ICE London has once again broken new ground by appointing its first ever charity partner.  The Young Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), an independent registered charity whose stated aims are to inform, educate and safeguard young people against problematic gambling, has accepted the invitation extended by the world’s largest gaming technology event which takes place across 6 – 8 February, ExCeL London, UK.

Lee Willows, Founder and Chief Executive of YGAM said: “We are honoured and incredibly proud to be given the accolade of being the first Charitable Partner of ICE London.  Clarion Gaming has been a warm supporter of YGAM since our inception three years ago and we have worked together on a number of events including the World Regulatory Briefing (WrB) seminars.  These opportunities have afforded a platform to showcase our journey as a start-up and share the social impact YGAM delivers."  

He continued "At ICE 2018, we are excited about the future and keen to engage with operators who share our values and who want to support all we do across the industry, this includes the roll-out of our nationally recognised qualifications to the industry around safeguarding customers and colleagues, customer service and identifying problem gamblers.  Additionally, with our partners, we are keen to have conversations around developing new apprenticeships standards and we’ll be sharing our insights of delivering education around harm-minimisation over the past three years.  The two key ingredients in our journey thus far have been a relentless focus on the work that we do and delivering it to the highest standards as a Charity bringing social change through positive and meaningful relationships. Working with organisations like Clarion Gaming, YGAM has been afforded a platform to develop authentic, meaningful and impactful relationships with many of the leading stakeholders from within the regulated gambling industry and we look forward to continuing that at ICE London.”

Kate Chambers, Managing Director, Clarion Gaming, said: “I am delighted to welcome YGAM as the first charity partner of ICE London.  Our role as the leading event organiser active in the gambling industry is to deliver opportunities to all of our stakeholders, whether they are commercial, networking, thought leadership or educational opportunities.  Wherever Clarion Gaming operates in the world of regulated gambling, social responsibility is invariably at the very top of the agenda.  Although we are not part of the operating community, we also have a responsibility to serve as a forum for discussion, understanding and knowledge exchange.  Lee and the team at YGAM are a central part of that process.”

In a separate development, Clarion Gaming will be promoting the social responsibility message courtesy of The Consumer Protection Zone, a new feature which is being launched at ICE London 2018.  The Zone will provide a focus for the social responsibility message and feature key organisations that are promoting social responsibility as well as being a platform for presentations.  The Zone is the latest in a series of social responsibility initiatives undertaken by Clarion Gaming and which include the annual World Regulatory Briefing on Responsible Gambling Innovation, also held in London, and the Social Responsibility training streams run by the Clarion-owned Totally Gaming Academy.

ICE London is the world’s biggest gaming technology event.  Featuring world-leading innovators drawn from the casino, betting, bingo, lottery, mobile, online, social, sports betting and street gaming sectors, ICE provides the most comprehensive shop window on world gaming. To register and access the 500+ international exhibitors who will be in attendance at ICE London 2018, visit: www.icetotallygaming.com