”
QTech’s Commitment to Emerging Markets
The award underscores QTech Games’ mission to expand retail and digital iGaming solutions across Africa and other emerging markets, providing operators with innovative tools that enhance player engagement, streamline operations, and support sustainable growth.
By combining AI-driven personalisation, seamless retail-to-digital integration, and advanced management systems, QTech is shaping the future of the online casino and sports betting industry across Africa.
The post QTech Games wins Best Innovation at the 2026 BiG Africa Summit Awards appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Betsson Group
Betsson Group Recognised with Trend Global Customer Excellence Award 2025
Betsson Group has been recognised with the Trend Global Customer Excellence Award 2025, an international accolade presented by one of the Group’s strategic cybersecurity partners to organisations demonstrating strong collaboration, measurable impact and operational excellence across the cybersecurity landscape.
In its motivation, Trend Global highlighted Betsson’s partnership-driven approach. Martin Fribrock, Country Director Sweden, Finland and Baltics, commented: “Delivering remarkable outcomes and building partnerships that create measurable impact. Honest. Thoughtful. Courageously challenging. Always striving to grow, to raise the standard and to help our team and company do the same, because excellence is never an accident, it is a commitment.”
The award places Betsson Group among globally recognised organisations previously acknowledged within the programme, including Bridgestone, Panasonic, SAP, Dole and Accor.
The recognition reflects Betsson Group’s continued focus on building a secure, resilient and well-governed digital ecosystem across its international operations. Cybersecurity remains a strategic priority, underpinned by sustained investment in advanced threat intelligence, proactive risk management and modern security architecture designed to protect customers, partners and employees.
Donald Tabone, Chief Information Security Officer at Betsson Group, said: “Operational security is a business imperative and a shared responsibility. We work closely with our partners to continuously strengthen our defences, challenge our processes and evolve our capabilities. This recognition reflects the dedication of our teams and our commitment to maintaining high standards of cybersecurity across the Group.”
As digital ecosystems continue to evolve in complexity, Betsson Group remains focused on strengthening its cybersecurity posture as a core pillar of responsible growth. Recognition such as this reinforces the importance of strong collaboration, continuous improvement and disciplined governance in safeguarding a sustainable and secure business.
The post Betsson Group Recognised with Trend Global Customer Excellence Award 2025 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Betsson Group
Betsson Group Secures Seven Nominations at the EGR Europe Awards 2026
Betsson Group has secured seven nominations at the EGR Europe Awards 2026. The EGR Europe Awards shine a spotlight on the trailblazers shaping the iGaming landscape. These awards recognise operators, affiliates and suppliers that set new benchmarks in innovation, sustainability, customer experience and product development across Europe.
Betsson Group has been shortlisted for the following awards:
• European Employer of the Year
• European ESG Initiative of the Year
• European Responsible Gambling Initiative of the Year
• Operator of the Year – Central and Eastern Europe
• Operator of the Year – The Balkans and Southern Europe
• Operator of the Year – The Nordics and Baltics
• Operator of the Year – Western Europe
Last year, Betsson Group claimed wins in the categories of European Employer of the Year, European ESG Initiative of the Year, Operator of the Year – The Nordics and Baltics and Operator of the Year – The Balkans and Southern Europe.
The EGR Europe Awards are judged by an independent panel of external experts, refreshed annually to ensure a diverse range of in-depth iGaming expertise. Judges are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest and to treat all submitted information with strict confidentiality. To safeguard the integrity of the process, the full list of judges is published only after the judging has concluded.
The winners of the EGR Europe Awards 2026 will be announced on 18 February in Malta.
The post Betsson Group Secures Seven Nominations at the EGR Europe Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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