Inside Asian Gaming is pleased to announce the Official Nominees for the 2026 IAG Academy IR Awards.
The Official Nominees have been selected following the closure of the Call for Candidates period, with all winners to be announced at a gala dinner to be held in the Marriott Manila Ballroom, Newport World Resorts, on the evening of Tuesday 15 September 2026.
The 162 Official Nominees were selected from a total of 507 public submissions received, meaning that even just being named as an Official Nominee is a significant achievement.
The IAG Academy IR Awards form part of the IAG EXPO, which also comprises the CiG iDEA Summit on Monday 14 September, invitation-only social networking event Manila After Dark on the Monday evening, the IAG Academy Summit on 15 and 16 September and The Regulators Forum on Thursday 17 September, also an invitation-only event.
IAG Vice Chairman and CEO Andrew W Scott said, “This year’s nominees represent the finest individuals, companies and integrated resorts in the Asia-Pacific region. With the addition of an online gaming division in 2026, we are also pleased to welcome many first-time nominees this year – further recognizing those who are helping to shape our industry.”
The 162 Official Nominees are divided across the 26 primary categories and three Hall of Fame categories as below.
The Official Nominees listed below will soon be uploaded to iagexpo.com/nominations, where more information on the awards categories including a description of each is available.
DIVISION 1: NON-GAMING OPERATOR OFFERINGS
Elements of Asia-Pacific based integrated resorts other than gaming
1. Most Instagrammable IR
- Galaxy Macau
- Grand Lisboa Palace
- Solaire Resort Quezon City
- The Londoner Macao
- The Parisian Macao
2. Best IR Resort Attraction
- City of Dreams Macau for House of Dancing Water
- Hoiana Resort & Golf for Hoiana Shores Golf Club
- Marina Bay Sands for Sands SkyPark
- NUSTAR Resort Cebu for NUSTAR Skydeck
- Paradise City for Cimer
- Resorts World Sentosa for Singapore Oceanarium
3. Best Overall Retail Offering by an IR
- Galaxy Macau for Galaxy Promenade
- Marina Bay Sands for Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
- Resorts World Sentosa for WEAVE
- Sands China for Shoppes at Venetian
- Solaire Resort Entertainment City for Shoppes at Solaire
4. Best Overall F&B Offering by an IR
- City of Dreams Macau
- Galaxy Macau
- Grand Lisboa
- Marina Bay Sands
- Solaire Resort Quezon City
5. Best Facilities Management in an IR
- Crown Sydney
- Galaxy Macau
- Marina Bay Sands
- MGM COTAI
- The Venetian Macao
6. Best Hotel in an IR
- Crown Sydney
- Galaxy Macau for Capella at Galaxy Macau
- Grand Lisboa Palace for The Palazzo Versace Macau
- Marina Bay Sands
- Paradise City for Art Paradiso
- Wynn Palace
DIVISION 2: GAMING OFFERINGS
Gaming elements of Asia-Pacific based integrated resorts
7. Best Slot Solution
- Aristocrat for Dragon Link
- Aruze for Summit Reach
- IGT for Rising Rockets Link
- Jumbo Technology for Mǎn Fú Bǎo
- Konami for Fortune Hearts
- Light & Wonder for Super Hot Flaming Pots
8. Best ETG Solution
- Alfastreet V8 Sicbo/Craps
- EGT for Compact 6 Roulette
- Interblock for Dragon SicBo
- Novomatic for NOVO LINE Novo Unity II
- Spintec for Spintec Charisma
9. Best Slot Game Design Studio
- Aristocrat for HRG Studios
- Jumbo Technology for Jumbo
- Konami for Konami Studio
- Light & Wonder for ELK Studios
10. Best Table Game Solution
- Angel for Smart Table System
- LT Game for Live Multi-Game System
- Tangam for Table Games Yield Management
- Walker Digital Table Systems for Perfect Pay
11. Best System Solution
- ACE Systems for ACE Casino Management System
- EGT for Spider CMS
- IGT for IGT Advantage
- Konami for SYNKROS
- Novomatic for myACP Casino Management System
12. Best IR Gaming Floor
- Galaxy Macau
- Marina Bay Sands
- MGM COTAI
- Solaire Resort Entertainment City
- The Venetian Macao
DIVISION 3: ONLINE GAMING OFFERINGSBrought to you by Complete iGaming
13. Best Live Dealer Offering
14. Best Electronic Slot Offering
15. Best iGaming Innovation
16. Best iGaming Supplier
17. Best iGaming Operator
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DIVISION 4: CORPORATE AWARDS
Elements that relate to overall governance and activities of companies that operate Asia-Pacific based integrated resort businesses, and those that supply them
18. Best Individual CSR Initiative
- Casino Plus for Project Bigkis
- Galaxy Entertainment Group for Sports for Good Community Program
- NagaWorld for Clean and Green School Programme
- NUSTAR Resort Cebu for Project Anahaw
- Sands China for Sands Shopping Carnival
- Tecnet for “Small Actions. Lasting Impact.”
19. Best Overall CSR Program
- FBM for FBM Foundation
- Galaxy Entertainment Group for Inspire Youth Program
- Jumbo for Jumbo Together – Community Impact Program
- Marina Bay Sands for Sands Cares
- Melco Resorts & Entertainment for Simple Acts of Kindness
- Resorts World Sentosa for RWS Cares
20. Best Workplace
- Angel
- Hann Casino Resort
- Interblock
- Sands China
- Solaire Resort Quezon City
21. Best Marketing Program
- Aristocrat
- Bloomberry Resorts Corporation
- Galaxy Entertainment Group
- Marina Bay Sands
- Melco Resorts & Entertainment
DIVISION 5: INDUSTRY AWARDS
Elements relating to the wider industry of and serving integrated resorts in the Asia-Pacific region
22. Best IR or Supplier Solution
- Alfastreet for V8 Sicbo/Craps
- Angel for Table Games Supplies
- Aristocrat for Dragon Link
- Interblock for Stadium and Pulse Arena
- Walker Digital Table Systems for Perfect Pay
23. Best IR or Supplier Innovation
- Aristocrat for Baron Upright
- Cammegh for Mercury 360 RRS – Random Rota Speed
- Gameworkz for Social Gaming Ecosystem
- Konami for SYNK Vision
- Marina Bay Sands for Autonomous Mobile Robots
- ReadyLinks for Comprehensive Smart IR Networking Solutions
24. Best Industry Supplier
- Angel
- Aristocrat
- Casino Plus
- EGT
- Interblock
- Light & Wonder
25. Best Regional Asia-Pacific IR
- Crown Sydney
- Hoiana Resort & Golf
- Newport World Resorts
- NUSTAR Resort Cebu
- Paradise City
- Solaire Resort Entertainment City
26. Best Integrated Resort
- Galaxy Macau
- Grand Lisboa Palace
- Marina Bay Sands
- Studio City
- The Venetian Macao
- Wynn Palace
HALL OF FAME
Celebrating the people whose talent, leadership and achievements drive our industry forward.
Rising Stars (3 winners)
Awarded to three industry performers turning 40 or younger in the year of the Awards (date of birth 1 Jan 1986 or later), who have demonstrated consistent leadership and innovation, with great potential for more to come.
- Matthew Ankenmann (Tangam)
- Michael Barsin (Ainsworth)
- Erwin Desembrana (Angel)
- Maksim Gojković (Spintec)
- Jayden Ieong (LT Game)
- Eren Kereci (Tecnet)
- Yaping Kitamura (ReadyLinks)
- Gladys Lei (IGT)
- Mariana Manchina (EGT)
- Meisy Ng (APE)
Industry Icons (3 winners)
Awarded to three senior industry executives who have demonstrated consistent contribution to the overall growth and success of the industry with lasting results, through great leadership, innovation and/or other activities, and who have gained the respect of their industry peers.
- Stephen Ho (Macau Slot)
- Michael Hu (Interblock)
- Keijiro Kan (Angel)
- Tony Macmillan (Bally’s Casino Colombo)
- Panos Makridis (MGM China)
- Chen Si (Resorts World Sentosa)
- Akiko Takahashi (Melco Resorts)
- Alan Teo (Hoiana)
- Han Tian (MGM China)
- Harold Tsakmaklis (Crown Resorts)
Industry Legend (1 winner)
Awarded to just one person each year since 2024, this award recognizes a senior executive who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision and impact over the decades, leaving a lasting mark on the industry. It is intended for an individual who has spent a significant portion of their career leading day-to-day industry operations: driving strategy, motivating teams, and navigating complex challenges, rather than someone in a founder or owner role. The Industry Legend will have consistently contributed to the growth, innovation and success of the business or businesses they have worked in, as well as the broader sector, through hands-on, executive-level leadership.
Five official nominees to be announced soon.
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