THEN AND NOW
As we reflect on 10 years of the Global Gaming Awards, we realize how much the gaming industry in the US has changed. When we first started the Global Gaming Awards, sports betting was only legal in Nevada and now, 5 years after PASPA was overturned, more than 30 states and Washington DC have legalized sports betting in mobile, retail or both forms.
Sports betting is already regarded as part of mainstream sports culture in the US, with leagues, teams, media brands and more getting involved. We have just seen sports apparel and collectibles company Fanatics launch its mobile sportsbook, and sports media giant ESPN is gearing up to launch ESPN Bet, operated by PENN Entertainment, this fall.
On the land-based side, two Tribes (both previous Global Gaming Awards winners) recently made history - The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians became the first Tribe to own and operate a casino in Las Vegas, and The Seminole Tribe of Florida - the first Tribal operator on the Las Vegas Strip. The Seminole Tribe also made history in 2019 when it opened the world’s first guitar-shaped hotel, which deservingly won a Global Gaming Award shortly after.
Elsewhere, in 2020, Downtown Las Vegas’ first casino-resort built from the ground up in four decades, opened its doors - that is of course Circa Resort & Casino, which is already a two-time Global Gaming Awards winner.
Outside of Las Vegas, Bally’s is building the first fully integrated resort in the center of a major city within the United States (Bally’s Chicago), and over the last few months we saw amazing bids from various operators for three downstate New York casino licenses.
Away from the US, we have seen Ontario establish a regulated sports betting and iGaming market, Puerto Rico launch mobile sports betting, more operators launch in key LatAm markets such as Argentina, Peru and Mexico, and Brazil introduce sports betting legislation.
Meanwhile, on the supplier side, we have seen cashless payments technology revolutionize the gaming industry, which is why three years ago, we dedicated one of our categories to this supplier vertical.
Each year we review the Global Gaming Awards categories to ensure they reflect the industry at this moment in time and while some categories were dropped and others added, there are a few companies that have been hugely successful at our event throughout the years.
MGM Resorts International has won at least one Global Gaming Award every year, with a total of 14 awards won so far. It is closely followed by Aristocrat with 13 awards and IGT with 11.
THE AWARDS PROCESS: WHAT’S BEHIND THE SCENES IS SO IMPORTANT
2014 saw the first ever Global Gaming Awards event, held at The Venetian Las Vegas. This year we are excited for the Awards to return for a milestone 10th edition.
While the rules and procedures of the Global Gaming Awards have remained the same throughout the years, the event, just like the gaming industry, has gradually evolved year after year.
Each year we gather self-nominations from companies and we ask independent industry consultants and experts for their recommendations before putting together the Shortlist. And each year, this process gets harder and harder as there are so many companies and individuals that deserve to be recognized.
Unfortunately, we can’t do that as we have very clear rules: only 10 nominees in all company categories and 25 nominees for American Executive of the year. This ensures our Awards truly reward the best of the best which is why we always say that nomination alone is a huge achievement.
Every company and individual is always nominated for a reason, which you can read in this magazine. We give companies a chance to submit a short supporting statement, which, together with the nomination reason, is seen by the Judging Panel.
And speaking of the Judging Panel - what a panel we have! Throughout the years our Judging Panel has grown from 50 to over 100 senior industry executives. Each of them dedicates time to cast their votes for a winner and a runner-up across all categories they can vote in, so a huge thank you goes to every single one of them.
Only one executive per company is invited to participate in the Judging Panel and should their company be nominated in a particular category, they are excluded from voting in said category.
What we often say to the Global Gaming Awards winners is that it’s not us saying you are the best, it is the industry doing so. There is nothing that can match the independent verification of your industry peers and, in some cases even your competitors, voting you the best.
The voting process is independently adjudicated by KPMG in the Crown Dependencies, so winners can be 100% sure they won their awards fairly. KPMG has been the voting adjudicator since the inception of the Global Gaming Awards and is a big reason why our event is so respected, so another thank you goes to Micky Swindale, Partner at KPMG’s Global Gaming Team who announces the Global Gaming Awards winners every year, and the rest of the team involved in the adjudication process.
BEYOND LAS VEGAS
While the Global Gaming Awards Las Vegas, which recognize the strongest performers across the Americas, is our flagship event, we now have two more Global Gaming Awards events.
In 2018 we launched the Global Gaming Awards London which reward suppliers and operators from the EMEA region, and in 2022, we launched the Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific. Both events have been just as well-received by the industry as our Las Vegas Awards, and follow the same process.
- Mariya Savova, Event Manager, Global Gaming Awards
