Online casino players are used to the various awards from peer organisations in the industry. Most of these felicitate the best of gambling site operators, games and software suppliers, payment solutions providers and the like. Gambling Compliance has started awards in the area of gambling regulation. The 2018 Gambling Compliance Global Regulatory Awards were announced last week. From the players’ point of view these awards first of all demonstrate the industry’s intent to provide services that are fair, secure and in tune with the demands imposed by the regulatory authorities. The winners of the awards indicate which organisations are best in compliance and players would give additional preference to online casinos associated with the winners.

Gambling Compliance is the leading provider of independent legal, regulatory and business intelligence to the global gaming industry. It has on its client list names like Ladbrokes, William Hill, Playtech and Bwin. The inaugural Gambling Compliance Global Regulatory Awards were held in 2017. Compliance and responsible gambling initiatives fall on designated persons and teams within organisations in the industry. Gambling Compliance felt that there was a need to honour the best among these and hence the awards.

The 2018 Gambling Compliance Global Regulatory Awards were held on April 18 at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane in London. Over 300 professionals from around the world attended the ceremony. Awards were given in 15 categories and were sponsored by industry leaders like NetEnt IGT and Gamble Aware.

Usually the generals win the laurels while the soldiers win the battles. One of the more popular awards was for the Data Protection Officer of the Year. The fact that it honoured the person in the field went down well. The award was shared by Deion Williams the Information, Security and Technical Compliance Officer of Play n Go and Anna Niewiadomska from the operator Kindred. Play n Go powers a number of leading online casinos like InterCasino. Its press release stated that Williams showed particular commitment to implementing data protection procedures, which has been a key factor in the game supplier’s entry into new markets.

Some of the other awards and winners were as follows. The award for the Chief Compliance Officer of the Year went to Ian Ince of Playtech. The judges appreciated the fact that Ince was leading change rather than merely complying with existing standards. Compliance Innovator of the Year went to SB Tech.