Awards

The International Regulatory Awards

The International Regulatory Awards offer a unique opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate regulatory excellence and innovation.

The 2026 award nominations are now open.

 

NOMINATE NOW FOR THE 2026 AWARDS

Behind every stronger regulatory framework or campaign is work that deserves to be seen.

Nominations are now open for the IAGR International Regulatory Awards 2026, recognising gambling regulators who are advancing effective oversight and public confidence across the gaming landscape.

Gaming regulation is a complex and distinctive discipline. The awards aim to recognise teams that have made outstanding contributions to gaming regulation.

Award winners across the three categories will be announced at the IAGR2026 conference in Lima.

Nominate Now

 

IAGR Award winners 2025

2025 award winners

  • Regulatory Excellence Award: NSW Independent Casino Commission (Australia) for leading a three-year, milestone-driven remediation of Crown Sydney following the Bergin Inquiry — eliminating junkets, strengthening financial-crime controls, enhancing harm-minimisation and reforming governance.
  • Best Regulatory Campaign Award: Danish Gambling Authority for an interactive, school-based education programme that engages young people with practical demonstrations and surveys evidencing shifts away from gambling ‘to make money’ towards safer play and awareness of help services.
  • Regulatory Innovation Award: Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority (Nigeria) for SAFEPLAY, Africa’s first regulator-led, multi-operator self-exclusion platform — centrally managed by the regulator and integrated with operator systems — creating a consistent, replicable model for consumer protection.

Read more about the winners here. 

Award Categories

Regulatory Execellence Award IAGR

Recognising excellence in gaming policy and regulation

  • Recognises an outstanding contribution and achievement by a regulator in advancing efficient and effective gambling policy and regulation or securing significant public policy or compliance and enforcement outcomes in their jurisdiction, nationally or internationally.
  • The submission should demonstrate the exceptional nature of the regulator’s work and achievement, including any relevant context and background, the policy or regulatory challenge and the outcome, nature and extent of the impact.
  • Weight will be placed on the difficulty and complexity of the issue/s alongside the scope of the impact and benefits for the regulator, industry and public interest.

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Regulatory Innovation Award IAGRRecognising a new or innovative policy and regulatory approaches

  • Recognises the development, introduction and implementation of novel public policy or regulatory approach that substantially advances efficient and effective gambling regulation.
  • The submission should demonstrate how the initiative is novel, how it leverages technology where relevant, the issue/problem it helps overcome and how it achieves improved efficiency and effectiveness. Where possible, submissions should include a description of any performance metrics and outcomes.
  • Weight will be placed on the degree of novelty alongside the scale of the issues it helps resolve, as well as the impact and benefits for the regulator, industry, and public interest.

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Best Regulatory Campaign Award IAGRRecognises the most creative, compelling, and impactful responsible gambling/safer gambling communication campaign

  • The submission should describe the brief for the campaign, the channels and target audience, how the campaign meets the brief, what distinguishes it from previous campaigns and how performance is evaluated. Where possible, submissions should include any performance metrics and outcomes.
  • Weight will be placed on the scope of impact and evidence the campaign has achieved its objective, alongside the scale of the issues it helps resolve and its impact on raising awareness and destigmatising gambling harm and help seeking.

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Meet the judges

Judges for the 2025 awards were:

  • Bashir Are, IAGR Trustee and Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Nigeria
  • Ben Haden, IAGR President and Director at the Gambling Commission, United Kingdom
  • John Stawyskyj, International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) President, Australia
  • Trudy Smit Quosai, Chief Executive, Greo, Canada
  • Trude Høgseth Felde, Senior Adviser, Norwegian Gaming Authority, Norway

Judges for 2026 will be confirmed soon.

 

Rules and entry criteria

When can I nominate for the 2026 awards?

The award portal is open from February 2026 to 31 August 2026. You can nominate here.

Who is eligible to submit nominations?

Nominations must be made by an IAGR member, i.e. Jurisdictional, Ordinary, Associate, Reciprocal and Honorary Members are eligible to submit nominations.

Who can be nominated?

An IAGR member may nominate an individual, team or organisation from their own or another jurisdiction (Nominee).

How do I submit a nomination?

  • Submitted nominations via the nominations form.
  • Nominations should respond to the specific award category and criteria and provide sufficient detail to assist judges to understand the contribution and achievement.
  • Entries should be submitted in English; however, where this may cause significant difficulty, please contact the IAGR Secretariat for assistance at iagr@iagr.org.

When do the nominations close?

Nominations must be received no later than 31 August 2026.

Selection process

  • Step 1: February 2026 – Nomination portal opens.
  • Step 2: 31 August 2026 – Nomination portal closes.
  • Step 3: Judges review nominations made for each category.
  • Step 4: Judges select a winner in each category.
  • Step 5:  19-22 October 2026 – IAGR announces winners in each category during the Gala Dinner at the conference in Lima, Peru

Withdrawal of nomination

If the Nominee wishes to no longer be considered:

  • their name will be taken out of the pool of shortlisted Nominees; and
  • they will not be considered for an award.

Disqualification

A Nominee may be disqualified if the entrant or Nominee:

  • wilfully refuses or neglects to comply with the provisions of these Rules; or
  • is guilty of any conduct which in the opinion of the IAGR is unbecoming of a member or prejudicial to the interests of the IAGR or otherwise is considered damaging to the reputation of the IAGR or its members.

IAGR marketing

By accepting to be a Nominee, the Nominee accepts that IAGR may use nominations and the associated names and details as part of the awards and the conference marketing.

Power of judges

  • The Judges reserve the right to accept and deal with nominations at their absolute discretion.
  • The Judges are under no obligation to provide reasons for a nomination to be rejected.
  • The decision/s of the Judges in all matters relating to the awards shall be final and binding.

Acceptance and indemnity

  • Each entrant and nominee agree to be bound by the decision/s of the Judges and these Rules.
  • Each entrant and nominee indemnifies IAGR against all liability to any other person, firm or company and all loss arising from a breach by the entrant of any of these entry rules.