The beginning of the year means only one thing as far as the gambling industry is concerned as conferences and get-togethers covering everything are staged in the centre of the iGaming universe – London. ICE Conferences is the biggest of all taking place in early February and this year it’s all change as it moves to ExCel Centre from February 4-6.
ICE is eight conferences all rolled into one and that’s even before you consider that it incorporates a floor packed full of exhibitors to go with it. Each of the eight different mini-conferences takes place for a whole day and they all have a very different focus. The summits come under the headings of The International Casino Conference; World Regulatory Briefing; Cybercrime, Security & Compliance in Gaming; Monetising Social Gaming; Mobile Gaming; Innovation For Lotteries; CRM; Loyalty & Retention; and Integrating Land-Based & Online Gaming.
Focus from an iGaming point of view will centre on four sessions in particular – the World Regulatory Briefing, Monetising Social Gaming, Mobile and Integrating Land-Based and Online Gaming.
Regulation feels like a constant thorn in the side in some jurisdictions around the world – Europe in particular – with many hoping 2013 will be the year when the landscape becomes a trifle clearer. The World Regulatory Briefing will aim to make things a little clearer to those listening in with jurisdictions the world over being discussed as the day is basically split in two – the morning looking at Europe and the afternoon switching focus to markets in the Americas. Dignitaries from almost every gambling authority across the world will try to shed a little more light on where the industry is going this year regarding regulation and it will be standing room only.
Central to any firm’s strategy that is looking at some jurisdictions will be marrying together land-based and iGaming operations as this is the only way to operate in certain places i.e. Belgium. The Integrating Land-Based & Online Gaming summit will aim to give insight on the B2B/B2C landscape in a number of country’s with a lot of focus likely to fall on the United States of America. The likes of Frank Praculowski, from Foxwoods Development Company, and Antar C Johnson from the DC Lottery will be on hand to try and answer some of the pressing questions surrounding land-based and online integration.
One session that will be of particular interest to those from iGaming concerns the fastest growing vertical in this and all parts of the world as far as online gambling is concerned – Mobile Gaming. To educate the masses, ICE has brought together speakers from some of the most successful companies in the mobile business. Delegates from the likes of Google, Juniper Research, O2 and mFortune will be discussing everything from Smart TV and the endless possibilities 4G presents, to the ongoing debate surrounding HTML5 and native apps.
Monetising Social Gaming, taking place on February 6, links almost seamlessly with the subject of mobile as social is another area firms are looking on with fevered expectation. Those attending this summit will find out why there is such a buzz coming from the social side of things and how to make sure that play-money players can be converted to real-money ones. Making money is at the heart of all the discussions on the day with speakers from the likes of Facebook, Plumbee and Yazino all imparting a significant amount of wisdom on how to convert this into your next big success story.
Tickets for the January shindig are still available and there are various levels available to satisfy every gambling industry need. This is before you consider the amount of parties that lay waste to January/February every year. Good luck!
