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The “ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards 2027: Presentation (ICE Barcelona)” will be held on Tuesday, 19 January 2027, 16:00–17:00 CET, at the Enterprise Stage, Hall 7, Fira Barcelona Gran Via.

Slot Floor Excellence Awards at ICE Barcelona 2027

Presented by

Building on a Growing Tradition

The European Casino Association is delighted to open the ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards 2027, the recognition programme celebrating the individuals and teams who bring Europe’s casino slot floors to life.

The 2026 awards, the first presented on the stage of ICE Barcelona, honoured four teams and six individual finalists across our three categories, in a live ceremony on the Enterprise Stage. Building on that success, the 2027 edition returns with the same three award categories, the same nomination process, and the same commitment to recognising the people who make the European casino experience exceptional.

Nominations are now open until 16 November 2026 at 23:59 CET. We invite casino operators across Europe to nominate their outstanding slot floor professionals using the form below. An expert jury comprising ECA representatives and leading global slot manufacturers will review all submissions, with the shortlist published on the ECA website on 27 November 2026, well ahead of the live ceremony at ICE Barcelona 2027.

Join us in honouring the best of the best at the heart of Europe’s casino industry.

The awards ceremony will take place on Day Two of ICE Barcelona (Tuesday, 19 January 2027) at 16:00 on the Enterprise Stage, Hall 7, Fira Barcelona Gran Via.

To register for ICE Barcelona (18 to 20 January 2027), visit www.icegaming.com

From Bregenz to ICE Barcelona

The ECA first recognised excellence on the slot floor at the European Dealer Championship 2025 in Bregenz, Austria, where the Slot Team of the Year Award was presented to Casino de Monte-Carlo. In 2026, the award was developed into the ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards, with three categories, and moved to the stage of ICE Barcelona. The awards return to ICE Barcelona in 2027 and will continue to develop in future editions.

2026 in Review

The ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards 2026 were presented on 20 January 2026 at ICE Barcelona, honouring four teams and six individual finalists.

The winners

The winners of the ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards 2026, presented on the Enterprise Stage at ICE Barcelona 2026.

Outstanding Slot Team of the Year

  • 1st place: Hippodrome Casino, United Kingdom
  • 2nd place (shared): Casinos Austria, Austria, and Holland Casino, Netherlands
  • 3rd place: Melco, City of Dreams Mediterranean, Cyprus

Slot Floor Employee of the Year

  • 1st place: Eeva Sirkka, Casino Helsinki (Veikkaus), Finland
  • 2nd place: Rosie Brooks, Hippodrome Casino, United Kingdom
  • 3rd place: Halim Ajjouch, Holland Casino, Netherlands

Slot Floor Rising Star of the Year

  • 1st place: Storm Bertelkamp, Holland Casino, Netherlands
  • 2nd place: Ruth Waxenegger, Casinos Austria, Austria
  • 3rd place: Christiakis Elia, Melco, City of Dreams Mediterranean, Cyprus
The winners

The winners of the ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards 2026, presented on the Enterprise Stage at ICE Barcelona 2026..

Award Categories

Outstanding Slot Team of the Year

This award recognises a team that has demonstrated exceptional collaboration, customer service, initiative, and measurable success in slot floor operations through a significant project or initiative completed within the last 12 months.
The winning team will have successfully worked together to achieve a substantial accomplishment—whether launching new slot products or gaming technology, optimising the product range for various player segments, implementing innovative promotional campaigns, strategically reshuffling the slot floor layout, or deploying new management systems. The award celebrates teams that have achieved tangible results through exceptional collaboration, maintained exemplary customer service standards whilst managing significant operational changes, and delivered quantifiable improvements in performance, customer satisfaction, or revenue generation.
The recognition also honours the dedication and commitment demonstrated by team members who have worked collaboratively to overcome challenges and drive meaningful progress throughout their project delivery.

Slot Floor Employee of the Year

This award recognises an outstanding frontline or operational employee who has demonstrated exceptional performance over the last 12 months. The winning individual will have shown consistent excellence in their role, whether through delivering superior customer service, maintaining technical proficiency in slot operations, demonstrating proactive initiative in process improvements, or exhibiting leadership qualities that inspire and motivate colleagues.
The award celebrates employees who have made a significant and measurable contribution to the success of the slot floor through their dedication, professionalism, and reliability, as well as their ability to go above and beyond expectations. They understand that hospitality is at the heart of casino operations, acting as true hosts or hostesses who create welcoming and engaging experiences for players. Through their positive attitude, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to excellence, they have made themselves invaluable assets to both their team and the wider casino operation, setting a standard for others to follow.

Slot Floor Rising Star of the Year

This award recognises an early-career professional with a maximum of three years’ experience in the slot floor industry who has demonstrated exceptional potential and achievement over the last 12 months. The winning individual will have shown remarkable drive, enthusiasm, and a fresh perspective that has positively impacted their team and operations.
Whether working in a technical, operational, or customer-facing role within the slot team, they will have demonstrated rapid skill development, innovative thinking, and a genuine commitment to excellence that sets them apart from colleagues with a similar length of service. Through their willingness to take on new challenges, eagerness to learn from experienced team members, and proactive approach to contributing ideas and solutions, they have quickly established credibility and respect. Their contributions, attitude, and dedication to professional growth have positioned them as a role model and an inspiring example of the next generation of slot floor leaders, showing the potential to make significant impacts throughout their career.

Requirements for Nomination

To ensure fairness and maintain the high standards of the ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards, all nominations must meet the following criteria:

Eligibility: All applications must come from casinos that are ECA members directly or through a member association. Only these casinos are eligible to submit nominations.

Timeframe: The achievements, projects, or performance being nominated must have occurred within the 12 months preceding the award nomination deadline (16 November 2026, 23:59 CET).

Letters of Recommendation: Each nomination must be accompanied by at least one letter of recommendation, with a maximum of three letters of recommendation. These letters should provide supporting evidence of the nominee's or team's exceptional contributions and achievements.

Self-Nominations: Self-nominations are not accepted in the categories Slot Floor Employee of the Year and Slot Floor Rising Star of the Year. These individual awards must be nominated by colleagues, supervisors, or management.

Team Size Requirement: The nominated Outstanding Slot Team of the Year must consist of a minimum of three slot floor employees who have worked collaboratively on the project or initiative.

Travel Costs: Shortlisted finalists or their employers pay their own travel to ICE Barcelona 2027.

Consent to Publication: By submitting a nomination, the nominating casino confirms that each nominee has agreed to the European Casino Association publishing their name and photographs in connection with the ECA Slot Floor Excellence Awards, including on the ECA website, in press releases, on social media and at ICE Barcelona 2027.

All submitted nominations that meet these requirements will be forwarded directly to the expert jury for evaluation.

From Shortlist to ICE Barcelona

Following the nomination deadline, the expert jury reviews every submission and selects three shortlisted finalists in each category, nine finalists in total. The shortlist is published on the ECA website on 27 November 2026, almost two months before the ceremony.

All nine shortlisted finalists are invited to attend the awards ceremony at ICE Barcelona 2027, where the jury’s final rankings, first, second and third place in each category, are announced live on stage. Publishing the shortlist earlier than in 2026 gives every finalist enough notice to arrange travel to Barcelona and to celebrate the announcement in person.

Nomination form

ECA Strategic Partners