Microgaming Wins the Spark Award 2017

Seems like Microgaming, the leading supplier of gambling software, has some impressive ideas on how to innovate the gambling industry. The company started an exclusive project - Idea Factory - in 2016 to select the best thoughts related to changes in the gaming world. This initiative became such a success that it gained The Spark Award 2017.

The candidates for The Spark Award are organizations that experiment with ways of working and are not afraid of innovative ideas. This award is a part of a global movement, Spark the Change, which has an overall goal to make workplaces better. The famous studio joined the list of such previous winners as Places for People and Government Communications Headquarters.

“As always, we had some wonderful entries to the Spark Award this year, but the judges, chaired by InfoQ editor, Shane Hastie, unanimously voted for Microgaming's Idea Factory. We really admired how clear-sighted and practical they were in facing a problem that most organizations have - how to broaden participation in innovation and make space, time and resources available to nurture ideas.”  commended Helen Walton, co-founder of Spark the Change.

“It has been such an amazing experience, largely due to the enthusiasm of every person who has taken part.”

Idea Factory is a staff initiative to collect, analyze, select, and present ideas, related to gambling, technology, and the company itself. The Idea Factory lasted throughout the whole 2016 year and consisted of 4 rounds during which the Decision Panel decided whether ideas was implementation or not.

Lydia Barbara, Head of Innovation Strategy at Microgaming, said: “When launching the Microgaming Idea Factory, at first there was nervousness that we wouldn’t get enough ideas through to make it work. But the problem wasn’t in the quality or quantity of ideas; it was that we did not have a process in place to refine and approve them. It has been such an amazing experience, largely due to the enthusiasm of every person who has taken part. I expect to see great returns from the fantastic ideas coming through.”

Not Only Workplace Ideas

This software developer, based in the Isle of Man, was established in 1994. Since that time it has produced more than 850 casino entertainments of different types and genres. Every game has some unique features and fresh ideas that makes the company’s content a destination for many players throughout the years. Examples of such games are Forbidden Throne and Goldwyn’s Fairies.