Gaming Intelligence Awards 2026 | North America – Game of the Year

Gaming Intelligence unveils the Game of the Year winners across five product categories in this year’s North America edition of the Gaming Intelligence Awards.

Finally, we turn our attention to the blockbuster hits and the sleeper successes that have defined the North American gaming landscape over the past year. 

The GIA North America Game of the Year accolades recognize the premier titles across five core verticals – iGaming, Land-Based, Live Casino, Lottery, and iLottery – that have driven exceptional commercial performance and operational value over the past 12 months.

Taking top honours across these categories demands mathematical precision, flawless execution, and proven player appeal. Here are this year’s winners of the GIA North America Game of the Year.

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After winning iGaming Supplier of the Year and iGaming Innovation of the Year, Evolution has completed its hat-trick of GIA awards with Divine Fortune Gold taking home GIA North America’s Online Game of the Year. Developed by NetEnt, Divine Fortune Gold increased player reach, wagering, revenue, repeat play, and operator adoption since launching last September. The sequel to 2017’s Divine Fortune slot, NetEnt combined a familiar theme with new bonus features and a progressive jackpot to create a sequel that appeals to players and delivered strong commercial results. Up until August 19, the game had paid out an impressive $24.3 million in jackpots to players.

Reimagining a classic is a never easy, but the NetEnt studio has delivered a masterclass in franchise evolution, hitting the sweet spot with the broadest distribution across the US iGaming states and Ontario. Generating instant traction across North American markets, the title has proven to be a commercial powerhouse and an operator favorite, making it the standout title in this year’s casino content landscape.

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Since its explosive worldwide debut in December 2025, Konami Gaming’s BOMBERMAN slot has already become the company’s most successful licensed IP in history. Konami leveraged more than 40 years of video game nostalgia from sister company Konami Digital Entertainment to create the BOMBERMAN slot. By fusing iconic characters, retro soundscapes, and classic cartoon bombs with a novel hold & spin feature, BOMBERMAN delivers an ideal hit frequency engineered for non-stop player engagement. 

Players burst open brick walls throughout the feature to collect random credit prizes, bonus awards, and dynamic game boosters. Players are having a blast with BOMBERMAN on North America’s gaming floors. The slot has swept top positions for “Top Indexing Games” across low-denomination, mid-denomination, and overall parent theme categories. Konami’s BOMBERMAN has blasted the competition to win this year’s Land-Based Game of the Year.

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Evolution banks the title of Live Casino Game of the Year for its blockbuster hit MONOPOLY Live. Created in partnership with Hasbro, Evolution has transformed an iconic brand into an augmented reality live game show. MONOPOLY Live blends live hosts, a 54-segment money wheel, and cutting-edge 3D animation. Players bet on numbers, Chance instant cash, or the high-stakes 2 ROLLS and 4 ROLLS segments. 

MONOPOLY Live made its US debut in April, first going live in Connecticut with Mohegan Sun Online Casino. Evolution has since expanded the game’s US footprint with launches in New Jersey, Michigan and Delaware. MONOPOLY Live combines beloved nostalgia, striking visuals, and sustained engagement, which has brought a new dimension to online live casino entertainment in the US – it’s not down to Chance that MONOPOLY Live has made such an impact.

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Following a record-breaking launch in the lottery scratch game sector, $500,000 FRENZY has whipped up a storm of prize excitement for Mass Lottery players. Created by Scientific Games in partnership with the Mass Lottery – the biggest lottery in the world for instant scratch games based on weekly per capita sales – the $50 scratch game gives players plenty to get frenzied about. 

A relatively new release, $500,000 FRENZY has held the number 1 scratch game performance status in the US for both fiscal year and calendar year 2026 based on weekly per capita sales since launching in May. In less than 16 weeks, the scratch game generated more than $108 million in sales, with 14 of the fifty top prizes of $500,000 already claimed. Its outstanding commercial performance has driven increased player engagement and retailer revenues, proving exactly why the Mass Lottery remains a trendsetting force in North America, setting a new gold standard for instant lottery content.

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The biggest challenge for any state lottery is converting traditional retail players into digital iLottery users, and the Pennsylvania Lottery has long been a pioneer in the US iLottery sector. The Gus the Groundhog eInstant game merges legacy retail trust with modern digital mechanics, and is the latest example of how Scientific Games and the Pennsylvania Lottery understand their player base on a granular level. With THE GUS GAME SHOW, Scientific Games rolls out the red carpet, giving one of the Pennsylvania Lottery’s highly recognizable mascot – Gus the Groundhog – an entirely new digital stage in a gameshow-themed eInstant. 

Launched April, the bespoke iLottery game delivered exceptional commercial results, performing 50 per cent above sales index in its first month and demonstrated impressive staying power, remaining more than 25 per cent above index after 17 weeks. By week 18, the game had generated $10.4 million in total sales. THE GUS GAME SHOW demonstrates how customized iLottery content can successfully extend an established lottery brand into digital, drive sustained player engagement and deliver strong commercial performance.

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Congratulations to all our Gaming Intelligence Awards 2026 | North America winners!

Last week, Gaming Intelligence announced the winners of the North America Operators of the Year, followed by the North America Rising Star of the Year winners, and the GIA North America Suppliers of the Year.