BETTER CHANGE
Better Change on ICE London
As ICE bids farewell to London, Better Change founder, Victoria Reed, reflects on what the world’s largest gambling exhibition means to the sector.
T 32 MARCH 2024
his is – of course – not really ‘goodbye’, and many will be excited about the prospect of the show being held in the spectacular city of Barcelona, but for me (and I am sure many others) there is a certain element of loss that the annual pilgrimage
to the ExCeL London is no more. This month I’d like to take a look back at ICE London and
what the show has meant for those working in the safer gambling space. Rob Mabbett, Better Change’s engagement director, recalls
his first experience of ICE London back in 2017 where he was representing Betfred and tasked with writing a blog on the event for the Racing Post: “The first thing that hits you about the event is the sheer scale of it! The show takes up the entirety of the ExCeL and of the hundreds of exhibitors there are a good proportion of them that have stands bigger than any of the betting shops that I used to run! It was a real eye-opener to look beyond the four walls of the shops and see the enormity of the industry in which I worked. A spectacular symphony of sights and sounds played out before me and it was intoxicating, people from all over the world came together to showcase their
latest creations but also to gather their collective minds to address the hot topics of the world of gambling. I knew almost immediately that I was very ‘at home’ here.” The following year saw the inaugural Consumer Protection
Zone at ICE, where designated floorspace paid for by donations from the industry was given over to safer gambling organisations and charities which provided research education and treatment of gambling harm. This was a huge step forward for the sector, especially for a show that had come in for its fair share of criticism around how it portrayed the world of gambling, particularly with its levels of excess in terms of partying and the flagrant use of scantily clad models. It was commitment that showed the industry was serious about protecting its players and that safer gambling was a key part of running a sustainable business. Mabbett continues: “During my first visit to ICE I had a
chance meeting with the team at Gordon Moody who ran residential care for people suffering from gambling addiction. It was the year before the first CPZ so their CEO had taken to walking around the exhibition wearing Mickey Mouse ears to attract attention. It worked I guess as I noticed them and spoke to her but the introduction of a designated CPZ was a welcome and more dignified addition to the event. In 2018 I attended my second ICE with a goal of furthering my career and I was looking for new opportunities especially around player protection. Even though it was only a few short years ago, safer gambling roles within gambling operators were still quite new and they were few and far between. The role still sat very firmly within the remit of compliance, so I took the opportunity to visit the CPZ and find out more about the organisations that had safer gambling as their core business. To be able to speak with organisations such as YGAM, Gamcare and Gordon Moody at this event was incredibly valuable and led to my joining the latter later that year. As well as an important event to do business at, ICE has always been a huge influence on my career and personal development; it is so much more than just a trade show”. The influence of the CPZ has been huge, it has led the way in promoting safer gambling and many other events have now
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