Voting begins for European Casino Awards 2024
The awards ceremony will be held in London next month.
UK.- Nominations are in for the European Casino Awards 2024, which will be revealed at The Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London, on Thursday February 6. Formerly known as the Casino Awards, the contest was open to European operators and product/service suppliers.
The event began as the British Casino Awards but widened its scope in 2021 to cover all of Europe. It maintains its original decision-making process, which involves a two-step system. A panel of independent industry experts and professionals operating in the market is invited to decide the shortlist.
Winners in the operator category in the 2023 edition included Holland Casino (best multiple casino operator) and Le Train Bleu at Casino de Monte Carlo (best restaurant of the year). London’s Hippodrome Casino scooped a trio of awards, including best overall casino. There is also a product category and industry awards, and this year sees the addition of a sustainability initiative award.
The best restaurant category is open for a public vote. Le Train Bleu at Casino de Monte Carlo is up for the award again this year, against two restaurants at the Hippodrome Casino, the James Martin Restaurant at Manchester235 and LX: champagne & fine Dining at Holland Casino Venlo.
The awards are organised by Datateam Business Media, the publisher of Casino International. It said: “As well as serving as a celebration of industry excellence, the event is an unmissable opportunity for anyone involved in the sector to network with a room packed with leading professionals from across the continent – a perfect opportunity for solidifying existing relationships and building all important new connections during an unforgettable evening.”
Meanwhile, Rank Group director of public affairs David Williams has urged the UK government to ensure the swift modernisation of land-based casinos in the country. He called on the government to implement plans for the sector before a planned rise in the National Living Wage and freezing casino duty bands, which the BGC estimates will cost the sector £5m a year.
Williams argued that the land-based casino sector will only be able to meet these costs if white paper modernisation proposals come into force first. These include proposals to update the rules on gaming machine proportions, to allow casinos to provide sports betting and to broaden electronic payment methods.
