Gambling is growing fast, and the competition in this field is super tough. Every platform is trying hard to beat the others and grab as many loyal players as they can—players who’ll stay with them for a long time. But just because there’s competition doesn’t mean all online casinos are great or even close to perfect. Some don’t bother improving their slot games and have fewer than 1,000 options. Others stay stuck, offering only poker and blackjack in their live dealer section.
Meanwhile, some casino platforms around the world continue to raise the bar – upgrading everything from slot selections to bonus offers and payment methods. Players from the UK, the US, and many other countries have access to casinos packed with variety. And for those from the Philippines, there’s no trouble finding a casino with 50 minimum deposit in pesos—or even less—among platforms that welcome Filipino players. There are specialist platforms that review and rate online casinos, so players can find one that suits them. But besides trusted expert websites, who else out there evaluates the quality of services these online casinos provide?
“Oscars” of Online Gambling: Who Awards Them?
As mentioned earlier, the online gambling industry is growing super fast, and this has led to the creation of some pretty prestigious awards handed out to gambling platforms across various categories.
These awards come after a thorough review by judges. They pick a specific category — and there are tons of them, ranging from big ones like “Casino of the Year” to more niche ones like “Best Bingo Operator.”
EGR Operator Awards
If you ever hear about gambling industry awards in the media, then more likely than not, it is the EGR Awards that’s in focus. These awards, powered by EGR (eGaming Review) are among the most coveted honours in the industry. The EGR Awards are, for many, the equivalent of the Oscars, and their purpose is to recognise innovation and service in the industry.
A panel of leading experts judge the categories, and the biggest of those is the “Operator of the Year” award, which is handed out for different regions, like one for the UK & Ireland and another for Western Europe.
The EGR Awards are delivered on a big night of gaming celebrations, and they go a long way to recognising an operator as a top-tier service, which can massively boost the reputation and credibility of a winner. The awards also do a lot to promote areas like customer service and safer gambling.
International Gaming Awards
The IGAs are highly prestigious, and operated by the iGaming Post, which continues to provide transparent insights into the world of all gambling. At the IGAs there are several categories of awards up for grabs, with one of the most notable being the “Best Customer Service Company of the Year (Operator)”.
The “Games Studio of the Year”, “Game of the Year” and “Global Gaming Company of the Year” are among other top awards handed out. The IGA Awards are supported by industry insiders and they cover both online and land-based casino operations.
SBC Awards
The SBC Awards started in 2013 as a way to celebrate the best service providers across the gambling industry and are much-coveted gambling awards that are up for grabs. The media company SBC (Sports Betting Community), which is a popular and well-trusted source of industry news, runs the awards.
Again, there are many areas of online casino operations celebrated by the awards, which reflect upon the popular industry. The “Casino Operator of the Year” award is one of the biggest prizes, along with the “Industry Innovation of the Year”. The SBC awards even celebrate the “Tribal Gaming Operator of the Year”, plus up-and-coming operators of the future industry, with their “Rising Star” awards.
Global Gaming Awards
The GGAs cover both land-based and digital gambling around the world. For many, these are among the most prestigious in the industry, and they are powered by the highly-respected Gambling Insider publication.
One of the top prizes from the GGAs, which celebrated its 8th year in 2025, is the ‘Casino of the Year Award’ and the ‘Online Casino of the Year Award’. The awards also celebrate the developers behind gaming software with the “Online Casino Supplier of the Year” award and the accolades even include a category for the “Online Slot of the Year”.
A Matter of Prestige
The awards mentioned above carry well-established prestige, having been around for years and widely regarded as top-tier in the industry.
However, for the average online casino player, there are a few things worth understanding about these awards. Often, the organizations handing them out don’t publicly name the specific judges or experts tasked with picking the best platforms across various categories.
On the website of one of the biggest players, EGR (eGaming Review), you’ll notice that the judging criteria for different nominations are pretty similar: growth and commercial success, innovation and differentiation, quality of product, customer acquisition and retention strategies. Knowing these criteria, you’d hope for a detailed report breaking down the analysis. But that’s something you rarely see after the awards are handed out.
None of this means these awards shouldn’t be taken seriously — they absolutely should. The key point here is that they tend to highlight market players who are already rock-solid, proving they’re safe and reliable for players.
For example, a platform winning an award for the best bingo games is definitely worth checking out. But that doesn’t guarantee it’s the perfect fit for you, especially if your priorities differ from what the award focuses on.
