Setting the stage: ICE London 2024: Insights from Ewa Bakun

Mark your calendars! ICE London returns to ExCeL London from February 6-8, 2024, offering a unique three-day experience for networking and education within the gaming sector.

As we countdown to the February 2024 event, we took the opportunity to catch up with Ewa Bakun, Director of Industry Insight and Engagement at Clarion Gaming to explore her thoughts on the upcoming event, and the key focus for the Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ) for 2024.

What is ICE London?

ICE London is the world’s largest gambling exhibition for businesses from around the globe who come in early February to showcase their innovation, products, technologies, solutions, and also to discuss the future of the sector.

What is the CPZ?

CPZ, which stands for the Consumer Protection Zone, is a physical area on the ICE London show floor, fully dedicated to the tools, products, technologies, conversations, and latest research aimed at advancing the industry’s and the operator’s, in particular, approaches to Safer Gambling and Consumer Protection, but really also expanding into the broader topics of sustainability, ESG, DEI, regulation, and just really broadly player sustainability.

How was the CPZ created and why?

So, the first Consumer Protection Zone took place in February 2018. And that was really the result on one side of our conversation with the Gambling Commission, the British gambling regulator, and on the other hand, from our observation of the market and how the trends were evolving, in particular, when it comes to Safer Gambling no longer being just a function of compliance, but really entering the boardroom discussions and really taking this strategic position within the boardrooms of the operators. From there, we felt it was really time to have a place at ICE for those discussions and also for the showcase of this type of solutions, which we saw as really also emerging and being developed.

It took us a few years to move the Consumer Protection Zone into a way more prime position. Basically, this is the first thing that visitors now see as they enter the show, as they enter the halls, and that is also a reflection of how the discussions around Safer Gambling have moved on and have evolved.

Who are the exhibitors?

The exhibitors at the Consumer Protection Zone include, on one side, non-profit charitable organisations, that focus on providing treatment solutions and care to the most vulnerable players. So, these are companies like Gordon Moody, YGAM or GamCare. And then on the other hand, we also have commercial organisations that have been developing products and services designed specifically to help operators improve and excel in how they protect and interact with the players. So, these are companies like SG:certified, National Council of Problem Gambling, or Crucial Compliance or Focal Research. Many of them have been with us since the very beginning of the Consumer Protection Zone in 2018.

What is the key focus for the CPZ in 2024?

The focus for 2024 Consumer Protection Zone is expansion of the discussions into positive play. So, while in 2018 the focus was still way more on responsible gambling and gambling harm, over the years we’ve seen the discussion expanding into the whole of the player journey, to really create and take care of the health of the player journey, from the early beginnings of the engagement with the brand. And I would say this is what I feel the focus will be in 2024.

Definitely, other topics we are seeing as taking more and more of a centre stage are also themes around intervention. So again, maybe a couple of years ago we were talking a lot more about detection and also the help that technology provides when it comes to detecting risks. Definitely, there’s a lot more focus now on intervention, and once a risk is detected, what should the operators do with that information? And most importantly, what are the effective tools and approaches for intervention?

The topic that I am particularly excited about this year is that continued expansion, yes, positive play, but also sustainability and climate change. So, we’re really taking a very broad view. And indeed SG:certified, for example, are going to do a case study on climate change and the impacts of climate change. So I’m really kind of excited to see the Consumer Protection Zone taking that broader view and expanding beyond just the narrow focus on gambling harm into the player journey and those broader impacts that gambling has on the world.

Watch the video recording with Ewa Bakun here: 

We hope you have gained a deeper understanding of the magnitude of ICE London 2024. Ewa’s passion and dedication shines through, highlighting what makes this event a must-attend for industry enthusiasts and professionals alike! 

SG:certified is excited to showcase at the Consumer Protection Zone 2024 alongside an incredible line up of industry leaders. If you are interested in learning more about what SG:certified are doing in the realm of sustainability, compliance and safer gambling, and what we can do to help your organisation, visit our booth (N1-CP17) at the Consumer Protection Zone. 

Mark your calendars, stay tuned, and get ready to be part of the experience at ICE London 2024 - see you there! For more event updates, information and to secure your spot, visit ICE London 2024 (icegaming.com).