ICE bids farewell to London and sets its eyes on Barcelona
ICE bid farewell to London with a record number of attendees.
UK.- The International Casino Exhibition (ICE) has bid farewell to its traditional location at ExCel, London. The leading global gaming and gambling event said goodbye to the British capital with an attendance record (over 32,000 on the first day) and 811 exhibitors from 76 countries across nearly 60,000 square meters of net space.
As announced by the organizers last August, ICE will relocate to Barcelona next year, initiating a new era in the fair’s history. ICE’s relocation was one of the most discussed topics at the event, both by those who look with anticipation towards Barcelona and by those who have not yet digested the news. ICE Barcelona is to take place at Fira Barcelona, spanning 240,000 square meters, from January 20 to 22 next year.
Online gaming and sports betting take centre stage
Online gaming again took a significant portion of the spotlight at this edition. The increased participation of companies in this sector, alongside sports betting and payment platforms, has been notable in recent years.
However, land-based gaming companies maintained a robust presence, as evidenced by companies such as Konami, Merkur Gaming, Alfastreet, Interblock, Aristocrat, and Novomatic (which had the largest stand, featuring all its brands), showcasing their latest innovations and products.
Also present at the expo were Amatic, Amusnet, Atlas-IAC, BetConstruct, Comtrade Gaming, Digitain, EGT, EGT Digital, EvenBet Gaming, Evolution, Fast Track, Kambi Group, Play’n GO, SA Gaming, Slotegrator, SOFTSWISS, Sportingtech, Sportradar, TCSJOHNHUXLEY, among other brands.
Growing interest in LatAm and the Brazilian market
One of the hot topics on the agenda at ICE London 2024 was the regulation of new markets, especially in Latin America. There was strong interest in Brazil, a country where sports and online betting were recently legalised. With a population of over 215 million people, Brazil is a huge market for gambling operators. There was also room to discuss opportunities in the African market and a focus on Gen Z as it comes of legal betting age.
Another successful year at ICE for Focus Gaming News
Once again, Focus Gaming News was present at ICE with a stand that caught the attention of both old and new clients. Fernando Saffores, CEO and founder of Focus Gaming News, stated, “It was a highly successful expo in terms of generating new clients seeking our services. We seized the opportunity to reconnect with existing clients and received invaluable feedback.”
As for the most frequent enquiries, Saffores noted: “Many companies have their eyes set on Brazil and have decided to become sponsors of our Portuguese edition, which is excellent news.”
Focus Gaming News Brasil was launched in 2023 and offers news and analysis on the Brazilian gambling market in Portuguese for Brazilian gaming executives and employees, regulators and anyone interested in developments in the industry.
Speaking about ICE’s decision to move to Barcelona, the CEO of Focus Gaming News expressed enthusiasm and took the opportunity to thank ICE organisers for the years in London while affirming that the site will be present at the new location.
