To see a gallery of pictures from ICE 2012 go to: www.flickr.com/photos/globalgamingbusiness

Earl’s Court, the venerable London convention venue scheduled to be razed next year, bid goodbye to one of its steady tenants over the years, the International Casino Exposition. The largest gaming convention in Europe will move in 2013 to the Excel Center, a modern “purpose-built” facility. Although the amenities of the center are state-of-the-art, the distance from central London where most of the city’s first-class hotels are located, is substantial—an expensive taxi fare or a very long tube ride.

Nonetheless, participants were focused last week on the matters at hand: a suddenly expansive gaming industry that brings challenges and opportunities to all who play a part.

Most of the interest focused on the convergence of land-based and online gaming. With the ruling from the U.S. Department of Justice late last year that sports betting was the only kind of online gaming that is strictly illegal in the U.S., exhibitors jockeyed for attention from the land-based casino companies. Although there were few U.S. companies in attendance, the products and services offered by a wide spectrum of online providers was impressive.

The conferences at ICE, a new touch added over the past several years, examined those issues. Ron Goudsmit, the chairman of the European Casino Association, as well as Holland Casinos, kicked off the ECA conference on Monday with an outline of what casinos in the European Union were facing when it comes to the expansion of VLTs, the rapidly improving gaming technology and the evolving regulations, both at the national level and at the European Commission level.

Technology played a big role in the conference with sponsor IGT providing updates on how customers would be served in the future using mobile devices and online gaming, and why it was important to stay ahead of the curve when competition continues to increase.

Several land-based operators gathered for a session to discuss the impact of online gaming on their facilities. While not all of the operators were involved in online gaming at the current time, they were all hopeful that their casinos would participate in the system sometime in the future.

A “Green Paper” session gathered representatives from various legislative and regulatory groups across Europe to discuss the reality, scope and effectiveness of regulations promulgated by the various government bodies.

A panel also discussed the viability of integrated resorts in Europe. While more than a dozen plans have been put forward over the years, none has come to reality. The panel, which included representatives from Las Vegas Sands and Genting, agreed that the concept would work in Europe but failed to distinguish where and how it would come about.

Other conferences at ICE included sessions on lotteries, cybercrime, mobile gaming, CRM and retention and more.

The American Gaming Association took advantage of the gathering of casino execs by hosting a second meeting of its Global Gaming Women group that was formed at G2E in October. More than 50 women attended a breakfast at London’s Playboy Club, with a panel of successful women executives offering their experience and wisdom. The panel included Jenny Williams of the British Gaming Commission, Monika Racek of the Novomatic Group of Companies, Olga Finkel of WH Law, Jan L. Jones of Caesars Entertainment and moderated by Judy Patterson of the American Gaming Association (AGA).

For the first time, the two groups of gaming attorneys, the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) held joint functions that included a networking cocktail party, ICE seminars and a lunch for members.

On the exhibit floor, there was continued growth of the i-gaming section, with many companies that had not exhibited before at ICE. Many new products and services were debuted and/or promoted for the first time in Europe. Novomatic presented its new Marilyn slot bank, using a worldwide gaming license from the estate of the late Marilyn Monroe. Casino Technology revealed its new Penthouse slots in Europe for the first time and introduced a new system. IGT promoted its recently announced iCloud system that is expected to dramatically change the way gaming is conducted. Bally announced a partnership with Comtrade that will assist Bally with its online development services to expedite the conversion of Bally’s land-based slot portfolio to the online gaming environment. Aristocrat launched its new Queen of the Nile Legends DSAP (Double Standalone Progressive) in a widescreen format.

So the final ICE at Earl’s Court was bittersweet. Attendees and exhibitors alike all contend they will miss the old facility but are anxiously awaiting a new ICE age starting next year at the Excel Center.

By Staff