Peter Hannibal, Chief Executive of the UK strategic body the Gambling Business Group, spoke in advance of the 2022 edition of ICE London, which will take place next week at ExCeL London from April 12 to April 14, and described as an “unbelievable source of inspiration and an unparalleled shop window for the international gambling industry”.
In an official press release, Hannibal, who will be attending his 40th edition of ICE and its predecessor ATEI, explained: “The gambling industry is one of the fastest adopters of new technology and ICE is the event at which innovators unashamedly choose to launch their newest and most progressive products and services safe in the knowledge that they will be able to engage with a truly international audience of gambling industry buyers. As a consequence I think it’s fair to say that the majority of great gambling innovations have been seen if not launched at ICE London.”
However, the importance of ICE goes beyond just the launch of innovative new gambling products and services: “From my first show back in the early 1980’s ATEI, as it was then, was the place where the industry met, networked and educated themselves as to what else was going on. Much of the discussions surrounded pending legislation changes and I’m certain that will be the case next week when there is sure to be intense speculation on the forthcoming UK Government Whitepaper on gambling reform.“
“Initiatives such as The Consumer Protection Zone, that Clarion introduced to the ICE show floor in 2018, are great examples of how the industry is working in partnership with safer gambling and treatment charities – a progressive partnership which helps explain why problem gambling rates in the UK as calculated by the Gambling Commission sit at their record low of 0.3%. This industry is at its best when it is able to meet face-to-face and discuss products, consumers, trends and the future direction of travel for gambling. I believe the bounce-back for the land-based gambling sector begins at ICE London”, he concluded.
