Aristocrat Gaming once again led the field in Eilers & Krejcik Gaming’s fifth annual EKG Slot Awards event, held February 23 at the Aria in Las Vegas. Aristocrat won a total of six awards, including a repeat win as Top Overall Supplier.
It was not quite as dominant a showing for Aristocrat as in other years—the supplier won nine EKG awards last year, for instance—but its six awards still led all suppliers. In addition to the top award, the company won for Top Performing New Video Reel Core Game (Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Red Festival), Top Performing New Premium Game (Lightning Dollar Link: Kung Fu Master), Top Performing New Video Cabinet (Neptune Single), Top Performing Proprietary Branded Game (Dragon Link), and Most Innovative Game (Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Red Festival).
While Aristocrat was on top, the awards this year reflected increased competition in the slot sector, as other suppliers won multiple prominent awards. IGT, for instance, won four awards, including nods for its DiamondRS cabinet, named Top Performing New Mechanical Reel Cabinet-Core; Wheel of Fortune High Roller, named Top Performing Third Party IP Branded Game; Ultimate X Poker as Top Performing Video Poker Game (for the first time, a nominated video poker supplier was not IGT as Aristocrat’s Winner’s World bartop scored a nomination); and Most Improved Supplier-Premium.
Light & Wonder won three awards, scoring Top Performing New Mechanical Reel Game for its new Blazing 7s wheel game, Blazing 777 Triple Double Jackpot Wild, as well as Top Performing New Cabinet for Kascada Dual Screen and Top Social Casino Company for its SciPlay division.
Bluberi scored its first EKG Slot Awards, winning for Top Performing Game from an Emerging Supplier with its Devil’s Lock game and as Most Improved Supplier-Core.
There was a special award created this year for Murka, the Cyprus-based social casino game development company that continued its operations in Kyiv and Dnipro, Ukraine, despite the Russian invasion and war over the past year. Murka was given a Special Award for Overcoming Adversity.
Meanwhile, the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame got three new members at the event. Inducted in the Game Development category were Dennis Mead and Charles Fey. In the Slot Operations category, Buddy Frank was also inducted into the Hall.
Mead distinguished himself at IGT, where he was art director for products including Wheel of Fortune, Megabucks and Quartermania, as well as designing custom slot machines for major Las Vegas Strip properties.
Fey (1862-1944), the first posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame, is credited with designing and building the first three-reel slot machine, the Liberty Bell, in the late 1890s, establishing the basic slot format that would be followed by all others for more than a century. Fey’s grandson, Marshall Fey, appeared on video to induct the game design legend.
Frank is a legend in slot operations, having started his career at three Reno casinos and capping it off as vice president of slot operations at California’s Pechanga Resort Casino.
“I would like to congratulate all of the individual award winners, as well as this year’s Hall of Fame Class,” said Todd Eilers, principal at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC. “I would also like to thank our Board of Advisors, official voters, VIPs, and our event sponsors. It was a great night celebrating the industry’s top games and people.”
The land-based category winners for the 5th annual EKG Slot Awards were determined by the official voting from over 100 qualified slot directors representing over 300 casinos across the U.S. and Canadian markets and representing roughly 300,000 total slot machines. For the iGaming and Social Casino segments, winners were determined by voting from a distinguished panel of industry experts.
A complete listing of the winners for the fifth annual EKG Slot Awards is provided below.
Land-based Awards
- Top Performing NEW Video Reel Core Game
- Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Red Festival – Aristocrat **2022 WINNER**
- China Shores Boosted Great Stacks – Konami
- Devil’s Lock – Bluberi
- Gold Hills Prospector Pete – Everi
- Monkey Legends – AGS
- Rich Little Piggies Meal Ticket – Light & Wonder
- Wolf Run Eclipse – IGT
- X Wheel Supreme Dragon – Aruze
- Top Performing NEW Mechanical Reel Core Game
- Blazin’ Gems Deluxe – Everi
- Blazing 777 Triple Double Jackpot Wild – Light & Wonder **2022 WINNER**
- Buffalo Instant Hit – Aristocrat
- Pinball Double Gold – IGT
- Top Performing NEW Premium Game
- Golden Pots – Golden Dragon – AGS
- Lightning Dollar Link – Kung Fu Master – Aristocrat**2022 WINNER**
- Lucky Envelope – Plum Riches – Konami
- Prosperity Link Wan Shi Ru Yi – IGT
- Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel Ice – Everi
- Ultimate Fire Link Explosion – Light & Wonder
- Top Performing NEW Video Cabinet – Core
- A Star Dual – Ainsworth
- Kascada Dual Screen – Light & Wonder
- Muso Curve 55 – Aruze
- Neptune Single – Aristocrat**2022 WINNER**
- Prism VXP – Incredible Technologies
- Top Performing NEW Mechanical Reel Cabinet – Core
- DiamondRS – IGT**2022 WINNER**
- Landmark 7000 – Light & Wonder
- Player Classic Signature – Everi
- Top Performing NEW Cabinet – Premium
- A Star Curve XL – Ainsworth
- Dimension 75C – Konami
- Kascada Dual Screen – Light & Wonder**2022 WINNER**
- Peak65 – IGT
- Top Performing Proprietary Branded Game
- All Aboard – Konami
- Dragon Link – Aristocrat**2022 WINNER**
- Prosperity Link – IGT
- Rakin’ Bacon! – AGS
- Super Charged 7s – Ainsworth
- Ultimate Fire Link – Light & Wonder
- Ultra Rush – Incredible Technologies
- Top Performing 3rd Party IP Branded Game
- Conan – Aristocrat
- Farmville Golden Harvest – Aristocrat
- Monopoly Lunar New Year – Light & Wonder
- Press Your Luck Whammy Wilds – Everi
- Shark Week – Feeding Frenzy – Everi
- Wheel of Fortune – 4D Collectors Edition – IGT
- Wheel of Fortune – High Roller – IGT**2022 WINNER**
- Willy Wonka – Dreamers of Dreams – Light & Wonder
- Top Electronic Table Game (ETG) Supplier
- Alfastreet
- Aruze
- Gaming Arts
- IGT
- Interblock**2022 WINNER**
- Light & Wonder
- Top Performing Video Poker Game
- All Star Poker 3 – IGT
- Game King X – IGT
- Super Star Poker – IGT
- Ultimate X Poker – IGT**2022 WINNER**
- Winners World Multigame – Aristocrat
- Top Performing Game from an Emerging Supplier
- 88 Wild Duels – Monkey vs Dark Warrior – Zitro
- Brian Christopher’s Pop N Pays More – Gaming Arts
- Devils Lock – Bluberi**2022 WINNER**
- House Of The Dead Scarlet Dawn – Sega Sammy
- Jackpot Multiplier – Play Synergy
- Red Hot Burning Clover Link Edition – Apogee
- Screaming Links Great Balls of Fire – Lightning
- Thunder Cash Link Voodoo Magic – Novomatic
- Most Innovative Game
- Bao Zhu Zhao Fu Red Festival – Aristocrat**2022 WINNER**
- Dragon Rush Fei Nu – Incredible Technologies
- Fu Bamboo – Bluberi
- Fu Gui Hao Men Splendid Fortunes – IGT
- Go Go Claw Cash Grab – Aruze
- Huff N More Puff – Light & Wonder
- Kung Fu Empress – Gaming Arts
- Money Line – Everi
- Treasure Spirits – Dragon – Ainsworth
- Most Improved Supplier – Core
- Bluberi **2022 WINNER**
- Most Improved Supplier – Premium
- IGT **2022 WINNER**
- Best Overall Supplier of Slot Content
- Aristocrat **2022 WINNER**
Social Casino Awards
- Best Social Slots Game
- DoubleDown Casino – DoubleU Games
- Jackpot Party Casino – SciPlay
- Lightning Link Casino – Pixel United**2022 WINNER**
- Lotsa Slots – Netmarble
- Slotomania – Playtika
- Best New Social Casino Game
- Choctaw Slots – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- Grand Cash Casino – Gamehaus Network
- MGM Slots Live – PlayStudios**2022 WINNER**
- Poker Chase – C-bet Inc.
- Vegas Keno – PLAYDOG
- Top Social Casino Company
- Netmarble
- Pixel United
- PlayStudios
- Playtika
- SciPlay **2022 WINNER**
- Special Award for Overcoming Adversity (Social Casino)
- Murka **2022 WINNER**
iGaming Awards (Real-Money Online Gaming)
- Top Performing NEW Online Slot
- 10,000 Wonders 10k Ways – Reel Play
- 10k Fortunes – Design Works Gaming
- Almighty Buffalo Megaways – White Hat Studios **2022 WINNER**
- Big Fishing Fortune – Inspired
- Carnival Cow Coin Combo – Light & Wonder
- Golden Wins Deluxe – AGS
- Lone Star Jackpots – Greentube
- Megajackpots Wolf Run – IGT
- Primate King – Evolution
- Slingo Shark Week – Gaming Realms
- Triple Jackpot Gems – Everi
- Top Performing NEW Online Table Game
- 21+3 Progressive Blackjack – Bragg Gaming Group **2022 WINNER**
- Bet the Set 21 – Light & Wonder
- Free Bet Blackjack – Evolution
- Multihand Blackjack Perfect Pairs 21+3 Ω- IGT
- Dealer Blackjack – Evolution**2022 WINNER**
- Live Dealer Craps – Evolution
- Live Dealer Texas Hold Em – Evolution
- Live Roulette – Playtech
- Most Innovative Online Game
- Big Spin Bonus – Inspired
- Break the Bounty LuckyTap – Design Works Gaming**2022 WINNER**
- Doubleplay Super Bet HQ – Light & Wonder
- El Dorado Infinity Reels – Reel Play
- Extra Chilli Megaways – Evolution
- Lightning Blackjack – Evolution
- Slingo Shark Week – Gaming Realms
- Best Overall Supplier of Online Content
- Evolution **2022 WINNER**
- Top Performing Omni-Channel Slot (Retail & Online)
- 88 Fortunes – Light & Wonder
- Cleopatra – IGT
- Crazy Money Deluxe – Incredible Technologies
- Mustang Money – Ainsworth
- Rakin Bacon – AGS
- Triple Jackpot Gems – Everi**2022 WINNER**
The EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame Inductees for the Class of 2023
- Dennis Mead – Game Development
- Charles Fey – Game Development
- Buddy Frank – Slot Operations
