ICE Totally Gaming 2016 - the massive three-day conference, which ran from February 2 to 4 at the ExCel in London - was a huge success. The following are some of the events most prominent highlights.
Playtech impresses with booth and ‘Playtech One’
Without a doubt, one of the most notable booths at ICE was the one belonging to leading casino software developer, Playtech. It featured eye-catching massive screens, product displays and even a fully equipped conference room.
Throughout the three days, Playtech’s booth featured 15 “TED” style presentations delivred by internal experts, all of which were free to attend.
Playtech’s Marketing Director, Luke Davis, also talked about the importance of the company’s ground-breaking “Playtech ONE,” a platform which delivers a seamless omni-channel gaming experience across any product on any device from one account.
NetEnt revealed upcoming branded slot
Each year at ICE, NetEnt reveals a unique slot game. This year, the highly innovative supplier of casino games unveiled the remaining two branded video slots in its NetEnt Rocks trilogy. NetEnt CEO Per Eriksson revealed that the next slot in the series (following the Guns N’ Roses slot) will be the Jimi Hendrix slot, coming in April, and the Motörhead slot, launching in September.
In addition to these announcements, the NetEnt booth also featured some of the company’s innovative ideas for future games, such as “Jack’s VR World.” This is a virtual reality version of their popular Jack and the Beanstalk branded slot. The VR game was available for testing.
Famous footballer attended ICE
English footballer, Michael Owen, the brand ambassador of Colossus Bets, made an appearance on the first day of ICE Totally Gaming. The Colossus Bets team arranged a fun “media shoot-out” in front of a goal set up at the booth with Owen. This year was the first time Colossus Bets exhibited at ICE. The company’s CEO Bernard Marantelli said that he wanted to show the industry how much his business has evolved and is still growing.
India is a big market for the gambling industry
During the event’s second day, the most popular ICE Seminar was probably the India Briefing, which was attended by operators eager to get a foothold in the Indian gambling market. It concentrated on opportunities for operators within the market and also covered regulatory and legal challenges and updates. According to India-based attorney, Vidushpat Singhania, the country considers poker, rummy and sports betting as games of skill.
The Asian market also played a prominent role at ICE
Among the more notable exhibitors featured at ICE Totally Gaming 2016 where those from the Asian market, such as Asia Gaming. Kelvin Chiu, Asia Gaming’s Sales Director, talked about the importance of foreign operators fully understanding the Asian gambling culture. Chiu pointed out that, due to a lack of understanding, many European operators who attempted to break ground in Asia have failed. Furthermore, he explained that, today, young Chinese gamblers are showing an interested in slots; a trend that has grown with increased mobile use.
