World experts and thought leaders to converge on ICE for social gaming debate

LONDON -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- ICE Totally Gaming (5th/6th/7th February, ExCeL London) will be a mecca for international attendees wanting the latest insight on social gaming. As well as being able to meet with leading exhibitors in the field on the ICE show floor, visitors will also be able to benefit from the influential ICE Conferences program, which will provide contemporary updates on social gaming provided by many of the world experts in the sector. The conference program will explore the phenomenon from the full range of gaming perspectives and involve over 20 social game developers and thought leaders including representatives from William Hill, Ladbrokes, Praesepe plc, GamCare, PKR, Dragonplay, Buffalo Studios, RocketPlay, Diwip Games, Akamon Entertainment, Clickfun Casino, Plumbee, Blitzoo Games, Goplay, Playsino, King.com, Slingo and Yazino.

The Monetizing Social Gaming conference, which takes place on Wednesday 6th February, provides an in-depth analysis of the convergence of casual gaming and social gambling. The day features panels of thought leaders including Ben Dale, International Development Director, Ladbrokes; Neale Deeley, Business Development Director, William Hill; Hussein Chahine, CEO, Yazino; Dan Wiegenfeld, CEO, Diwip Games; Salim Mitha, Vice-President, Buffalo Studios; and Matthew Cullen, GM Business Development & Strategy, RocketPlay. The conference will go to the heart of the relationship, debating whether social gaming represents a threat or an opportunity for the gambling sector. On a practical level, it will tackle key issues such as how to convert players from social to real-money gaming and explore how jurisdictions are approaching regulation in the social gaming space. The International Casino Conference (4th February) and Integrating Land-based & Online Gaming (6th February) both include two sessions on social gaming, providing attendees with more than 10 hours of informed social gaming debate and insight.

Ewa Bakun, Head of Content, Gaming, at Clarion Events Ltd, said: ”The evolving convergence of casual gaming and social gambling, and its ultimate effect on the wider world of gambling, is currently leaving us with more questions than answers. The iGaming industry has more to gain by embracing these changes, and the aim of the ICE Conferences program is to help the industry avoid the mistakes made by other sectors, such as music and publishing, which resisted the drive of innovation until it was almost too late. To this end we are dedicating over 10 hours of discussion, debate and insight to topics including regulation, convergence, business partnerships and the potential threat of player cannibalization.”