Bally’s Chicago Casino has won a 2024 Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Chicago and Northern Illinois. The award recognizes Bally’s Chicago’s commitment to fair, honest and ethical business practices.

“It is an honor for Bally’s Chicago Casino to be recognized by the Better Business Bureau as an organization that exemplifies excellent business ethics in our very first year of operations in Chicago,” said George Papanier, President of Bally’s Corporation.

The BBB’s Torch Award honors companies that demonstrate the highest level of ethical standards and trust with customers, business partners, shareholders and the communities in which they do business. This year, the award was presented to only seven businesses in the Chicago region. An independent panel of reviewers assessed applicants in four areas: character, culture, customer and community.

Bally’s Chicago Casino earned the Torch Award for Ethics in the “500-1,499 employees” category by demonstrating how it operates with integrity, care and trustworthiness.

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Since the September 2023 opening of the temporary casino at the Medinah Temple in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, Bally’s Chicago Casino has welcomed over 1.4 million visitors, trained more than 200 students in its dealer school, hosted job and vendor fairs, and contributed to the community through charitable giving and volunteerism.

Bally’s Chicago Casino has also largely exceeded hiring goals at the temporary casino:

Total jobs: 655 (91% full-time)

Minority: 535 (82% – exceeds 60% target)

Women: 309 (47% – exceeds 45% target)

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Veterans: 12 (2% – below 5% target)

Persons with disabilities: 59 (9% – exceeds 5% target)

Chicago residents: 460 (70% – exceeds 50% target)

Bally’s Chicago Casino has also built strong relationships with its vendors and partners, including those involved in the demolition and construction of the future casino, hotel and entertainment destination on the former site of the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center.

Since opening its temporary location at the Medinah Temple in Chicago’s River North neighborhood in September 2023, Bally’s Chicago Casino has organized community engagement events, worked with workforce development organizations, hosted vendor fairs – including a diversity vendor fair – and begun demolition in preparation for a Fall 2026 opening.

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“This recognition would not be possible without the dedication of our entire team and our collective commitment to our Bally’s values,” said Papanier.

Go-to LatAm online and land-based content and platform technology provider claims biggest prizes so far

Vibra Gaming, the ‘go-to’ content and platform developer for the LatAm region, has won its most significant awards in its five-year history, claiming both ‘Bingo & Lottery Supplier of the year’ and silver for ‘Casino & iGaming Supplier of the year’ at the SBC LatAm Awards.

The rapidly growing provider, that has made huge inroads in the LatAm market in 2023-24 across its three divisions; Vibra Gaming, Vibra Solutions and Vibra VLT, claimed the awards ahead of several larger and more well-established competitors.

In the bingo and lottery category the judges recognized Vibra for its pioneering approach to instant lottery products. Its Scratch-a-lot titles are unique in the market, and its EGM platform is specifically designed for LatAm.

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Plans are already in place to expand its content portfolio across hundreds more video lottery terminals in Brazil following the great reception of its games on VLTs in the states of Paraíba and Maranhão. The company also plans to distribute content in terminals in Mexico, Peru, and Argentina in the coming months.

In the casino and iGaming category Vibra was rewarded for its high-performing proprietary content development and distribution that has formed the bedrock of the business since its foundation.

Ramiro Atucha, CEO, Vibra Gaming, said:  “To see our efforts recognised across flagship categories that touch all three of our business divisions, and to win ahead of so many fantastic other suppliers, is one of the highlights of our journey as a company so far. To say we’re thrilled would be an understatement!

“These awards prove how far we’ve come in such a short space of time and justify all the effort every individual puts into Vibra every single day. I’m so pleased for everyone involved and I’d like to thank them all. They deserve this success.”

Founded four years ago by a management team of highly experienced industry experts with decades of land-based and online experience, Vibra Gaming has emerged as one of the most exciting and innovative content studios and software developers in the industry and rapidly grown to become the LatAm market’s ‘go-to’ partner for local and international operators.

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Groove, a leading iGaming platform and aggregator, proudly claimed the Women’s Empowerment Initiative of the Year at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024, celebrating a strong commitment to championing female talent and leadership.

At SBC Awards Latinoamérica, Groove’s win shines as a testament to how empowerment and inclusion propel the iGaming industry forward.

The award was accepted by Carolina Diniz Flauzino, Groove’s Latin America Business Development Manager, acknowledging Groove’s impactful diversity-driven culture.

Over the years, Groove has spotlighted the exceptional women in roles spanning account management, legal, finance, project leadership, tech, and creative design. From Liz Cohen’s pivotal oversight in account management to Salome Janashvili’s transformative graphic contributions and Sapir Hen’s rise in technical management, Groove’s success story is one written in part by the remarkable women across its global team.

Groove’s progressive tech ecosystem with over 15,000 games from 100+ top providers continues driving innovation with new technology soon to be released including an AI-Assistant, gamification tools, and the immersive Smart Lobby. Each feature is crafted to enhance engagement, supporting Groove’s dedication to transforming iGaming while celebrating its talented team.

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As Groove innovates with new AI-driven tools and a suite of gamification features, the company reinforces its core belief: a diverse team, empowered and celebrated, drives real success in a competitive market.

Yahale Meltzer, COO and Co-founder, remarked, “This award showcases the impact of our talented team. From its inception in 2016, Groove has championed women’s leadership, featuring dynamic professionals across roles critical to the company’s growth. We’re proud to bring this recognition home, a tribute to the exceptional women who are instrumental in shaping Groove’s future.”

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