Hosted at The Savoy Hotel in London, the prestigious 9th International Gaming Awards proved the perfect curtain-raiser to ICE Totally Gaming 2016 for Microgaming, who won the coveted Innovator of the Year award.

Microgaming is no stranger to innovation, having created the world’s first true online casino software in 1994, the first mobile casino software in 2004 and the first online slot for a smartwatch in 2014. Recent innovations include virtual and augmented reality apps, Thunderstruck on Android Wear, and an in-play sports betting prototype for Google Glass.

But it was Microgaming’s award-winning VR Roulette that ensured success at the ceremony held on Monday 1st February.

Developed for use with the Oculus Rift DK 2 headset and Leap Motion 3D Controller, VR Roulette was designed to examine analogue interactions across real and virtual environments, tracking the player’s hand movements and then projecting them into the 3D world. Named ‘Digital Gaming Innovation of the Year’ at the Global Gaming Awards last September, the prototype is currently being demoed in the Microgaming CRYO lab at ExCeL London (N5 entrance) over the three days of ICE 2016.

Roger Raatgever, CEO of Microgaming, comments: “What a fantastic start to ICE! And what a tremendous accolade for our Research and Development team. They are constantly thinking ahead and pushing the boundaries, and deserve praise for consistently producing pioneering solutions that are effectively shaping the future of online gaming. This award, the second of its kind in recent months, further cements our status as the creative force in our industry. It really is a fantastic achievement – well done to all involved!”

Photo - Microgaming team receiving Innovator of the Year award at IGA 2016.