Safer gambling organisations GamCare (£20,000), the Responsible Gaming Council (£20,000) and Better Change (£6,000) were the recipients of this year’s charity fund donated by supporters of the ICE Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ). The fund was made-up of £6,000 donations from bet365, Kindred, Entain, Videoslots, Sky Betting and Gaming and IMG Arena enhanced by a £10,000 contribution from Ambassadeurs Group. The sum takes the total raised for gambling industry charities over the last three editions of ICE London to £146,000.

Ewa Bakun, Clarion Gaming’s Director of Industry Insight and Engagement has seen the Consumer Protection Zone grow in both presence and prestige. She stated: “The CPZ was the brain child of the Gambling Commission’s Tim Miller and was introduced to the ICE London show floor in 2018 when we had eight exhibitors comprising a mix of technology providers and charities. I’m delighted to say that at ICE London 2022 we had 14 exhibitors populated by the charities, treatment facilities and not for profit organisations that we gift the space to alongside commercial organisations, providers of Responsible Gambling tools, solutions and technology.”

She continued: “This year’s Consumer Protection Zone had a new high profile position close to the main boulevard at ExCeL London which made it easier to locate and had a beneficial impact on traffic to the feature. All of the exhibitors mentioned the benefits of the new position and I believe that over the four editions of ICE which represents a relatively short time frame, the CPZ has become a focal point of the ICE London experience and a key component of the exhibition.”

The Consumer Protection Zone wasn’t the only opportunity for visitors to ICE London to talk and learn about safer gambling. The ICE VOX conference programme featured a Responsible Gambling Masterclass, which examined RG from the perspectives of operators, regulators and suppliers. This was in addition to streams on ESG, sustainability and perceptions of the gambling industry.

Ewa Bakun concluded: “Historically ICE London’s reputation revolved around the show’s status as the event where innovators launched their latest products and the opportunity it afforded to network and meet with colleagues from throughout the world. Whilst all of that remains true I also believe that ICE is now regarded as a trailblazer for developments and advances in safer gambling with that focus being the CPZ.”

The ICE London 2022 Consumer Protection Zone hosted leading charities Gordon Moody, GamCare, YGAM, Responsible Gambling Council and Gamstop together with suppliers including Future Anthem, Gamblewise, Mindway AI, Casino Guru, TruNarrative, BeBettor, W2 and Crucial Compliance.