Where to talk blockchain-powered compliance, cashless casino & gaming at ICE 2023!

Next week, the gambling industry—and all the B2B solutions that surround it—will descend upon the London ExCeL for Clarion’s ICE 2023, one of the most anticipated events of the year in this space.

I’ve personally been attending ICE since 2006 and have a very special place in my heart for this event and how far it’s come over the past 20-odd years.

One of the ways the event has grown and matured is with its focus on consumer protection. The first Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ) was launched at ICE in 2018 with eight exhibitors, an initiative that has blossomed into the 20 exhibitors we will be seeing this year in one of the most high-trafficked areas of the expo floor.

“ICE was the first industry event to embrace safer gambling with a dedicated feature: it’s led the way and is the benchmark for other events,” Alex Pratt, Managing Director of Clarion, shared with me.

This year the CPZ will feature providers of responsible gambling tools, solutions, and technology alongside charities, treatment facilities, non-profit organizations, and the U.K. Gambling Commission itself.

The headline sponsors of the 2023 CPZ are W2 and Crucial Compliance, powered by nChain. W2, a provider of regulatory compliance to the gambling industry, and player protection specialists, Crucial Compliance, have partnered with nChain to bring the best blockchain-powered compliance solutions to gambling operators.

Representatives from all three organizations will be at the CPZ, ready to talk with professionals about how advanced tech will alleviate today’s and tomorrow’s regulatory challenges.

“At nChain, we are looking to identify potential partners and operators that can work with us to deliver groundbreaking solutions to protect players. These include B2C operators, platform providers, and third-party providers that interact and profile the customer journey,” Nick Hill, Director of Sales for nChain, revealed.

“W2 is here with three goals in mind: speaking with operators who are looking to maximize their financial risk, identity verification, and anti-money laundering processes through utilizing market-leading orchestration technology, identifying new supply partners who want to be part of our orchestration ecosystem and also finding organizations who can help us expand our growing footprint in the USA,” added Warren Russell, Founder & CEO at W2.

Paul Foster, CEO of Crucial Compliance, is interested in meeting anyone with a passion or a stakeholder in player protection and would also like to meet technology partners who want to understand blockchain-powered player protection.

“The CPZ is an industry-leading idea where all of a client’s compliance needs can be found. It allows us to discuss player protection as an industry and not be hidden away in a room,” Foster said.

“We are excited to sponsor the CPZ because this demonstrates how the industry is finally taking player protection and safer gambling seriously. It also gives us and our partners a platform to educate, explain and promote the progressive technologies available, especially DLT and blockchain,” added Hill.

Education is the name of the game when it comes to these progressive solutions that are available for operators TODAY, with blockchain tech running in the background. Hubs like CPZ are key for building awareness around the super-powered W2 and Crucial Compliance solutions and what they can do for operators and the gambling industry as a whole.

“Every year, the need for player protection grows, and it is now a global Issue. By powering our Crucial Player Protection with W2 data and building it onto blockchain, we already have a global player protection solution,” Foster said.

Another blockchain-powered solution that will be present at ICE 2023 is Bitboss’s Cashless Casino, a partner of nChain and Crucial Compliance, helping casinos go cashless while implementing responsible gaming, thanks to the combined technologies.

“We’re one of the first companies that provide the entire cashless system. By that, I mean hardware for slots, tables, and the cashier. A full admin suite to monitor the system. A wallet that can be white labeled and a patent-protected method for enabling cashless in casinos using blockchain technology,” revealed Matt Dickson, CEO & Co-Founder of BitBoss.

“Our hardware is compatible with almost all the casinos and casino management systems that are widely deployed in the world. We’re actively looking to expand outside the United States by partnering with industry leaders in payments, banking, and industry suppliers,” Dickson added.

For those who want an extra special blockchain and gaming experience during ICE 2023–and an opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of Dickson, Hill, and co—CoinGeek will be hosting an invite-only Bitcade on Wednesday, February 8, from 6-10 p.m., a social bringing together professionals from gaming corporations and an opportunity to play innovative games built on the blockchain.

Guests can expect complimentary pizza, drinks, and a chance to win a grand prize, the perfect “pre-game” for Fire & Ice, later that night! If you are interested in attending, please contact me, and I will get you sorted. I sincerely hope to see you there.

Watch: The Blockchain Beat attends Player Protection Forum