The Online Bingo Industry is finally receiving the recognition it deserves by rewarding the best in the online bingo industry at this years Official Bullet Business Online Bingo Awards 2008 sponsored by Paysafecard. The awards, which will be taking place alongside the Annual Online Bingo Summit (17th – 18th June 2008) will be the first time individual online bingo companies are recognised for there successes in the Online Bingo Industry specifically.

With seven categories covering Best Newcomer, Best Online Bingo Portal, Best Marketing Campaign, Best Affiliate Program, Online Bingo Software and the much coveted Online Bingo Operator 2008 the awards have also set aside a special recognition for Innovation… and about time too it seems!

Seven recognised industry experts were brought together by Bullet Business in order to select the categories and to decide on the nominees for each category. "The panellists make up a representation of the online Bingo industry right now – a snapshot of the current market, with representatives from operations, technology, supplier, affiliate, analyst and association" Said Ravi Virpal, Director and Organiser for the Bullet Business Awards and Summit and continued "The aim has always been to give the Online Bingo Industry the recognition it deserves as a stand alone industry whilst also recognising the companies that have pushed to make this happen… This is a very exciting event and a big deal to anybody in the Online Bingo Industry".

The panellists include Michael Braga of Mice & Dice (Jackpot Joy), Phil Fraser of Which Bingo, David Hunter of Paysafecard, Jessica Luthi of Affiliate Program Advice, Steve Cook of Parlay Entertainment, Steven Baldwin of The Bingo Association and Ravi Virpal of Bullet Business. Following hours of discussion and deliberation the seven panellists settled on the categories and nominees.

Highlighting the need for an Industry Awards Michael Braga said "Within the last 12 months Bingo has entered the national consciousness thanks to the effects of the smoking ban and the proliferation of advertising hence the Awards this year are even more relevant and timely than previous. We are starting through this process to distinguish Bingo as its own industry sector, its own entity".

In support Phil Fraser added "For too long online bingo has been seen as a small adjunct to the online gaming market. The fact that there are awards specifically for the online bingo does indeed make a major contribution towards recognising the Bingo industry as a stand alone industry".

Recognising the need to separate Online Bingo from the other Online Gaming products David Hunter stated "Previously Bingo would typically be grouped in with Casino and/or lotto type games, whereas Poker and Sports betting would be given separate reference. Now we can see Bingo being recognised as an important vertical sector in its own right".

Commenting on the selection and nomination process Phil Fraser stated "The categories cover the depth and breadth of the online bingo business as it stands today in 2008. The selection process was vigorous, well debated and received contributions from a wide range of sources."

Steve Cook, MD for Parlay Entertainment, said: "The Bingo Awards are in recognition of the phenomenal growth of the online bingo industry and an acknowledgement of the key players that aspire to be the best of the best and stand out from the rest! All the nominations show a strong category of excellence and those that excel in providing a quality customer experience. There is tough competition in the market between online brands that is also driving the bingo industry to new heights".

Collectively the panel have agreed that there is a real need to recognise the best in Online Bingo. The final selection process belongs to the delegates at this years 3rd sell-out Online Bingo Summit. "Now that the categories have been set and the nominees have been recognised, it's up to the 250+ delegates to decide by using their onsite voting card" said Virpal "We have a fantastic evening planned with a networking cocktail party, awards dinner, ceremony and then it's off to the iGaming Social After Party to celebrate with the winners".