Industry Awards
Judging the shortlisted: Casino Guru Awards 2025 evaluation phase begins

The Casino Guru Awards 2025 have reached an exciting milestone: evaluation time. On April 22 and 23, our esteemed panel of judges will begin conducting online evaluation calls with all shortlisted candidates across various award categories. These 30-minute sessions offer a unique opportunity for nominees to present their work, explain the vision behind their nominations, and engage in open dialogue with our expert judges.
Interactive, insightful, impactful
The evaluation calls, now a signature part of the Casino Guru Awards process, go far beyond reviewing nomination forms. They bring the human element to the forefront, giving judges the chance to hear directly from the people behind the innovations, initiatives, and platforms.
This year’s process again brings together two panels of judges, featuring both internal Casino Guru experts and external professionals from across the iGaming space. While the written nominations set the stage, it’s these calls that allow judges to ask questions, explore specific areas in more detail, and truly assess how well each nominee embodies the values of the Casino Guru Awards: fairness, transparency, innovation, and social responsibility.
“This part of the process is where the nominations come alive,” says Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Project Director at Casino Guru and the visionary behind the Awards. “We’re looking for more than good intentions—we want to see passion, preparation, and a deep understanding of what makes an impact in this industry. These conversations are often eye-opening for both sides, and sometimes a call can change the whole perception of a nomination.”
A fair and rigorous selection
All shortlisted candidates will be evaluated through these live sessions, which are a vital piece of the final voting process. After the calls, judges are given time to reflect and reassess, using both written materials and insights gained from the interviews before anonymously casting their votes.
As in previous years, each judge receives three points to distribute among the candidates in each category. The winner is then determined through a transparent point-counting process.
It’s worth noting that even nominees who are unable to attend the calls are still eligible to win—though participating gives them a powerful chance to make their case directly and stand out. The process is intentionally designed to reward engagement, readiness, and integrity.
Looking toward Malta
The anticipation is building toward the Casino Guru Awards 2025 Gala Ceremony, taking place for the first time as a live, invite-only event at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in St. Julian’s, Malta, on June 6, 2025. Here, winners across all categories will be revealed in what promises to be a grand celebration of responsibility and achievement in iGaming.
In addition to the judge-assessed categories, the Players’ Choice and Voice of the People are already open for public voting—further reinforcing the Awards’ mission to reflect both industry expertise and real-world impact.
As the evaluation calls commence, we at Casino Guru celebrate every shortlisted nominee who has made it this far. Your innovation, effort, and commitment to a better gambling environment have already earned you a place among the industry’s elite.
The post Judging the shortlisted: Casino Guru Awards 2025 evaluation phase begins appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry Awards
Soft2Bet’s brand recognised for “Innovation in Casino” at EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards 2025

Soft2Bet is delighted to announce that its flagship brand, Betinia, has received the “Innovation in Casino” award at the EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards 2025, recognising the brand’s outstanding use of gamification to elevate user engagement within online casino entertainment.
The award highlights how Soft2Bet’s brand Betinia, has successfully integrated its proprietary gamification engine, MEGA (Motivational Engineering Gaming Application), positioning it as a transformative force redefining the casino experience. In saturated and highly competitive markets, Betinia stands out by embedding MEGA as a core strategic framework, enhancing player motivation through personalised experience, progression-based mechanics, and engaging, content-rich interactions.
In 2024, Betinia achieved a high performance results and became the #1 app in local app stores, highlighting the effectiveness of Soft2Bet’s localisation, customization, and retention approaches. Moving beyond conventional bonuses, MEGA creates a player journey focused on achievement, narrative progression, and sustained engagement, leading to a 176% increase in player retention. By introducing virtual stadium-building, and collectable rewards, Betinia transformed gameplay into an engaging and continuously evolving digital adventure.
With more than 75% of users engaging through native apps, Betinia has showcased MEGA’s effectiveness in enhancing mobile retention while maintaining compliance in highly regulated markets, including Sweden and Denmark. The engine’s platform-agnostic architecture has further enabled smooth deployment across multiple jurisdictions, reinforcing Betinia’s reputation as one of the select few brands successfully delivering large-scale gamification in a compliant and sustainable way.
“We know how to create performing brands, and this win acts as a proof of concept for our B2B activities, as the whole industry acknowledges the full spectrum of our innovations in casino. All our brands demonstrate Soft2Bet’s commitment to excellence in customer experience, innovative design, and robust regulatory compliance,” stated Oksana Tsyhankova, Chief Marketing Officer at Soft2Bet.
Soft2Bet and its brands were shortlisted for 12 nominations, with Betinia securing five of these. By transforming traditional approaches to customer experience through the introduction of gamification, localisation, and customisation across all services, Soft2Bet is creating new standards for the industry to follow.
The post Soft2Bet’s brand recognised for “Innovation in Casino” at EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry Awards
Kaizen Gaming’s Betano Recognised as Brand of the Year at the EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards 2025

Kaizen Gaming secured a total of three awards, including Innovation in Sports Betting and Best Native App for the second consecutive year.
Kaizen Gaming, one of the world’s biggest GameTech companies and owner of the Betano online sports betting and gaming brand, has been honoured with three awards at the prestigious EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards 2025, held in London on June 19th. Kaizen Gaming was awarded with “Brand of the Year – B2C” for its premium brand, Betano, “Innovation in Sports Betting” and “Best Native App”.
The past year has been especially significant for Betano which unveiled a new brand identity, brought to life globally through sponsorships of major international football tournaments, such as the UEFA EURO 2024™, the CONMEBOL Copa America™️ 2024, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, alongside prominent local competitions, like Brasileirão Betano (Campeonato Brasileiro Série A) and Torneo Betano (the Argentine Primera División).
Furthermore, the award victories in the “Innovation in Sports Betting” and “Best Native App” categories highlight Kaizen Gaming’s ongoing commitment to customer-centric innovation, delivering highly engaging gameplay and mobile-first experiences that continue to set new industry standards. Notably, this is the second consecutive year that Kaizen Gaming has been distinguished for developing the “Best Native App”, a testament to the excellence of its in-house technology, product, and innovation teams.
Pablo Puertas, Marketing Director of Kaizen Gaming said: “The past year has been a defining one for Betano. We didn’t just refresh our visual identity; we reinforced Betano as a modern, premium and trusted brand, radiating confidence, playfulness, and artistic flair. Through bold 360° campaigns and landmark sponsorships we connected with millions of people in meaningful, localized ways.
But this is more than branding. It reflects our broader commitment to delivering the best, most innovative, and most responsible gaming experiences possible. Winning ‘Best Native App’ once again, as well as ‘Innovation in Sports Betting’ shows that we are pretty successful at it. We are now at a stage where we can confidently say that Betano is a truly premium global player, able to compete for leadership in any given market. A big thank you to the award organizers, but more importantly to the ‘Kaizeners’, who are the driving force behind our success”.
Building on last year’s momentum, the first half of 2025 has been a remarkable period for Kaizen Gaming and Betano, highlighted by multiple high-profile global sponsorships – including the most recent partnership with FIFA for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ for South America and the long-term principal and front-of-shirt partnership with Club Atlético River Plate.
The EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards reward the most innovative and creative companies in the online gaming industry, celebrating commercial success, game-changing innovation, leading customer service and marketing prowess over the past 12 months. This year’s ceremony took place at The Mermaid, London, on 19th June 2025, and was hosted by Greek comedian George Zach.
The post Kaizen Gaming’s Betano Recognised as Brand of the Year at the EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry Awards
More awards for ProgressPlay

In the high-stakes world of iGaming, where innovation is the currency of success, ProgressPlay has once again proven its mastery, not once, but twice. The news has rippled through the industry like an electric current: ProgressPlay has been shortlisted for the prestigious EGR Awards 2025 in not one, but two fiercely competitive categories; Bingo Supplier of the Year and White Label Partner of the Year.
This double honour isn’t just a nod to outstanding technology; it’s a resounding endorsement of their core philosophy; that the future of iGaming belongs to those who empower operators, delight players, and push boundaries without compromise. These nominations follow hot-on-the-heels of a shortlist spot for “Industry Innovation of the Year” at the SBC Awards Europe 2025.
The journey to this moment began with a bold vision: to reinvent bingo for the modern era, having already established a significant position in the international white-label market with over a decade of success.
While others treated it as a legacy vertical, ProgressPlay saw untapped potential in bingo, a game steeped in community, ripe for innovation. The new bingo platform wasn’t just built; it was engineered to breathe new life into the category.
With data-driven player engagement tools, dynamic jackpot mechanics, and seamless mobile-first design, ProgressPlay transformed bingo from a nostalgic pastime into a growth engine for operators. The EGR shortlist is validation that the dynamic company didn’t just evolve bingo; it redefined it.
In a matter of weeks, ProgressPlay launched over 130 new bingo sites for operators in the UK market alone, showing that immaculate product development and rapid deployment go hand-in-hand.
But the story doesn’t end there. ProgressPlay’s White Label Partner nomination is where strategy meets scale. In an industry crowded with cookie-cutter solutions, ProgressPlay chose a different path, a partnership model that puts operators in the driver’s seat. From customisable loyalty programs to real-time revenue analytics, their white-label standalone platform became the launchpad for ambitious brands to carve their niche.
Marina Nahhas, Head of B2B Sales and Marketing, says: “Our team is delighted that the EGR Awards have recognised that at the heart of ProgressPlay’s standalone technology is its unparalleled flexibility. Unlike traditional white-label offerings, this standalone platform is a true turnkey solution, allowing operators to craft their own brand identity, select their preferred gaming content, and integrate the most effective payment methods suited to their target audience.”
Behind these accolades lies something deeper, a culture of relentless iteration. Where others see awards, the team at ProgressPlay see milestones in an ongoing mission. Every line of code, every partner success story, every late-night breakthrough has led here.
This ability to fine-tune every aspect of the standalone platform ensures that businesses remain ahead of the curve, delivering experiences that resonate deeply with local players while maintaining a globally competitive edge.
ProgressPlay CEO Itai Lowenstein said: “To our team, partners, and players, this latest double-shortlist is your triumph. But this isn’t a finale; it’s a catalyst. As we prepare for the EGR Awards ceremony, we’re already blueprinting the next leap forward, because in iGaming, standing still is the only true failure. Let’s make it just the beginning.”
The post More awards for ProgressPlay appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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