The judges will reward the casino affiliate that has provided significant traffic, player numbers and genuine ROI for operators. An ability to build strong partner relationships as well as innovation in terms of brand, marketing and player retention strategies will be key criteria for deciding a winner. This is not an award for the biggest affiliate site, but scale will be a factor in determining the winner. Entrants will need to provide evidence of scale of traffic and strong partnerships with operators as well as putting forward a clear case for differentiation and stand-out within their sector.

Key criteria include:

• Differentiation and quality of offering
• Quality and scale of traffic
• Growth
• Innovation
• Strong partner relationships

The winner of this award will be the casino operator that has been able to dominate the sector through their global reach and quality of their product. Entrants will be judged on the originality of their product, the strength of the brand and product, and innovations helping set their offering apart from its competitors. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success
• Innovation and differentiation
• Quality of product
• Customer acquisition and retention strategies
• Quality of brand and marketing

This award recognises the operator that has stood out from the pack within mobile and tablet real-money gambling. It is open to mobile-only operators or traditional egaming firms with a mobile product suite, but in either case the judges will be looking for evidence of innovation, growth, and the quality of product and service. Single product operators are welcome to enter, but special consideration will be given to operators with a well-integrated portfolio or products across iOS, Android and mobile web on both smartphone and tablet platforms.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of mobile products
• Player metrics
• Product quality and functionality
• Innovation and differentiation
• Cross-platform strategy

This award recognises the operator that has set the standards for others to follow over the past year. The judges will be looking for a company that has acted as a driving force for innovation across all areas of the business and the winning operator will need to demonstrate a market-leading proposition. It is not a reward for the largest operator, but rather operational excellence in the markets where the company has a presence. Judges will be looking for a company that has clearly differentiated itself from the chasing pack in its sector, through a mixture of growth, innovation and strong product performance in one or more of the key verticals. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.

Key criteria include:

• Operational excellence
• Quality and diversity of product
• Innovation and differentiation
• Growth and commercial success
• Influence on wider egaming market
• Strength of brand and marketing

The poker operator of the year award will be given to the operator that has operated the most successful real-money poker offering over the past year. Judges will award the prize for originality, growth and marketing strategy, with special consideration given to innovation. Special consideration will be given to those operators who have shown growth in the current market and to operators that have been able to differentiate in a crowded sector. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success
• Innovation and differentiation
• Strength of brand and player acquisition strategies
• Quality of product

The Rising Star award rewards a company of up to three years in existence that, despite being new to the sector, is rapidly growing and establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with. Innovation will be a major factor in the judging process, however operational excellence and early signs of commercial success will also be taken into account.

Key criteria include:

• Greatest promise
• Innovation and differentiation
• Growth and commercial success
• Profitability

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CATEGORY IS ONLY OPEN TO COMPANIES THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THREE YEARS OR LESS AND HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY WON THIS CATEGORY.

Judges will award the prize to the operator that has done the most to implement procedures designed to protect their customers. The winner will be rewarded for age verification technology, problem gambling support, responsible gambling safeguards and comprehensive KYC procedures. Special consideration will be given to operators that have campaigned for wider industry controls to ensure socially responsible gambling.

Key criteria include:

• Age verification
• Problem gambling assistance
• Problem gambling safeguards
• CRM and problem gamblers
• KYC procedures
• Advancement of research in gambling

In the competitive sports betting field, the operator that has been able to differentiate itself from its key rivals through an excellent product offering, an effective marketing strategy and impressive global reach will be awarded this prize. Judges are looking for an operator that has enjoyed consistent growth over the past year and demonstrated operational excellence in the markets they operate within. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.

Key criteria include:

• Scale and growth
• Geographical diversity
• Innovation and differentiation
• Quality of on and offline marketing
• Quality of product

This award will go to the exchange betting operator that has been able to differentiate itself from its key rivals through an excellent product offering and an effective marketing strategy. Judges are looking for an operator that has enjoyed consistent growth over the past year and demonstrated operational excellence in the markets they operate within.

Key criteria include:

• Scale and growth
• Innovation and differentiation
• Quality of on and offline marketing
• Quality of product

This award recognises the operator that has made the biggest impact within the fantasy sports space during the previous 12 months. The judges will be looking for evidence of revenue growth, acquisition through the mobile channel, innovation and strength of product. The winner will be the operator that can demonstrate a successful cross-platform offering with strong functionality and growth.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success
• Innovation and differentiation
• Quality of product
• Quality of brand and marketing

This award is for operators offering both lottery and bet-on-lottery products. The award will go to the operator that can demonstrate how it has found success in the lottery sector with judges paying particular attention to growth, product innovation and the ability to appeal to a new demographic, which includes the transition of retail players into the online and mobile environment.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success
• Innovation and differentiation
• Quality of product
• Quality of brand and marketing

This award will go to the operator that can best demonstrate that it truly has the customer at the heart of its business, and manages its resources to continuously improve its performance standards ensuring it can meet the needs of its entire customer base.

Key criteria include:

• Staff engagement in customer satisfaction strategy
• Continual training and development
• Continual measurement
• Competitive advantage
• Impact on retention

This award will recognise the operator that has achieved significant success in the field of financial and sports spread betting during the past 12 months. The category is open to standalone sports and financial spread betting operators but not egaming operators with a financial betting offering. The judges will be looking for evidence of growth, innovation in product and/or marketing as well as strong revenue generation and overall product offering.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success
• Innovation and differentiation
• Quality of product
• Customer acquisition and retention strategies
• Quality of brand and marketing

This award will recognise the operator that has stood out in the competitive horse race betting space, through quality of product, customer centricity, differentiation and commercial success. Judges will be looking for an operator that offers a market leading product combined with an effective marketing strategy and CRM capabilities, as well as strong commercial performance.

Key criteria include:

• Quality and breadth of offering
• Scale and product diversity
• Growth and commercial success
• Quality of online and offline marketing

This award will recognise the operator that has stood out in the football betting space, through quality of product, customer centricity, differentiation and commercial success. Judges will be looking for an operator that offers a market leading product combined with an effective marketing strategy and CRM capabilities, as well as strong commercial performance.

Key criteria include:

• Quality and breadth of offering
• Scale and product diversity
• Growth and commercial success
• Quality of online and offline marketing

This award will recognise the operator that can demonstrate it has developed the most effective in-house product or platform which helped it stand out from its competitors and offered the biggest commercial boost to its business during the past 12 months. Relevant products include – but are not limited to – betting and gaming platforms, game content, mobile and tablet apps, and marketing technology. Judges will be looking for the success of the product, both commercially and in terms of solving a business need, as well as the level of innovation demonstrated in its conception and development.

Key criteria include:

• Quality of product
• Evidence of positive commercial impact
• Innovation and differentiation
• Link to solving direct business need

The judging panel is looking to reward the operator that has developed a product that stands out from the crowd, and provided a significant boost to sportsbook revenue in this vitally important sector of the business. Innovation and strength in mobile and tablet will be a key criteria for assessment. The panel will also be looking at breadth of markets offered and the ability to offer in-play on multiple platforms.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of product
• Innovation and differentiation
• On and offline marketing strategy
• Breadth of markets and platforms offered

This award recognises the company that has run the most innovative, intelligent and creative marketing campaign over the past year. Judges will select a winner based on effective use of brand and contextual advertising along with other elements such as banner ads, affiliate programmes, use of SEO and viral marketing for a specific campaign. The award is not simply for the most effective campaign in terms of ROI, but the financial performance of the campaign or its success in recruiting new customers will be a factor in judging a winner.

Key criteria include:

• Innovation and originality
• Use of different channels
• Creativity
• ROI including growth in customer acquisition

This award recognises the operator that has made the biggest impact within the mobile and tablet space during the past 12 months. The award is open both to mobile-only operators and traditional egaming operators with a mobile bingo product. The judges will be looking for evidence of revenue growth, acquisition through the mobile channel, innovation and strength of product. The winner will be the operator that can demonstrate a successful cross-platform offering with strong functionality and growth. It is not an award for the largest operator, but scale will be a consideration.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of product
• Player metrics
• Product quality and functionality
• Innovation and differentiation
• Cross-platform strategy

This award recognises the operator that has made the biggest impact within the mobile and tablet space during the previous 12 months. The award is open both to mobile-only operators and traditional egaming operators with a mobile casino product. The judges will be looking for evidence of revenue growth, acquisition through the mobile channel, innovation and strength of product. The winner will be the operator that can demonstrate a successful cross-platform offering with strong functionality and growth.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of product
• Player metrics
• Product quality and functionality
• Innovation and differentiation
• Cross-platform strategy

This award recognises the operator that has made the biggest impact within the mobile and tablet space during the previous 12 months. The award is open both to mobile-only operators and traditional egaming operators with a mobile poker product. The judges will be looking for evidence of revenue growth, acquisition through the mobile channel, innovation and strength of product. The winner will be the operator that can demonstrate a successful cross-platform offering with strong functionality and growth.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of product
• Player metrics
• Product quality and functionality
• Innovation and differentiation
• Cross-platform strategy

This award recognises the operator that has made the biggest impact within the mobile and tablet space during the previous 12 months. The award is open both to mobile-only operators and traditional egaming operators with a mobile sportsbook product. The judges will be looking for evidence of revenue growth, acquisition through the mobile channel, innovation and strength of product. The winner will be the operator that can demonstrate a successful cross-platform offering with strong functionality and growth.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of product
• Player metrics
• Product quality and functionality
• Innovation and differentiation
• Cross-platform strategy

This award will go to the slots operator running the most successful and innovative offering. The judges will be looking for operators that have a strong product offering, brand identity and an effective marketing strategy. This is not an award for the largest operator, but scale, growth and revenue generation will be factor in determining the winner. Additional recognition will be given to operators with a strong regulated market business.

Key criteria include:

• Growth and commercial success of product
• Innovation and differentiation
• Strength of brand and player acquisition strategies
• Quality of product

This award recognises the social operator that has set the standards for others to follow over the past 12 months. Judges will look for a company that has dominated the social gaming space and acted as a driving force for innovation. It is not a reward for the largest operator, but scale will be a major consideration.

Key criteria include:

• Operational excellence
• Scale and geographical diversity
• Innovation and differentiation
• Growth and commercial success
• Strength of brand and marketing