The 2024 edition of ICE London marked the final chapter of this major B2B iGaming expo in the city, signalling a change in venue to Barcelona from 2025. ICE stands for International Casinos Exhibition and it signed off in style in London with a record total of 811 exhibitors from 76 countries occupying the entirety of the ExCeL exhibition centre and attracting tens of thousands of international attendees, writes Ejaz Niazi, Head of Business Development at Sovereign Trust Gibraltar.
ICE welcomes land based and online operators, software developers, affiliates, gaming experts, and media partners. Participants display their newest innovations, whether they games, features, software, or other technological advancements. Visitors had the opportunity to explore these offerings, staying abreast of the latest trends in the iGaming industry. Key insights include:
- Leading companies showcased their latest products, and some even received European Casino Awards for their outstanding achievements.
- ICE featured numerous innovative products, particularly catching the attention of gamers at game studio stands.
- While groundbreaking payment systems and eco-friendly technologies were intriguing, the focus was on the exciting new games and features developed by the studios.
- AI developments were a focal point across the industry supply chain, with a panel on cybersecurity expressing concern about the threat posed by AI tools in the hands of hackers. Despite the alarm, speakers were optimistic that, in a few years, the industry could leverage these tools to significantly enhance security systems.
- Running parallel to ICE London, the industry-encompassing ICE VOX learning programme brought together the largest gathering of policymakers, regulators and C-suite leaders to debate key regulatory, business and technology developments impacting the entire industry. With more than 1,300 delegates from over 100 countries, the 2024 edition was the largest to date.
- The ICE VOX World Regulatory Briefing is a flagship meeting that covering key regulatory, legal and compliance developments in the gaming industry, while the International Casino Conference (ICC) enabled delegates to catch up on all the latest developments in the land-based gaming sector.
- ICE VOX further featured workshops in Safer Gaming, Entering New Markets, iGaming Customer Journeys and Innovating Lotteries, while the Esports Betting Conference (EBC) examined the immense potential at the crossroads of esports and betting.
- World news hot topics included:
- plans for a licensing regime in Finland
- Germany’s strict interpretation of statutes impacting the market
- France’s exploration of online casino regulation
- Ukraine’s industry seeks modernisation of gambling tax laws amid security concerns
- Romania’s tightening restrictions and upcoming elections are major concerns
- Hungary’s regulator remains firm on enforcement actions, extending blocklists to include affiliates
- Brazilian regulator announced the country’s first licensing window from March, drawing interest from over 134 companies, although questions remain regarding permitted online casino games and Brazilian ownership rules.
The legacy of ICE London 2024 promises the emergence of epic new games and fresh ideas,” said Niazi. “We look forward to Barcelona next year.”
As one of the largest regulated financial services players in Gibraltar, Sovereign is authorised by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC), making it ideally placed to help new entrants seeking to establish their online business in Gibraltar.
It is a pre-condition of regulation that all licensees are required to establish a presence in the jurisdiction and be controlled and managed from Gibraltar – in other words, they must create real substance on the Rock. Sovereign has vast experience of setting up and managing new businesses in Gibraltar, so we can assist from the earliest planning stages.
