On Gaming America’s first day at ICE London 2022, the editorial team arrived bright and early. As the stands and concourse slowly started to fill with top executives and industry innovators, the team was hard at work interviewing these individuals, finding out the exciting things that the Americas can expect from gaming in the next year.
Indeed, while ICE London had a distinctly European feel this year, with limited attendance in part due to its close proximity to Easter weekend and the Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention, it was still an informative, jam-packed and exciting week. Despite this continental atmosphere, Gaming America remained on the hunt for products and companies that had their sights set on the Americas. Through the packed halls we traveled with our camera equipment, speaking to the biggest names at the biggest companies; in search of the most iconic games and products soon to hit the shores of the New World.
One common theme we found throughout the show – a thread that connected every supplier, operator and regulator – was the uncontainable excitement regarding the new opportunities that America presents to the gaming industry. “The United States and Canada are two of the main markets we are targeting right now. It is a separate string for us to make sure we reach player requirements in the best possible way,” said Jacob Lopez, Managing Director of Managed Platform services at Sportradar. This reflects a general theme we found across ICE: while many companies are already operable throughout the region, it is its potential growth that excites the most. “I have seen the American market evolve in the last few years and I know it will continue to evolve,” added Erik Nyman, EveryMatrix’s President for the Americas.
Two key product types featured heavily throughout the show: sports betting and iGaming. On the latter, Galaxy Gaming CEO Todd Cravens noted: “The US market is big for us. We have a number of new iGaming products launching in the US this year, including baccarat style games, roulette products and poker offerings.” While excitement around iGaming in the US was palpable, many agreed that it may be some time before the entire nation embraces this highly profitable form of gaming.
These conversations and interviews were undoubtedly the highlight of our week at the ExCeL, as we saw new and familiar faces come together after so long. Despite the smaller scale this year, together really was better. If you would like to check out these interviews in full, simply go to our LinkedIn page.
Below you can watch our round-up video:
