Our ICE London 2020 Recap

ICE London 2020 promised to be a showstopping event filled with surprise appearances, exotic experiences and the hottest news in online casino entertainment – and from all accounts it delivered.

Whether you were interested in meeting celebrity sports stars, getting behind the wheel of a high-octane sportscar, needed a fix of hot eSports action or just wanted to see some young people have their lives changed for the better ICE London was the place to be.

Here are just some the hot takes from this year’s event:

 eSports: Gaining iGaming Ground

ICE London 2020 was hosted the industry-first eSports Arena where eight of the best international Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams battled it out over three days for a prize purse worth $250,000!

When the digital dust settled the iGaming industry had a new respect for the intensity and potential of eSports while the winning team, mousesports (mouz), currently the 2nd ranked team globally, walked off with the first prize of $125,000.

The tournament was a smashing success and could definitely set the tone for future iGaming and eSports crossover events.

 Usain Bolt In The House

Fans of the world record holder, Usain Bolt, were treated to an appearance of the sports icon at ICE London this year.

Speaking of meeting his fans Bolt said:

“For me, it’s just being a part of this. I'm excited to actually be here and learn more about ICE itself. I’m going to take some pictures, sign some shoes, just hang out and meet some fans – I’m excited just to learn.”

The humble former athlete spent time meeting fans and showcasing his partnership with Ganapati who will be creating a slot machine based on the sports star.

 Netent Brought All The Partnerships To The Yard

ICE London saw Netent announce a number of branded slot deals which will appeal to everyone from old school gamers to cooking show fundi’s. Their upcoming suite of branded casino games will include a Street Fighter 2 video slot and a Hell’s Kitchen themed-slot featuring the foul-tempered Gordon Ramsey.

They also announced an agreement with the FashionTV Gaming Group, who run the FashionTV brand in iGaming. The agreement will see Netent creating an enticing new slot around the leading fashion and style channel’s hit song ‘I Want to be a Trillionaire’, which features the FTV star Anja J.

 Microgaming:  A Game of Thrones and Mau5

There was no chance the industry powerhouse Microgaming was not going to have something special up their sleeve for the event – in fact, they had two special things to announce. 2020 will see a new fantasy-themed slot release under the Game of Thrones banner as well as the launch of an exciting partnership with the international electronic music artist, deadmau5! Microgaming CEO, Jean-Luc Ferriere promised that both titles would be shining examples of the studio’s commitment to diversification and innovation in game development.

 Evolution Gaming, Better By The Dozen

Evolution Gaming held nothing back at ICE London 2020 announcing no less than 12 hot new Live Dealer titles. Evolution Gaming Chief Product Officer Todd Haushalter said:

“All of our new games are built on three pillars: firstly, a sharp focus on evolving core games such as Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat so that they have appeal to the next generation of players”

Some of the games that will be filling out their game suite include Craps, Crazy Time, Mega Ball, Power Blackjack, Speed Blackjack among others.

 It Warms The Heart

While the ICE London event is about showcasing the best and brightest the online casino industry has to offer it also has a softer more human side. This year two young children and their families received an unexpected gift – a motorised wheelchair.

Many families cannot afford the technology that is available to give their ailing children the best quality of life, thanks to donations by Clarion Gaming in partnership with CHIPS, 13-year old Charlie Webster and 8-year old Skye-Louise Wright each received a customised powered wheelchair built specifically to their individual needs.

To date, CHIPS has touched the lives of 590 families through donating customised wheelchairs to families in need.