Playtech crowned Platform of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards

Playtech fought off stiff competition to win the coveted Platform of the Year award at last night’s EGR B2B Awards 2017, one of five prizes for the supplier giant.

In addition to the headline gong, Playtech also topped the Multi-Channel Supplier, Poker Software, Poker Network and Bingo Supplier categories in what was a successful night for the London-listed firm.

Shimon Akad, COO, Playtech said: “It’s always a great honour to win an award at the EGR Awards, but to receive a record five trophies is fantastic, and great recognition for all the hard work our employees put in in order to make each and every Playtech product the leading product in its category.

“We work closely and have excellent relationships with all our global licensees and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support and co-operation.”

Kambi also had a good evening, with the Swedish firm winning the prestigious Sports Betting Supplier award, a feat which broke a string of seven consecutive wins for OpenBet.

‘We are delighted to collect the mantle of best Sportsbook Supplier after the dominance of OpenBet in recent years,” Kambi chief commercial officer Ian Freeman said.

“This represents a new dawn for the B2B sports betting segment, a shift in attitude and a recognition that a flexible, highly scalable and premium fully managed service is the most effective operational model of the future for Tier 1 and Tier 2 operators wishing to compete in regulated markets.”

Elsewhere, Evolution picked up the Live Casino Supplier gong for the eighth year in a row, edging out six other nominees.

Marcus Huber, head of key account management at Evolution, said: “I thank all of our staff, our licensees and our players for this award.

“To win it once is an honour. To win it eight years in a row is astounding — and it’s testament to the world-class quality of our B2B Live Casino solutions and the quality of operational excellence we deliver for our licensees and their players year on year.”

NetEnt was another of the night’s big winners, with three awards for RNG Casino Supplier, Innovation in RNG Casino Software and Mobile Supplier.

“It is hugely satisfying to once again have our achievements identified by the industry and our peers at the EGR B2B Awards,” Per Eriksson, CEO of NetEnt, said.

“We are especially delighted as these awards because mobile, RNG casino and innovation represent the core areas of our business.”

Square in the Air won the Marketing and PR Provider of the Year award for a fourth consecutive year, which MD Bill Esdaile described as “a fantastic achievement and a great reward for our team who have worked so hard over the past 12 months”.

Esdaile added: “Several of our clients also enjoyed success at last night’s prestigious awards, and it was lovely to join them in the celebrations in what was a night to remember.”

The Slot Provider of the Year gong went to Yggrdrasil Gaming for the second year running, with the provider beating out nine other nominees.

Fredrik Elmqvist, CEO at Yggdrasil, said: “Retaining this huge award shows we’re doing the right things – producing high-quality slots with outstanding graphics, supported by the most creative in-game promotional tools on the market, and all built on our solid and mobile friendly platform.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make this possible. We’ve got an absolutely brilliant team and retaining this award will only spur us on to work even harder to create the very best products for our customers.”

Gamevy was also a second time winner, as it retained the Skills Games Supplier gong it first won last year.

“This has been a busy year for Gamevy,” Helen Walton, Gamevy co-founder and chief commercial officer, said. “We’ve launched a range of new games and we’re working on some really exciting projects. It’s brilliant to see the industry taking notice of new types of games – ones which really engage players and offer them a more entertaining experience.

“Skills gaming is an area with enormous potential for growth – it appeals to a younger, but broader demographic, it encourages responsible play and it helps operators really stand out from the crowd. As far as we’re concerned, the skills revolution is just beginning – and we’re thrilled to be on that journey.”

The trophy for Innovation in sports betting software went to Betgenius, whose MD Jack Davison commented: “As a cutting-edge technology company we pride ourselves on looking for ways to innovate and improve the service we provide to sportsbook operators. It’s fantastic to see the hard work of our team, as well as the quality of our trading products, recognised with this award.”

IWG earned the nod in the Online Lottery Supplier category, with CEO Rhydian Fisher adding: “To even be shortlisted for online lottery supplier at the EGR B2B Awards was a massive thrill, but to win it really is incredible.

“The entire team at IWG work tirelessly with our clients and partners, so for all their hard work to be recognised with this award is hugely pleasing. The instant win sector is probably the fastest growing in the gaming industry and it’s an extremely exciting time for IWG.

“We’ve been working with lotteries for the past 15 years and we’re now also focusing strongly on the commercial sector. We look forward to continuing to provide our partners with the very best and most engaging instant win content.”

Peter Murray, head of gaming at GBG – which won the award for Fraud and compliance solution – said it was a “hugely satisfying moment”.

“Ultimately it is recognition of how we are aligning our services with the changing needs of the sector and our global customer base. The collaboration with Taborp and assisting them engage with their customers more effectively whilst protecting all parties involved looks to have resonated with the judges,” Murray said.

Meanwhile, BDO took home the Corporate Services Provider award, and partner Kieran Storan said the prize reflected the company’s growth within the industry.

“Since the inception of online gaming BDO has been a leading advisor to the industry,” Storan said. “Over the last 12 months we have continued to grow our sector business and we remain the only accountancy firm with a substantial cross stream dedicated betting and gaming unit. We believe that our deep sector knowledge underpinned by exceptional service has been key to our success in the market.

“We are delighted that this has been recognised by our team winning the EGR B2B Corporate Services Provider of the year award. Another great night to celebrate a great industry and many thanks to the EGR team.”

The full list of winners can be viewed below.