Ernst & Young Announces Double Down Interactive's CEO, Greg Enell, Is the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Award Winner in the Pacific Northwest Region

SEATTLE, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP today announced that Greg Enell, CEO of Double Down Interactive, makers of one of the world's largest free-to-play casinos on Facebook, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Award, in the hyper-competitive social gaming category in the Pacific Northwest Region. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Mr. Enell was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala on June 15, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.

"I am grateful to Ernst & Young for providing this opportunity to celebrate entrepreneurship, and am especially thrilled to have won this prestigious award," said Greg Enell, CEO of Double Down Interactive. "This is a team award and I'm very thankful to the 100+ people at Double Down that helped make this happen. I welcome anyone with the same drive and passion to join our ascent, as we continue to experience rapid growth."

Enell co-founded Double Down Interactive in 2010 with the launch of DoubleDown Casino. In 2012, International Game Technology acquired the Seattle-based company.

Now in its 26th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.

As a Pacific Northwest Region award winner, Greg Enell is now eligible for consideration for the National Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 17, 2012. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the United States by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In the Pacific Northwest, local sponsors include ADP, Puget Sound Business Journal, Scherzer International, The Big Picture Video Film & Arts, and Union Bank.

About Double Down Interactive

Double Down Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Game Technology, is the leading casual games developer of "fun to play" casino experiences on the Internet. With veterans from top online game companies, the team is committed to providing consumers an online social casino experience that is unrivaled by anything else available. Anyone can play at the DoubleDown Casino by visiting http://apps.facebook.com/doubledowncasino/ or www.doubledowncasino.com . Double Down Interactive is based in Seattle.

About IGT

International Game Technology is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets. More information about IGT is available at www.IGT.com or follow IGT on Twitter at @IGTNews or Facebook at www.facebook.com/IGT.  

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.

Contact:

Hal Bringman
NVPR
[email protected]
206.299.0622, ext 801 (o)
323.851.6877 (o)
310.210.8011 (m)
@halbringman

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SOURCE Double Down Interactive