Tops in Tech
GGB initiated the Annual GGB Gaming & Technology Awards in its first year of publication and presented those inaugural awards at the Global Gaming Expo that fall. The awards have become the most prestigious in the gaming industry, and it remains the only international awards program that recognizes excellence and practical application in all gaming disciplines.
This year’s awards were presented on the exhibit floor of G2E 2025 last month, at the Venetian Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.
“As usual, the nominations we received for the GGB Gaming & Technology Awards presented an overwhelming collection of innovation from the industry’s top suppliers,” said Frank Legato, editor-in-chief of Global Gaming Business magazine. “The groundbreaking nature of these products made the choices by our judges particularly difficult, which means the Gold and Silver award winners represent the very best in the supplier sector.
“The judges for the GGB Gaming & Technology Awards are some of the most skilled, dedicated and respected executives in the business, so their opinion carries a great deal of weight.”
The panel of judges for this year’s awards included Gerhard Burda, president and CEO, ESCAPES Advisory Services; Frank Neborsky, experienced casino executive; Skyelar Perkins, corporate slot director, Choctaw Casinos; Robin Villareal, CIO, Gila River Resorts & Casinos; Kresimir Spajic, CEO, Allwyn Digital; and Legato, a 40-year industry veteran who was added to the panel this year.
Nominations for the 2027 GGB Gaming & Technology Awards will open in May 2026. They will cover new products and services to be introduced in 2026 or 2027.
For more information, contact Terri Brady, sales director, GGB at [email protected].
GGB GAMING & TECHNOLOGY AWARDS 2026
Best Consumer Service Product or Technology
GOLD: IGT Table Manager: TITO for Tables—IGT
SILVER: SYNKROS Drink System—Konami Gaming, Inc.
Best Productivity-Enhancement Technology
GOLD: ICB ASAP—JCM Global
SILVER: Konetic—Konami Gaming, Inc.
Best Slot Product
GOLD: Magic Treasures Gold on Rise55—IGT
SILVER: The Baron Cabinet—Aristocrat Gaming
Best Table Game Product or Innovation
GOLD: AMUSE—Interblock
SILVER: Live from Las Vegas—Playtech
Best Sports Betting Product or Technology
GOLD: RiskGuard—GeoComply
SILVER: Play Anywhere—BetMGM
Best Online Casino Product or Technology
GOLD: Player Account Management (PAM+) Platform—Playtech
SILVER: AI Dealer Monitoring System—Imagine Live LLC
AGEM Honors
Eric Fisher and Rick Velotta
Fisher receives the AGEM Memorial Award Honoring Jens Halle; Velotta receives the Memorial Award Honoring Peter Mead
Eric Fisher and Rick Velotta were awarded the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers 2025 Memorial Awards. Fisher received the Jens Halle Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Commercial Gaming Professionalism and Velotta received the Peter Mead Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Gaming Media & Communications.
AGEM created the unique annual awards program to acknowledge Halle’s and Mead’s lasting impacts on gaming. AGEM formally recognizes the honorees each year at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas.
Eric Fisher’s career has focused on advancing payment technologies in gaming, retail, banking and vending, with a strong emphasis on integrating cashless and digital solutions to enhance operator revenue and player experience. He served as senior vice president & general manager for Crane Payment Innovations, and under his leadership, the company experienced significant expansion.
In 2017, Fisher oversaw the launch of Crane Connectivity Solutions featuring Easitrax Connect, a breakthrough platform designed to help operators manage the casino floor in real time, providing live visibility to device performance, data analytics and up-to-the-minute insights.
Two years later, Fisher was integral in the acquisition of Cummins Allison, enhancing the company’s portfolio in bill validation, cash processing and digital payment systems. Fisher’s tenure was marked by a focus on technological transformation, helping the gaming sector adapt to diverse payment preferences amid evolving consumer behaviors.
“Eric Fisher was a mentor to me when I first joined the AGEM board of directors,” said AGEM board Chairman Ryan Comstock, who also serves as chief operating officer at Ainsworth Game Technology. “He was incredibly thoughtful and generous with his time, helping me quickly get up to speed. His guidance made a lasting impression on me, and it’s a bit of a full-circle moment to now see him receive this well-deserved award honoring excellence.”
Richard N. (Rick) Velotta is a veteran journalist with more than 50 years in the field, with the last 35 years spent in Las Vegas. He currently serves as a gaming-tourism reporter and assistant business editor at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he has worked since 2013.
Velotta’s award-winning reporting often delves into the economic impacts of major events like the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup, regulatory changes in Nevada gaming, and industry trends such as esports and casino expansions. His work has chronicled the transformation of Las Vegas gaming from its 1990s boom to today’s hybrid digital-physical landscape.
“For decades, Rick Velotta has always been a go-to for coverage of our gaming industry in Nevada,” said Daron Dorsey, president and CEO of AGEM. “Whether at Nevada Gaming Control Board or Nevada Gaming Commission meetings or reporting on issues affecting our gaming industry, we read Rick’s coverage to help understand and stay connected with the events of the day. More than that, Rick has always been patient, professional and approachable in his reporting on stories and issues of all shapes and sizes.
“Rick’s contributions to gaming have benefited gaming suppliers, operators, decision-makers and the public over the last few decades, and we are thrilled to recognize Rick with this year’s Peter Mead award.”
Previous winners of the Jens Halle Award are Len Ainsworth, Rick Meitzler, Gavin Isaacs, Tom Nieman, Robert (Bob) McMonigle, Sebastian Salat, Roy Student, Bob Manz and Steve Sutherland. Previous winners of the Peter Mead Award are Howard Stutz, Roger Gros, Frank Legato, Dave Palermo, David Orrick, Alan Feldman, Frank Fantini, Victor Rocha and Lori Nelson-Kraft.
Halle, a longtime Bally and Novomatic executive in Europe, was CEO of Gauselmann Group’s Merkur Gaming at the time of his death. Mead was the founder and publisher of Casino Enterprise Management magazine.
Current gaming professionals were nominated for these memorial awards based on the following criteria that aim to capture the unique attributes displayed by Halle and Mead during their careers:
Jens Halle Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Commercial Gaming Professionalism
Nominees must have experience working in the global gaming supplier sector for a minimum of 10 years and possess the following traits and qualities that Halle displayed throughout his working life: professionalism; business success; international scope; attention to detail and timely follow-up; a willingness to “go the extra mile,” both figuratively and literally; a sense of humanity in an often cutthroat business; a recognition of the importance of a handshake and a fair deal for all; and a dedication to the health of the industry as a whole.
Peter Mead Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Gaming Media & Communications
Nominees must have experience working in the mainstream media, gaming trade press or individual gaming company PR/communications for a minimum of 10 years and possess the following traits and qualities that Mead displayed throughout his working life: quality reporting and communication with an emphasis on personal contact to generate ideas and gather information; taking risks and questioning the status quo; challenging the industry to consider new ideas; and identifying trusted partners to improve the overall product.
