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.
ELA Games’ Managing Director Marharyta Yerina
ELA Games Scoops Up Triple Nominations at the European iGaming Awards 2026
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The studio picks up three major nominations going into 2026
ELA Games is proud to announce that it has received three major nominations at the European iGaming Awards 2026, reflecting the studio’s creative direction, performance-driven development, and leadership in innovation.
The nominations include:
- Most Innovative Slot Game — Joker Winpot
- Slot Game of the Year — Joker Winpot
- Rising Star — Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director of ELA Games
Joker Winpot Shines
Joker Winpot has continued to perform spectacularly, quickly becoming one of the studio’s standout titles. Its strong visual identity, simple-to-understand mechanics, and innovative format with the Winpot feature make it a game that gives players agency with high replayability.
Operators who have connected to the ELA Games catalogue have reported significant increases in key metrics following the adoption of Joker Winpot in their casino lobbies, including a GGR increase of +1128%, Actives: +878%, and Turnover: +1517%. These impressive results have helped the game gain recognition among peers, with it being shortlisted for two major categories at the upcoming European iGaming Awards.
Value in Creativity
ELA Games’ core operational philosophy of blending bold creativity with user- and operator-focused performance has propelled the studio to become a significant newcomer in the industry. Players recognise ELA Games’ signature visually rich art style and actively seek the studio’s games out in casino lobbies, as evidenced by impressive year-on-year growth.
Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director, was also nominated for the “Rising Star” individual award. Her contributions to the iGaming space and leadership in managing ELA Games as one of the fastest-growing studios have garnered her acclaim amongst her peers.
Marharyta commented on the nominations, “Receiving three nominations at an award ceremony reflects every one of our team members’ excellence and commitment to setting new standards in the industry. Joker Winpot continued to exceed our expectations and shows what’s possible when you develop a game with intention, user experiences, and operator performance in mind. I’m also honoured to receive the Rising Star nomination: we will continue delivering content that truly matters for players and partners alike.”
The post ELA Games Scoops Up Triple Nominations at the European iGaming Awards 2026 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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The Danish Gambling Authority’s statistics for October 2025 show a decrease in the total gambling spend in comparison to the same month last year. However, the betting market was the only market to experience a decrease.
The total gambling spend in October 2025 amounted to DKK 599 million, which corresponds to a decrease of 3.4 per cent compared to October 2024. The statistics show that the decrease for the total gambling market is due to a large fluctuation in the betting market in October 2025 compared to October 2024. The betting market had a decrease of 46.0 per cent. Online casinos experienced the largest increase of 24.4 per cent, while land-based (physical) casinos and gaming machines experienced an increase of 6.0 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.
The post Spillemyndigheden: Large decrease in betting consumption in October appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Bragg Gaming has won the “Online Platform of the Year” Award at the BEGE Awards 2025.
Bragg’s Player Account Management (PAM) platform for online casino, sports betting and lottery operators is designed to enhance the player journey, with the tools to grow numbers, maximise revenue, boost engagement, all while putting the player first.
What makes the Bragg PAM stand out? Here’s just a few highlights:
• Next-Generation Automation
• Predictive Insights
• Stability
• Fully Personalised Experiences
“We’re grateful to BEGE and the judging panel for recognising our work and celebrating the progress we’re making across the industry. And a huge thank you to our team and partners for helping us deliver a platform that truly understands the player,” the Company said.
The post Bragg Gaming Wins Online Platform of the Year at BEGE Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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