Online gambling marketing group Gambling.com Group Plc. has announced the winners of its inaugural American Gambling Awards, which recognize achievements in the emerging U.S. online gaming sector.
The 14 winners were recognized for their leadership in the regulated, online U.S. gambling industry at a party hosted by ESPN+ host and fantasy sports analyst Matthew Berry on June 18 at Monmouth Park Racetrack in New Jersey.
Each winner received a custom-designed Golden Eagle trophy—an American-made, 11-inch, gold-plated, cast-pewter statuette of an American Bald Eagle. The inaugural awards featured more than 70 finalists, with a panel of more than 25 expert judges evaluating the nominations. To ensure the highest possible integrity, votes were tallied by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The 2019 American Gambling Awards winners are:
American Operator of the Year: Rush Street Interactive
Sports Betting Operator of the Year: FanDuel
Casino Operator of the Year: Rush Street Interactive
Poker Operator of the Year: WSOP
Fantasy Sports Operator of the Year: DraftKings
Horse Racing Operator of the Year: TVG
Payments Provider of the Year: Paysafe Group
Service Provider of the Year: Evolution Gaming
Corporate Transaction of the Year: Paddy Power Betfair’s acquisition of FanDuel
Responsible Gambling Award: National Council on Problem Gambling
Industry Supporter of the Year: Raymond Lesniak, former New Jersey State Senator
Lawyer of the Year: Ted Olson
Policymaker of the Year: J. Gary Pretlow, New York Assemblyman
Regulator of the Year: David Rebuck, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
The field of finalists was distinguished in itself, recognizing officials such as Susan Hensel, director of licensing for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, who was a finalist for Regulator of the Year.
“The American Gambling Awards is our gift to the growing industry in America,” said Charles Gillespie, chief executive of Gambling.com Group Plc. “We are gamblers and we are American, and we are for the development of a responsibly regulated, competitive, modern online gambling market that serves the interests of the American consumer. It is our hope that the American Gambling Awards will bring positive attention to the leaders making this a reality.”
The American Gambling Awards party and trophy presentation was part of a week-long series of conferences, seminars and social events in and around Monmouth Park in conjunction with the one-year anniversary of New Jersey’s first legal sports bet. Attendees came from New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C., California, Tennessee, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Florida, West Virginia and North Carolina.
The American Gambling Awards were launched in March 2019 as the first awards program to recognize excellence among operators, suppliers, advocates, policymakers, lawyers and regulators supporting the regulated online gambling market in the United States.
