The 2024 edition of ICE London was unlike any other, attracting record crowds to showcase the latest and greatest products, services and technology that the global gaming industry has to offer in 2024 and beyond.
What made this show unique, however, was that it represented the final edition in London, its home for several decades past; starting in 2025, the show will move to Barcelona, which was selected as the new host city by show organizers Clarion Gaming this summer in a bidding process that also included London, Madrid and Paris.
This year’s show, along with its co-located sister show iGB Affiliate, featured a record 811 exhibitors representing a total of 76 different nations, encompassing a total footprint of approximately 60,000 square meters of floor space inside of ExCel London.
On the education side, key figures from around the industry held dozens of panels throughout the week at ICE VOX touching on various topics involving the industry, including regulatory developments, new growth prospects and other key gaming issues. As usual, the conversations were split between the World Regulatory Briefing and International Casino Conference modules.
On the show floor, all varieties of exhibitors showcased everything from slots and tables to iGaming tools, bookmaking services and other back-end technologies.
NOTES FROM ICE VOX
Keynote: New Markets and New Technology from MGM
This session was a thorough view of the prospects and plans of operator MGM Resorts International from its president and CEO, Bill Hornbuckle, moderated by Simon Thomas, executive chairman of London’s Hippodrome Casino.
Hornbuckle offered a broad overview of MGM’s business, including its online venture BetMGM, and the challenges that lay ahead in the near future. He said his philosophy is what he learned early on from former casino mogul Steve Wynn: “Listen to your customers; listen to your employees.” He said this concept contributes greatly to the corporate culture of MGM.
Hornbuckle stressed the importance of non-gaming amenities in MGM’s properties, which currently generate 70 percent of the operator’s revenues. He offered a view of likely new markets coming in Latin America, and outlined MGM’s project to create an integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates, which he said he hopes will someday include gaming. He offered optimism for the return to prosperity of the Macau market, where MGM operates in the Cotai district.
Hornbuckle commented on the coming challenges of managing artificial intelligence, noting that AI should not change the industry, but can be harnessed to deal with challenges accelerated by the Covid-19 crisis, which “focused us on things like mobile check-in,” which he said now constitutes 30 percent of check-ins for MGM overall.
On BetMGM, Hornbuckle said the operator is working to spread the live-dealer offering of MGM sites, planning unique marketing efforts involving celebrities to strengthen the brand.
Hornbuckle only touched on the recent cyber attack against MGM, which cost the operator some $100 million in revenue. “No matter how good you think you are, somebody is one step ahead,” he said.
Risks to the Gaming Industry: Cybersecurity, Organized Crime, Illegal Gambling
This session featured Louis J. Freeh, partner and managing director of AlixPartners, and a former assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Mike S. Welch, partner and former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division.
The former law enforcement officials noted the changing nature of organized crime as it relates to casinos, concentrating on how to deal with and prevent ransomware attacks such as those that hobbled MGM Resorts and Caesars last fall.
Freeh noted that ransomware, used by bad actors to hack personal data from operator databases and demand ransom to prevent its release, currently cost the industry an average $4.45 million per incident, and in 2022, resulted in a total of $10.2 billion in costs. He said the gaming industry is becoming a large target for cybercriminals.
Freeh said the most important way to battle cybercrime is to share information with competitors whenever a threat is encountered, so effective countermeasures can be formulated. He also said operators should develop a long-term cybersecurity strategy, and stressed the need for laws and regulations around the world to be strengthened to counter the threat.
Welch outlined the potential security threats arising from the advance of artificial intelligence technology, noting that AI is being used in attacks on supply-chain vendors as well as cyberattacks. He said operators should ensure backup systems are in place to battle the new technological threats to business.
European Regulatory Roundup
This session examined how countries can work together to battle illegal gambling worldwide. Simon Planzer, partner, Planzer Law, moderated a panel including Paolo Duarte Lopes, director of Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos, Portugal, and Pierre Tournier, international director of the Betting and Gaming Council trade association.
Tournier commented that more collaboration is needed to battle illegal online gaming sites, and that prohibition of online gaming is not a good tool to battle the problem, and in fact encourages illegal sites to grow and prosper. Lopes said jurisdictions should look to EU standard online regulations and share problems between jurisdictions to arrive at an action plan to fight the illegal market.
Creating a Global Blueprint for Gaming
This session featured a presentation by Alex Dixon, president and CEO of Iowa’s Q Casino, which is owned by the nonprofit De Moines Racing Association, on how the group—which receives a portion of revenue from for-profit competitor Boyd Gaming—is transforming an island in the middle of the Mississippi River into an integrated resort with profits dedicated to improving the city of De Moines.
NOTES FROM THE SHOW FLOOR: SLOTS GALORE
Ainsworth Game Technology
Ainsworth included a display at the stand of Novomatic AG, its majority owner, that featured the European launch of its Raptor cabinet, a distinct cabinet with an oversized, dual-bash button panel fronting an elegant J-curved, 49-inch 4K monitor. The launch game, also featured at the Global Gaming Expo in October, is Jackpot Kingdom, which combines several compelling game mechanics, including a hold-and-re-spin feature, free games with increasing multipliers, and “Shake ‘n Break,” a unique feature that randomly increases the value of all cash-on-reels symbols on the screen.
Also featured was Mustang Mucho Dinero, featured on the A-STAR Curve XL cabinet. It is a ways game on a four-by-five array, which translates to 1,024 ways to win on each spin. A central bonus is a symbol-replacement feature, in which several reel symbols are replaced by the same higher-paying symbol.
Aristocrat Gaming
Aristocrat featured the European launch of Jackpot Carnival. Launched in the U.S. in 2022, it is a festive game group with player-selectable multi-denominations that includes clever free-game features like a hammer smash, a clown and several other carnival themes. Inaugural base games include Buffalo, Timber Wolf and Power of 88.
Also featured was the European launch of Aristocrat’s NFL game series, which allows players to select their favorite NFL team and play a game themed to that team, with game footage of the team in an array of unique bonuses.
Aruze Gaming Global
Aruze Gaming Global launched its first ICE display since its rebirth as a supplier, created by acquisition of the assets of bankrupt Aruze Gaming by the former Play Synergy. One of the first moves for the European market will be the phasing out of the Muso 43 and Muso 27 cabinets, to be replaced by the Speed and Hyperspeed formats.
On the game side, Aruze featured Gong Gong Lai Fu, with eight player-selectable denominations—including a $5 denomination for high-limit rooms. A frequent hold-and-re-spin bonus plays out on a checkerboard display. A unique feature here is that whenever a new coin appears in the hold-and-spin feature, the player collects the total credits on the checkerboard before the feature continues.
Also featured was Power Tower Dragon, the first product from the combined R&D talent of the former Aruze and Synergy Blue operations. The return-to-player percentage on the game raises every time the bet is increased. The main feature is a hold-and-re-spin event played out on two reel arrays. The top array remains locked until rocket symbols land on the lower array. As each rocket lands, a new row can be unlocked on the top screen (guaranteed with three rockets), increasing the number of locked bonus credits.
IGT
IGT launched new content targeted at European markets, including the game Scarab for Eastern Europe, Diamond Mania for the Spain AWP market, and video poker, which is currently being rolled out in Holland and other European markets.
Featured games included Triple Fortune Link. Currently released in IGT’s test bank program, the game features a perceived-persistence pot-style bonus and a hold-and-re-spin event. Incrementing the bonus pots unlocks up to three grids for the hold-and-re-spin bonus. These arrays independently grant three-spin cycles—a coin within three spins on each array resets that meter to three spins. Additionally, even after three spins without a coin deactivates a grid, a rocket symbol on one of the other two arrays reactivates it with a fresh round of three spins.
IGT also displayed its hit Mystery of the Lamp multi-level progressive—its European debut—and multi-game versions of its MLP games. Finally, the company unveiled its Mesa Hybrid electronic table game, featuring live-dealer, automated or virtual versions of blackjack, baccarat and roulette. Officials say craps and sic-bo will be added next year. The unit allows players to engage four games simultaneously, and auto-bet for the initial wagers with prompts when new decisions are required.
Interblock
The leader in electronic table games launched several new products at ICE. Reel Roulette is a unique roulette setup that enables multipliers on straight-up bets. By changing the normal number payouts from 35-to-1 to 30-to-1, the system fees up random multipliers that can be applied to straight-up wins—50X, 200X or 500X. There also is a gold ball included in special spins that pay out 40-to-1 on straight bets.
Interblock also featured its single-game units featuring Immersion Technology, with an LED signage display creating an immersive environment in front of Interblock’s award-winning Love Seat dual seating. Also featured was Easy Craps, one of the easiest-to-use craps layouts one will find. Single taps of the screen trigger any of the vast array of craps bets on the board.
Konami Gaming
Konami featured Chili Chili Fire Hot Rush, a lively animated video slot on the Dimension 49 portrait cabinet. The game, similar to the Konami hit Bull Blitz, includes the unique “Fade Away Feature,” in which lower-paying card symbols will disappear and be replaced. Symbols will keep disappearing and reappearing until every position is filled with one of the themed symbols, which are of a higher value.
Also featured was Fortune Mint Trinity, with new premium packaging and a new game presentation. It features mystery symbols marked by question marks that transform to reveal progressives or multipliers.
On the system side, Konami demonstrated SYNKVision, a new facial recognition technology added to the SYNKROS casino management system. Slated for release this quarter in Australia, the technology allows a player to sit down at a machine and be instantly recognized through AI comparison to a database. The player’s loyalty account is automatically activated, and points are earned for play. At the end of the session, the point session automatically disengages.
Light & Wonder
Light & Wonder introduced European customers to the Dragon Train slot game, originally displayed at G2E. The game, from the Australia studio headed by Emma Charles, features a hold-and-re-spin bonus played out on an octagon display. If all spots on the octagon are filled in via a three-spin hold-and-re-spin cycle, a secondary progressive resetting at €1,000 is awarded.
Other highlights included Dragon Dragon, with base game Jin Long Jin Bao, featuring a wheel bonus and free games on a double reel array; and hits launched recently in the U.S. including Squid Game, the video slot based on the hit Netflix T.V. series; and Frankenstein, the feature-rich video slot based on the classic Universal monster film.
Novomatic AG
Novomatic’s stand, as usual, was the largest on the trade show floor. ICE launches for Europe included Diamond Link, the progressive product featuring base games Mighty Sevens and Mighty Elephants. This series features an innovative hold-and-re-spin bonus. Novomatic also featured games from Apex Pro Gaming, the Czech company for which Novomatic has an exclusive distributorship. Hit games include Clover Link and Clover Flash, with a bonus wheel and a unique hold-and-spin bonus played out on a pyramid-shaped grid.
Finally, Novomatic unveiled the latest iteration of its V.I.P. seating, the plush V.I.P.-X Platinum slot chair. Positioned in front of a 55-inch game screen, it is a full-blown recliner. Players can put their feet up and relax with bash buttons at each fingertip in a leather recliner. While featured at the show with the games Golden Link and Golden Charm Lady, the chair can be offered with any Novomatic video slot.
Merkur Gaming
Merkur featured a huge stand—second in size only to Novomatic—with a wide array of game offerings. Featured was Clash Link, which includes a “triple trigger”—three different ways to enact a hold-and-re-spin bonus. In addition to triggering the bonus through six or more coins in the base games, special symbols can launch the bonus, or it can be triggered through a “Jackpot Reel” during free games. Players who wager the “Hot Bet” on this game can trigger unlimited free games in which reels expand from the top of the screen.
Also featured was Link Wave, with a hold-and-re-spin feature, the trigger for which is assisted by a “crystal ball” that adds symbols to complete the six needed to enact the feature. During the feature, an ocean wave randomly will flow across the screen to increase all credit awards.
Merkur’s stand also included representation from Las Vegas-based Gaming Arts, which will be a subsidiary of Merkur when an acquisition deal is closed.
Zitro
Zitro featured its Hit Selection Special Edition game, a 10-game multi-game featuring must-hit-by progressive jackpots. Other highlights included Drum Dynasty, a four-selection multi-game; and Epic Empires, a two-game unit.
Zitro also featured two hit games being launched in Europe, Fu Frogs and Fu Pots. These games, featured on either the Illusion Glare or Allure Glare cabinet, combine a collecting pot-style bonus with a hold-and-re-spin feature. Each of the three pot bonuses—on Fu Frogs, they are different-colored frogs—represents a different special feature: multiplier, double, and extra spins. By combining the three, players can get seven different bonus links.
