
EGR Operator Awards 2025 snapshot:
When: Wednesday, 22 October 2025 (drinks from 18:30, dinner & awards from 19:45, after-party 22:30, close 01:00) — Black-tie dress code.
Where: De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London.
Table of contents
- About the EGR Operator Awards 2025
- Key facts for 2025 (date, venue, schedule)
- What the awards actually measure
- Categories explained (headline, affiliate, operator & more)
- 2025 shortlist highlights
- How judging works (and why it’s trusted)
- What happens on the night
- How to use these awards (PR, due diligence, vendor shortlisting)
- FAQs
About the EGR Operator Awards 2025
The EGR Operator Awards are widely regarded as the flagship B2C igaming awards, celebrating excellence among sportsbook and casino operators, affiliates and, in 2025, one supplier-side category. They’re run by EGR (part of With Intelligence) and evaluated by an independent panel. The 2025 edition moves to a new, larger stage at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Garden.
Why it matters: industry buyers, regulators, investors and media use EGR’s shortlists as a signal of product quality, compliance maturity and brand performance. Winning isn’t just a trophy; it’s a shorthand for credibility when entering new markets or pitching partnerships.
Key facts for 2025 (date, venue, schedule)
- Date: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
- Venue: De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London (EGR’s dedicated Venue page confirms the move in 2025).
- Dress code: Black tie
- Running order:
- 18:30 — Drinks reception
- 19:45 — Dinner & awards ceremony
- 22:30 — After-party
- 01:00 — Close
These timings are listed on EGR’s On the Night page.
What the awards actually measure
Each category focuses on concrete outcomes over the past 12 months (July 2024—June 2025 entries), such as:
- Product innovation (new features, UX, AI deployment)
- Commercial results (growth, retention, ROI)
- Compliance & safer gambling (D&I, ESG, sustainability)
- Customer experience (service, KYC, payments, AML)
Category definitions and criteria are laid out on EGR’s Categories & Criteria page, which also explains evidence requirements (supporting data, case studies, customer impact).
Categories explained (headline, affiliate, operator & more)
EGR groups 2025 awards into several families. Below is a plain-English walkthrough readers can skim, matching the structure on EGR’s official criteria section.
Headline categories (highest profile)
- Affiliate of the Year (affiliates only)
- Casino Operator
- Employer of the Year
- Individual Achievement Award
- Innovator of the Year
- Operator of the Year
- Sports Betting Operator
These are the “marquee” gongs that often correlate with brand leadership, market expansion and PR impact.
Affiliate categories
- Casino Affiliate
- Marketing Campaign (affiliates only)
- Sports Affiliate
These celebrate acquisition quality, long-term partnerships, and transparency in traffic generation.
Operator & affiliate categories (cross-functional excellence)
- Best AI Development of the Year (new for 2025)
- Best Customer Service
- Diversity & Inclusion Model
- ESG Strategy of the Year
These reward the backbone of sustainable growth: service standards, culture, and responsible innovation.
Operator categories (vertical & capability awards)
Examples include:
- Affiliate Programme
- Bingo Operator
- Casino Product of the Year
- Crypto Operator
- DFS Operator (new for 2025)
- Esports Operator
- Football Betting Operator
- Horse Race Betting Operator
- In-House Product
- In-Play Sports Operator
- Lottery Operator
- Marketing Campaign (operators only)
- North American Operator of the Year (new for 2025)
- Omnichannel Operator (new for 2025)
- Operator Rising Star
- Poker Operator
- Safer Gambling Operator
- Slots Operator
- Sports Product of the Year
- Virtual Sports Operator (new for 2025)
The full, category-by-category criteria and entry notes are available on EGR’s official criteria page.
Supplier category (one slot in 2025)
- Game of the Year — showcases peak creativity and performance on the content side within a predominantly B2C-operator awards night.
EGR Operator Awards 2025 shortlist highlights
EGR has released the official 2025 shortlist across the headline, affiliate, operator and supplier categories. You’ll find the full, living page hosted by EGR; below we surface the structure and a selection of categories to give readers a flavour before the HTML block later in this article (so you can render a styled list on SlotDecoded).
- Headline categories — finalists announced for Casino Operator, Sports Betting Operator, Operator of the Year, Employer of the Year, Innovator of the Year, Individual Achievement, and Affiliate of the Year.
- Affiliate categories — Casino Affiliate, Sports Affiliate, and the affiliate-only Marketing Campaign category.
- Operator & Affiliate — Best AI Development of the Year (new), Best Customer Service, Diversity & Inclusion Model, ESG Strategy.
- Operator categories — 20+ vertical and capability awards across product and geography, including North America-specific and omnichannel honours added this year.
- Supplier — Game of the Year.
EGR Operator Awards 2025 — Final Shortlist
Compiled from the official 2025 shortlist. Groupings and names follow the event’s published categories.
Headline categories
Affiliate of the Year — for affiliates only
- Better Collective
- Blue Window Ltd
- Casino Guru
- Checkd Group
- FairPlay Sports Media
- FTD Digital
- Gambling.com Group
- Game Lounge
- Skores Media
- Slotsjudge
- Spotlight Sports Group
- Traffic Lab
- Vita Media Group
Casino Operator
- 1xBet
- Bally’s
- Betinia
- BetMGM UK
- Betsson Group
- Campeón Gaming
- Codere Online
- Coolbet
- Grosvenor Casinos
- Kaizen Gaming
- LeoVegas
- Novibet
- OPAP part of Allwyn
- PlayOJO
Employer of the Year
- Bally’s
- BetMGM
- Betsson Group
- Blue Window Ltd
- Campeón Gaming
- ComeOn Group
- Gambling.com Group
- Kaizen Gaming
- LiveScore Group
- MrQ
- QiH Group
Individual Achievement Award
- Ryan Schembri — Betsson Group
- Rich Kearns — Buzz Group Ltd
- Marinos Shiapanis — Campeón Gaming
- Yoel Zuckerberg — Soft2Bet
Innovator of the Year
- Betinia
- Big Money Live by Buzz Bingo
- Kaizen Gaming
- Novibet
- OPAP part of Allwyn
- PlayOJO
- Plucky
Operator of the Year
- 1xBet
- Bally’s
- Betsson Group
- Campeón Gaming
- Codere Online
- ComeOn Group
- Kaizen Gaming
- LeoVegas Group
- Lottoland
- Novibet
- PlayOJO
- tombola
- Yolo Entertainment
Sports Betting Operator
- Betinia
- Betsson Group
- Campeón Gaming
- Campobet
- Codere Online
- ComeOn Group
- Kaizen Gaming
- Novibet
- OPAP part of Allwyn
- Sportsbet.io
- WINBET
Affiliate categories
Casino Affiliate
- Blue Window Ltd
- Casino Guru
- FTD Digital
- Gambling.com Group
- Game Lounge
- Matching Visions Ltd
- Traffic Lab
- Vita Media Group
Marketing Campaign — for affiliates only
- Basher Agency
- Blue Window Ltd
- Boomerang Partners
- Checkd Group
- Slotsjudge
Sports Affiliate
- Better Collective
- Blue Window Ltd
- Checkd Group
- FairPlay Sports Media
- Gambling.com Group
- MightyTips
- Skores Media
Operator & Affiliate categories
Best AI Development of the Year (new for 2025)
- Blue Window Ltd
- FairPlay Sports Media
- Hard Rock Bet
- Kaizen Gaming
Best Customer Service
- 12BET
- Bally’s
- Betsson Group
- Coolbet
- Hard Rock Bet
- Kaizen Gaming
- LiveScore Group
- MEDIACLE
- RocketPlay Casino
- WinSpirit Casino
- Yolo Entertainment
Diversity & Inclusion Model
- Betsson Group
- Campeón Gaming
- Flutter Entertainment
ESG Strategy of the Year
- Betsson Group
- Lottoland
Operator categories
Affiliate Programme
- 1xBet Partners
- bet365 Partners
- Betsson Group Affiliates
- Bluefox Affiliates
- Boomerang Partners
- Entain Partners
- Excel Affiliates
- Kaizen Gaming
- Mate Affiliates
- N1 Partners
- Novibet
- Parimatch Affiliates
- Partners.io
- Royal Partners
Bingo Operator
- Bally’s
- Buzz Bingo
- PlayOJO
- tombola
Casino Product of the Year
- Bally’s
- Betinia
- CampoBet
- ComeOn Group
- Kaizen Gaming
- Novibet
- PlayOJO
- RollXO
- ToonieBet
Crypto Operator
- 1xBet
- Yolo Entertainment
Football Betting Operator
- Betsson Group
- Kaizen Gaming
- Nova88
- Novibet
Horse Race Betting Operator
- BOYLE Sports
- William Hill
In-house Product
- Betsson Group
- Impressario Casino
- Kaizen Gaming
- Novibet
- PlayOJO
- MEGA by Soft2Bet
- tombola
In-play Sports Operator
- 1xBet
- DraftKings
- Kaizen Gaming
Lottery Operator
- Jackpot
- Lottoland
Marketing Campaign — for operators only
- 8888
- Bally’s
- BetMGM UK
- Betsson Group
- Buzz Bingo
- Coolbet
- GAMING1
- Hard Rock Bet
- Kaizen Gaming
- Mecca Bingo
- Novibet
- PlayOJO
- Stoiximan
- ToonieBet
- William Hill
North American Operator of the Year (new for 2025)
- BetMGM
- Caesars Entertainment
- DraftKings
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- Hard Rock Bet
- Jackpot
- PlayOJO
- ToonieBet
Omnichannel Operator (new for 2025)
- Buzz Group
- Hard Rock Bet
- Mecca Bingo
Operator Rising Star
- Abu King
- Allyspin
- Impressario Casino
- Jackpot
- Robocat
- ToonieBet
- WinSpirit Casino
Poker Operator
- BetMGM
- Coolbet
- GGPoker
Safer Gambling Operator
- Bally’s
- Betsson Group
- Coolbet
- DraftKings
- Ellipse Entertainment
- GAMING1
- OPAP part of Allwyn
- PlayOJO
- Rank Interactive
- tombola
Slots Operator
- 1xBet
- Betsson Group
- Campeón Gaming
- PlayOJO
Sports Product of the Year
- ComeOn Group
- Kaizen Gaming
- Novibet
Supplier category
Game of the Year
- 1X2 Network — 3 Hot Chilli Peppers
- Aristocrat Interactive — Big Crush Multiplier
- Aviatrix — Aviatrix
- ELA Games — Joker Winpot
- ELK Studios — Pirots 3
- Evolution — Race Track
- Evoplay — Uncrossable Rush
- Fortune Factory Studios — Gold Blitz™ Ultimate
- Inspired Entertainment — Golden Winner Grand Chance™
- IWG — Million Dollar Countdown
- Play’n GO — Crabby’s Gold
- Playtech — Oink Oink Oink™
- Pragmatic Play — Gates of Hades
- Smartsoft — Mine Island
- SPRIBE — Aviator
- Swintt — Pirate Pledge Hold & Win
How judging works (and why it’s trusted)
EGR’s Judging Process outlines:
- A two-stage process (initial scoring, followed by panel debate)
- A conflict-of-interest policy, with judges recused where appropriate
- Evidence-based scoring (supporting data, customer impact, innovation, compliance)
- Transparency commitments and feedback opportunities post-event
The process is documented in detail on their official Judging page.
What happens on the night (guest experience)
- Setting: The Grand Connaught Rooms deliver classic London grandeur with modern production — a bigger stage and upgraded hospitality in 2025.
- Timeline: From 18:30 welcome drinks through a 19:45 seated awards dinner, then a late after-party, closing at 01:00. Dress code: black tie.
- Audience: Board-level and senior leadership across the largest regulated operators, leading affiliates, suppliers, advisers, and media.
How to use these awards (practical value)
- Investors & analysts: Shortlists signal execution quality, regulatory maturity, and product traction.
- Vendors & affiliates: A guide to who’s winning in which vertical; useful for targeting BD and co-marketing.
- Regulatory & compliance teams: Operator & Affiliate category winners often correlate with robust safer-gambling controls, D&I, ESG and AML leadership.
- Players & community: A map of brand reputation — useful when comparing CX, payments speed, and content depth.
FAQs – EGR Operator Awards 2025
When and where are the EGR Operator Awards 2025 held?
22 October 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London. Timings: drinks 18:30, dinner & awards 19:45, after-party 22:30, close 01:00. Dress code: black tie.
What’s new in 2025?
A new venue; new categories such as Best AI Development of the Year, plus North American Operator, Omnichannel Operator, and DFS Operator as fresh focus areas.
How are winners chosen?
Multi-stage judging with independent panels, conflict-of-interest management, and evidence-based scoring across innovation, growth, CX and compliance.
Are suppliers included?
Yes — Game of the Year showcases content excellence within a B2C-centric programme.
What should shortlisted companies prepare for the awards night?
Bring a tight comms plan and a small “win kit.” At minimum: a short press release (winner/runner-up variants), approved quotes from an executive, 2–3 social posts with visuals sized for LinkedIn/X/Instagram, and a hi-res logo set. On the night itself, arrive early for the drinks reception (black tie), make sure your table knows the category order, and assign one spokesperson for stage photos/interviews. If you win, post within 15 minutes, tag the organiser’s official channels, and update website home/PR newsroom within 24 hours.
How does the judging process manage conflicts of interest and ensure fairness?
Judges are industry experts placed into panels matched to their domain expertise. Any judge with a current or recent commercial relationship with an entrant recuses from scoring that entry. Scores are captured individually (no group voting), then normalised across panels to remove bias. The organiser performs checks for consistency and may request clarifications from judges, but does not alter individual scores. This combination—recusals, panel matching, and normalisation—keeps the process independent and transparent.
What’s the experience on the night—seating, catering, and accessibility?
The evening typically includes a drinks reception, a seated dinner and awards ceremony, and an after-party at the same venue. Tables are pre-assigned; finalists are seated close to stage to streamline photos. Dietary requirements (vegan, halal, kosher, allergen-free) and accessibility needs (step-free access, reserved lifts, assisted hearing on request) can be accommodated—submit these to the organiser when confirming guest names. Dress code is black tie.
Conclusion – EGR Operator Awards 2025
The EGR Operator Awards 2025 shortlist is now locked and it’s a strong snapshot of where the industry is heading. Beyond the flagship prizes like Operator of the Year, Casino Operator, Sports Betting Operator, Affiliate of the Year and Game of the Year, this year’s slate highlights the themes shaping the market: responsible innovation, measurable customer care, and the mainstreaming of AI. The addition of North American Operator of the Year and Omnichannel Operator underlines how convergence and US growth are reshaping the competitive field, while categories such as ESG Strategy and Safer Gambling Operator keep best-practice and player protection front and center.
All eyes will turn to London on 22 October 2025 when the winners are revealed at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms. Whether you’re a shortlisted team putting the final touches on your comms plan, a supplier benchmarking product strategy, or an affiliate tracking who sets the pace for 2026 budgets, these finals are the bellwether for what excellence looks like in B2C gaming right now. Keep this shortlist close, watch the outcomes category by category, and use the results to validate roadmaps, inspire campaigns and—if you make the stage—amplify a milestone win across every channel.