PwC sets the scene by highlighting the market trends that every operator should be reacting to.

When Covid-19 hit the gaming industry, few people knew how long casinos would remain closed. But there were those that saw this closure as an opportunity to take stock, improve and prepare for their next grand reopening. To discuss this in more detail, Simon Thomas, CEO of the Hippodrome Casino will discuss the Hippodrome’s latest renovations and the reasonings behind them. Casino: Lockdown Achievements

Entering new markets is one thing. Being successful is another. We are joined by Parimatch’s Ievgeniia Derbal who give us comparisons between the Ukrainian markets as well as those in Kenya and Ghana.

On October 1st, 2021, Dutch players will be able to enjoy new online offerings made possible by the Dutch Remote Gambling Act and the willingness of operators to provide new products. How this market will evolve around the effects of Covid-19 is a matter of much debate.

Change has come to the German gaming market and it has been monumental. Germany is seeing a new state treaty that has opened and established a legal online gaming market. All the while, M&As are taking place throughout gambling halls that are set to bring about changes of their own.

To discuss this whirlwind of change is Lutz Schenkel, Director of Casino Bad Homburg who will share his thoughts and personal experience within the German market.

For all market leaders, there is an increasing need to resources into remaining compliment while offering responsible gambling practices. In that context, Novo Interactive’s Dr Daniel Henzgen will discuss tricky regulations, the toughest challenges from the black market and how to ensure that operators remain consumer centric.

Casinos are keen to welcome back customers and to make up for lost time during 2020. To increase footfall and attract past customers, attention should be turned to the latest engagement tools that can increase long-term retention. But are new products and engagement tools enough to bounce back? Are there success stories that European casinos can look to, to ensure they avoid mistakes that others may have made? Joining us in this session is Corey Padveen and Jason ‘Wolf’ Rosenberg who will give their perspective on how the European market can learn lessons from North America.

As gambling refrom targets are continusly debated, what are some of the latest implicatiosn for operators and product developes aiming to strengthen player verification and improve data management. Turning to Finland, Veikkaus has proactively preprepared for the revised Finnish Lotteries Act that will make verification checks compulsory at all retail gambling venues by 2023.

In the first part of our deep dive into best practice for Responsible Gambling, Christina Thakor-Rankin sets the scene while highlighting what Operators are, or are not doing, to protect their customers.

In the second part of our deep dive, the focus will be on the often misunderstood issue: women and problem gambling.
By outlining the RG measures available to women, the conversation will then explore the lived experiences of problem gamblers and affected others. This all-women panel will aim to highlight where operators fall short and what they can do better to protect their customers.

Gustaf Hoffstedt has fought for the abolition of the Swedish gambling monopoly and the implementation of a licensing system for more than a decade. While he is pleased with the Swedish reregulation, the acknowledgement of gambling addiction and how it is being addressed poses problems.

The idea of land-based operators successfully scaling to build a profitable omni-channel business model gives rise to scepticism. Often the barriers to entry are considered too high, given the differing technical requirements of online and the expectations of customers. For others, it’s a process of ‘wait and see’: learning from the successes of those that raced ahead.

In this session, Rank Group’s Jonathan Pettemerides provides excellent lessons on how to learn from mistakes of the past and to create a successful omni-channel business.

The process of creating new and exciting gaming experiences is often a long and careful process. Working with what you own and complimenting it with new products is a surefire wire to success. But what are some of the pitfalls that operators, and game developers, need to avoid?
Joining ICE Connect is Dr Daniel Sahl, Director at the Center for Gaming Innovation in Las Vegas.

It is one thing to create an engaging sportsbook, but keeping customers engaged is another. How can this be achieved without repetitively offering ‘free bets’ to keep them hooked?
Myke Foster from Ladbrokes Coral sits down with ICE Connect to explore how breaking the cycle of ‘free bets’ is the key to improving the betting experience by creating offerings outside of betting.

What are some of the land-based lessons after fine-tuning game offerings, machine placements and other ‘small details’ to improve product portfolio?

To adapt to Covid-19 takes a lot of planning: planning that eventually must tie into the long-term strategy of each casino, if it is to maximise its profitability. To discuss this, we are joined by Pascal Camia, COO of Gaming Operations for the Monte Carlo Casino.

Sports betting is increasingly popular across African markets, and the need to drive customer engagement through cohesive casino and sports betting strategies is growing.
In this session, ICE Connect is joined by Solomon Godwin from Pragmatic Play who will share with us his insights into African sports betting markets, and how to overcome industry challenges.

When focusing on operators, there are many areas of integrity that are to be improved, with betting fraud and match fixing as two main concerns.
ICE Connect is joined with Ian Smith from the ESIC who will be sharing his insights into the fairness of esports.

Maximising profits & consumer spending on esports through media rights, franchising, fan payment models, advertising, and sponsorship.

How to capitalise on the growing influence of streaming through affiliate marketing and branding.

With the rise of esports, oddsmakers and data analysis methods that can smoothly cover esports matches are becoming increasingly vital. But technical hurdles often reduce the rate of esports expansion or integrity.
In this presentation, Martin Dachselt will discuss technical challenges that affect esports compared to traditional matches, how this impacts accurate data modelling and how to ensure smooth esports coverage.