Nominations open for debut Bacta awards

The UK gaming hall and amusement arcade association will host its first awards ceremony in November.

UK.- The gaming hall and amusement arcade trade association Bacta has opened nominations for what will be the first Bacta Awards. The first in what is intended to become an annual event will celebrate operators in the amusements and low-stakes gaming sector.

The awards have five categories and will seek to recognise operators and venues that have made an impact in different areas in the last 12 months. The categories are High Street Hero, Seaside Saviour, Supply Chain Champion, Green Giants and Rising Star.

The judges will include Bacta CEO John White and president Greg Wood. They’ll be looking for creativity, upholding BACTA’s values, commitment to customer wellbeing and being a team player as the criteria for judging. The winners will be announced at BACTA’s parliamentary reception on Wednesday, November 24.

Members of parliament will be invited to attend the event along with members of the press and all shortlisted nominees. The body has asked entrants to advise it if they don’t want their MP to be invited on their behalf if they’re shortlisted.

Bacta Awards categories in full

• High Street Hero: This award aims to celebrate outstanding staff members working in AGCs, high street bingo or inland FECs that have gone beyond the call of duty either at work or, particularly, through their community engagement.
• Seaside Saviour: This award celebrates the outstanding staff members working in FECs specifically at seaside locations.
• Supply Chain Champion: This award celebrates the outstanding staff working in the supply chain who play a vital role in helping to deliver entertainment to communities across the country. 
• Jimmy Thomas Rising Star Award: This award aims to find the best and brightest young members (under 30) in the industry, shining a light on the future leaders of the sector.
• Green Giants: This award aims to find the individual or business that has shown an outstanding commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and promoting sustainability in the workplace.

Entries will be judged in line with the following criteria:

• Creativity: How the nominee has adopted a creative approach to their job (for example, looking at creative new solutions to everyday challenges in the workplace)
• Upholding Bacta’s values: How has this nominee upheld Bacta’s core values (ethical, sustainable, modern, professional, partnering and open and transparent) in the workplace?
• Commitment to customer wellbeing: How has this nominee gone above and beyond to ensure that customer wellbeing is at the heart of their work (for example helping a customer who may be showing signs of problem gambling)?
• Team player: How has this nominee supported their colleagues in the place of work (for example offering to cover extra shifts, being a friendly and helpful face in the workplace)?
• Community spirit: How has this nominee worked to support their wider community through getting involved in activities such as mentoring, volunteering and fundraising for local causes?

Meanwhile, Bacta has announced a new event that it hopes will serve for the promotion of best practice in social responsibility. The body will hold its first Social Responsibility Exchange at London’s County Hall on November 22.

Meanwhile, there will be guest speakers from the British Gambling Commission and from the responsible gambling charities YGAM and GamCare. The chair of Bacta’s Social Responsibility Committee, Elizabeth Speech, will open the event.