The much-anticipated event that made a spectacular return on February 7-9 at ExCeL London reunited 40,000 visitors, representatives and pioneers of the gaming industry. 

The best game distributors, developers, retailers, operators, trade associations, innovators, regulators and strategic organizations all showed a massive interest in taking part in the “most comprehensive and ROI-friendly networking, business and learning experience”.

Raising the Bar for the Gaming Industry in 2023

Once again, the main goal of the event was to raise the bar for the international gaming industry in the new year. Accordingly, the three full days of intense networking and educational workshops were attended by a newly established record number of visitors when compared to the last ICE event organized prior to the start of the pandemic in 2020. Then, 36,000 unique attendees were recorded at the ICE event. In April 2022, the scaled-down version of ICE ushered in 24,000 participants who explored their favorite casino and games and sports betting areas. 

Just like last year, this year’s participants were given premier access to the industry’s latest, mesmerizing technology, and professional insights, along with the latest regulatory news. All this information helped attendees come across brand new ideas, expand their network for the benefit of their business, and reposition their brands in fresher and more seasoned markets over the course of the following months leading to December.

Clarion Gaming’s managing director Stuart Hunter explained that while the data should be checked by independent auditors, they remain confident that the event managed to break through the “40,000 high point” and set a new record in terms of visitors. 

79,000 Return Visits at the ICE London 2023

Hunter added that the number of visitor days, which is a measure of attendees’ return visits, reached 79,000. He called both numbers truly significant figures that showcase the magnitude and high value of the ICE experience as it is perceived by visitors. 

Around half of ICE 2023 attendees operated in both brick-and-mortar and online venues, while 50% were exclusively focused on online operations. Some 20,000 of this year’s attendees showed an interest in the Casino and Games booths, while Sports Betting was the main area of operation for 13,000 visitors. 

The ongoing attention given to the Payments sector was also visible through the 5,000 visitors that explained Payments represented their main point of focus and the primary reason why they attended the event in the first place. 

ICE VOX Was a Sold Out Stand-Out 

ICE VOX, which was held between February 5-8 was a stand-out program that managed to sell all its tickets for the first time in history. The signature content program of the international gaming community delivered exclusive content and an overall ICE experience that was a lot easier to understand and match with visitors’ schedules. 

It ran two different world-leading conferences: the World Regulatory Briefing and the International Casino Conference. It also ran four in-depth masterclasses: iGaming Masterclass, Safer Gambling Masterclass, Modernizing Lotteries Masterclass, and New Markets Masterclass. 

This year, ICE helped raise $63,798 for tackling gambling harm and promoting safer gambling. The money will reach four recipients interested in protecting customers from gambling harm in their countries. 

The gambling regulator in the state, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), announced that the three casinos in Detroit reported a total of $103.5 million in monthly aggregate revenue last month. This result, when compared to the $100.9 million reported for the corresponding period in 2022 marked a slight increase of less than 3%.

Further details released by the MGCB reveal that the revenue from table games and slots last month increased by 4.4% when compared to January 2022. However, a month-over-month comparison to December 2022 showed that table games and slots revenue in January dipped by 4.5%.

Sports Betting Revenue Plummets

A breakdown of the $103.5 million in revenue for January reveals that retail sports betting produced only $111,023, while table games and slots generated $103.4 million in revenue.

The Board revealed that qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) for retail sports betting last month plummeted by 94.3% or $1.8 million below the January 2022 results. Moreover, a comparison to December 2022 also shows a decrease, with QAGR from retail sports betting reported by the three casinos down by $1.5 million or 93.2%.

The total sports betting handle in January was $15.3 million, while a breakdown of QAGR per property showed losses for two operators. Motor City Casino was the only casino that reported positive QAGR from sports betting last month, hitting $236,503. On the other hand, both Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MGM reported losses from this segment of $62,755 and $62,725 respectively.

Gaming Revenue Increases

Despite the dip in the sports betting segment, the three casinos in Detroit posted an increase in their January gaming revenue. Hollywood Casino posted an 11.9% increase in its gaming revenue to $22.9 million last month when compared to the same period in 2022. Additionally, MGM reported a 3.2% increase in gaming revenue to $50.2 million last month, while Motor City Casino observed a 1.3% increase in gaming revenue to $30.3 million when compared to January 2022.

Keeping in mind the gaming revenue results, the trio paid a total of $8.4 million in taxes to Michigan. This result was in line with the $8 million paid in taxes for the same period the prior year. Revenue market share data released by the MGCB revealed that MGM held 48% of the share in January, while Motor City and Hollywood Casino were responsible for 30% and 22% respectively.

Hipther Agency’s summit which has already recorded seven successful editions in the past years promises to once again introduce a series of mesmerizing networking sessions to attendees in 2023. 

The Prague Gaming TECH Summit to Take Place in March

The event that will be organized on March 29 and March 30 at the Vienna House Andel’s Prague will consist of “unique interactions” with premier experts from companies with a universally recognized reputation. 

The upcoming summit will feature forward-thinking talks, introduce additional quality compliance reports, and share the freshest market information from countries like Czechia, Poland, Romania, Denmark, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the US, Sweden, and Finland, to name a few. 

Representatives of fields like eSports, iGaming, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Virtual, and Augmented, or Mixed Reality, and Fintech will all be present.

The event will receive support from reputable sponsors like NSoft, Cloudflare, Nordic Gambling, Vit2Go, Tom Horn Gaming, and GR8 TECH. 

So far, 75% of all available seats at the two-day event organized by the Hipthers team have been successfully booked. 

Double the Sessions, Enhanced Networking Opportunities

According to Hipther Agency’s co-founder and head of business Zoltán Tűndik, the Hipthers team has been busy constantly paying attention to the feedback received from participants while learning and implementing more changes to improve their networking sessions from one year to another. 

Tűndik explained that since this year’s event will allow them to double the number of networking sessions, they are looking forward to spicing things up. For starters, attendees will be given the chance to enter the metaverse using virtual reality goggles and explore the future.

Secondly, the agency that is the parent of a number of important brands including WireUp Zone, European Gaming, Gaming Americas, PICANTE, the WireUp networking and news apps, and eSports Connect, has decided to add a number of fresh networking sessions to this year’s event. The list includes brand new sessions called Welcome Drinks, Networking Run, and Networking Breakfast. 

On March 28, one day prior to the official starting date of the summit, attendees are invited to join the Welcome Drinks on Day 0 networking session. There, they will get the chance to familiarize themselves with the rest of the attendees and catch up with friends from the industry while enjoying complimentary drinks offered by the sponsor of the session. The session will take place at the official hotel’s Bar starting at 6:00 pm.

The Day-Time Networking sessions will be held on March 29 and March 30 and they will allow participants to further engage with industry experts and peers while enjoying the relaxed boutique-style activity along with the networking breaks and complimentary lunch breaks. 

The Morning Networking Run and Networking Breakfast will be held on March 30, the second day of the summit. Attendees will be encouraged to wear their running gear and get ready for a 5 to 7 km (3-4-mile) run on a beautiful route in Prague. The run will be followed by the networking breakfast session and it will precede the Evening Networking sessions that will be held during the night. 

On both the first and the second day of the summit, participants will be given the chance to relax in the evening while attending a series of social gatherings. There, they will be encouraged to engage in more friendly conversations while enjoying dinner and drinks. 

The exact locations that will be hosting the two social gatherings will only be disclosed to registered attendees in order to guarantee everyone will receive VIP treatment.

Novo Interactive has extended its partnership agreement between its AdmiralBet brand and the soccer club Hamburger SV (HSV). As a result, the operator will continue serving as the team’s official partner until June 30, 2024.

The two parties first joined forces in 2019 and have been working together since. Under the newly-extended deal, AdmiralBet’s brand will feature on HSV’s video and LED boards at its home stadium, the Volksparkstadion. In addition, HSV will promote AdmiralBet across its digital channels.

The operator, meanwhile, will leverage its agreement with the team to create exciting betting experiences for its customers. The company will continue hosting the beloved AdmiralBet Challenge and will feature HSV prominently.

In addition, HSV and AdmiralBet have thought of a new interactive tool to engage sports fans. It will be an AdmiralBet numbers game where customers can test their knowledge of Hamburger SV every matchday. The minigame will have a social element attached to it, allowing participants to compete with their friends. It will go live in the second half of the season, according to the announcement.

Both Parties Are Excited to Expand the Agreement

Executives from AdmiralBet and HSV commented on the new agreement. The HSV Fußball’s chief executive officer, Jonas Boldt, said that the agreement between HSV and AdmiralBet has been a very fruitful one so far.

The cooperation between HSV and AdmiralBet is characterized by reliability and mutual trust, which is illustrated by the extension of the partnership to a total of five years.

Jonas Boldt, CEO, HSV Fußball

Boldt added that he is excited to continue working with AdmiralBet and create more creative fan-oriented content.

According to Johannes Haupt, media director at SPORTFIVE, the extension of the agreement with AdmiralBet is a testament to the charisma of the team. He added that the agreement will also provide the operator with great advertising opportunities.

Speaking of the operator, Florian Hermann, Novo Interactive’s director of marketing and operations, also shared his thoughts on the agreement. He said that his team feels honored to continue being a part of HSV’s success story.

The previous cooperation with the traditional club has absolutely fulfilled our expectations. HSV and AdmiralBet share values such as team spirit, the will to win and fair play. The fans and the passion for football are our focus.

Florian Hermann, director of marketing and operations, Novo Interactive

Hermann concluded that the extension of the sponsorship agreement shows how glad AdmiralBet is to work with HSV and how committed to sports Novo Interactive is.

The incidents happened within the first two weeks of legal sports betting in the Bay State, showcasing the significant challenges standing before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. However, they will also be a valuable opportunity to test its compliance procedures. With mobile betting launching in less than a month, the regulator must set the right tone and ensure that all violators receive a strict but fair judgment.

All Three Sportsbooks Allowed Illegal Bets

The first reported violations occurred last week after two of the state’s three regulated operators self-reported breaching the strict rules regarding betting on in-state collegiate sports. Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park Casino reportedly offered wagers on, respectively, the Boston College women’s basketball game and Merrimack College men’s basketball game, prompting an investigation from the Commission.

According to regulations, all betting activity on games involving a Massachusetts-based school is strictly banned unless the game is part of a tournament with at least four teams. This rule appears particularly challenging for operators. According to recent reports, MGM Springfield also allowed wagers on two Harvard men’s basketball games. All the violations so far have been self-reported, which should mollify the regulator.

Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein noted that the operator fully expected similar non-compliance issues. She has already helped schedule adjudicatory hearings regarding the three regulation breaches. The Commission admitted that sportsbooks were still unclear on what wagers were allowed under Massachusetts law, so it planned to post answers to the most frequent questions in an online FAQ document.

The Commission Prefers a Mindful Approach

Massachusetts Gaming Commission representatives stated that the incidents were currently under review and that a verdict would follow soon. Any decision would set a precedent for future such cases, which is why commissioners prefer to take their time in these first few cases.
Commissioner Jordan Maynard noted that the Commission was prepared for such violations and was mindful of the best way to handle them.

I want to set the goalposts with my fellow commissioners early on and then see how it’s working.

Commissioner Jordan Maynard

With online sports betting arriving on March 10, the regulator is currently funneling most of its efforts to ensure a smooth and trouble-free launch. Their real work will begin afterward, as online sportsbooks can be very difficult to track. The Commission’s work with the initial relatively benign violations can be viewed as the first live test of its compliance enforcement strategy.

Super Bowl LVII met the Kansas City Chiefs with the Philadelphia Eagles. As one of the most anticipated American football events, the interest in the Super Bowl and wagering on the competition was immense. Luckily, OpenBet’s leading platform delivered strong performance and brought seamless sports betting experiences for bettors and sports fans alike. During the Super Bowl LVII weekend, OpenBet processed more than 13.6 million bets. The wagers for the game which saw the Kansas City Chiefs win against the Philadelphia Eagles surpassed $295 million.

Offering its services for some of the most popular sportsbooks in the world, OpenBet reported a significant increase of 145% in the total wagers and bets this year, when compared to the Super Bowl in 2022. Moreover, the company reported a peak of 65,000 bets placed per minute, reaffirming the supremacy and scalability of its technology.

“This record-breaking performance was driven by OpenBet’s robust platform capabilities, strong content offering including 800+ markets, as well as the increase in legalized markets in operation enabling players to place bets in a safe environment.“

reads a statement released by OpenBet

The company unveiled additional details regarding its stellar performance during the latest Super Bowl, explaining that the average same-game parlay wager was $20. OpenBet reported that 95% of the Super Bowl bets were placed by bettors within the US. This result comes as no surprise, considering that more states are legalizing the activity and by now, more than 30 states offer some form of legal wagering on sports.

OpenBet explained that 12% of all bets were placed in-game. When compared to the 8% result from 2022, this marked an increase in the popularity of in-play wagering.

According to the company, same-game parlays that are powered by its innovative BetBuilder technology also soared. The company explained BetBuilder accounted for 27% of all placed wagers. The result, OpenBet said, reaffirmed the appeal of this unique product to the US audiences. Betting requests via BetBuilder hit a peak of 70,000 per minute, added the company.

The stellar performance of OpenBet is the result of an increase in the number of legalized markets for players. At the same time, the company acknowledged that it was able to achieve this record-breaking performance thanks to a boost from its leading content offering and strong platform capabilities.

Zeal Ventures, one of the biggest investors in the lottery space, has provided the British studio startup Circl Gaming with an investment. While the size of the investment wasn’t disclosed by the two companies, it marks the start of a friendly partnership between the two parties.

As announced, Zeal Ventures will leverage its market experience to provide its new ally with counsel on all the important aspects of the gaming markets. The investor will tip Circl Gaming on regulatory matters, business strategy, marketing and optimization.

Zeal trusts Circl Gaming’s vision for a social betting experience, as attested by Dirk Reiche, Zeal Ventures’ investment director, who lauded Circl as a true visionary. Reiche noted that the gaming industry is now moving faster than ever and has produced a number of innovators like Circl.

According to the director, it is important to nurture such companies and augment the gaming market. Because of that, he is looking forward to working with Circl and advising the company on how to improve and diversify the gaming and entertainment space.

Circl Is Happy to Have Zeal’s Backing

Circl Gaming’s chief technology officer, Mark Quinn, also commented on the partnership with Zeal Ventures, calling it “a huge step forward” toward his team’s ambition to become an international company.

Quinn emphasized that the founders of Circl are thrilled to join forces with Zeal, a company that has extensive experience in the lottery and gaming sectors. The CTO added that this expertise would be invaluable to his team as Circl continues to roll out new products.

The support they will bring is not just financial, it will help with every pillar of our business.

Mark Quinn, CTO, Circl Gaming

Circl develops socially-charged gaming experiences. According to its description, it offers a live-action sports game, for its customers and their mates. It allows English Premier League aficionados to test their predictive ability while challenging their friends.

Circl players can give predict the outcomes of micro-events during Premier League games. The best Circl players can win exciting cash prizes and prove that they are the most knowledgeable soccer fans to their friends.

At first, Circl was a game meant to be enjoyed by small circles of friends (thus its name). However, now Circl offers exciting multiplayer experiences where people can play against other sports fans in the United Kingdom.