p p q

vvFloor plan vvList of exhibitors vvQ&A with show director

Eight-page guide to the world’sleading showcase for gamingtechnology and product innovation

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

2 Wednesday, January 19, 2011 racingpost.com/mobile

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ABB members are entitled to free expert advice on dealing with the Gambling Commission and Local Authorities, and a discounted purchase scheme for

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www.abb.uk.com

Racing Post Wednesday, January 19, 2011 3FLOOR PLAN AND LIST OF EXHIBITORS, PAGES 4-5ICE

Jim Creminpreviews thisyear’s show, which promises to bebetter than ever

I F YOU haven’t planned to attendthe International CasinoExhibition (ICE) this year, stop,think . . . and go. We’re all busy,it’s harder than ever to find the

spare time, but I can commend ICETotally Gaming to any bettingindustry professional. It’s three daysof hard-nosed business mixed withfun networking and inspiringinnovation.

Last year, the Betting Show wasshoehorned into ICE and, learningfrom the experience, more effort isbeing made to make bookmakers feelat home this time. For instance, theRacing Post is taking a much greaterrole, with a bigger stand: the RacingPost Betting Cafe.

If you were going anyway, or youare now thinking about coming, whatyou must do is plan your visit bytaking a look at the show website aticetotallygaming.com.

Let’s get one thing straight, it’s notlike the homely BOS trade fair atWolverhampton racecourse. ICE isdifferent. It’s simply the biggest showI’ve ever seen, with a range of eventsand activities over the three daysthat are worth mulling over inadvance, such as the variousseminars.

Plenty of industry big beasts arelooking forward to welcomingvisitors. For example, the Global Drawhas become the first stop forbookmakers.

SIS is back with a vengeance and,

It’s simply the biggestshow I’ve ever seen, somake sure you come alongeven if many bookmakers look fortheir stand from the point of view ofmaking a critical point on serviceissues, it will be fascinating to seethe company’s plans for the yearahead.

Phil Siers, managing director LBODivision SIS, says: “ICE provides avaluable opportunity to launch anddemonstrate new products such asour football data services, which areaimed at helping licensed bettingshops and online bookmakers createevents, inform their customers andgenerate new business.

“Any major event that brings theindustry together in a single placehelps us to take the markettemperature. The feedbackwe receive enables us to maintaindelivery of products and services thatmeet the customers’ needs.”

Helen Scott, SIS’s customerrelations manager, will be workinghard for all three days on the stand.She says: “We have a high profile thisyear and I hope our stand will be agreat success.

“I am most looking forward tomeeting up with customers and

industry colleagues, and hope therange of exciting new products wewill be demonstrating and launchingwill be well received. It’s refreshing tohave new technology and services tooffer.”

The recently announced £208million buyout at OpenBet willprovoke plenty of interest.Strategically it seems to have come ata good time for the operationformerly known as Orbis until itmerged with Alphameric’s old shoptechnology side. That they have AlexHammond on their stand on theopening day must be helpful – she is agenuinely nice person who ispassionate about racing.

And it will be worth visiting theInspired stand, too, as the UK gamingmachine market seems to bedeveloping into a straightheavyweight fight between them andthe Global Draw. Inspired, led bychairman Jim O’Halleran, seem to beon the front foot, bubbling with ideas.

And what will I be looking out for?Of course, one fascinating element ofICE is wander around and beprepared to be surprised.

But I am going to take closerinterest this year in mobile phonetechnology. I know we’ve heard it allbefore, but what is different now isthe wider use of smartphonesand the development of cleveriPhone and Android apps.

Younger mobile users tell me theRacing Post mobile applications areslick and dynamic, have easynavigation, make horseracing easilyaccessible, from latest news to cardsand results, and make it simpler tostrike a bet (that’s with William Hillon ours).

There has been impressive feedbackand I’ll be keen to hear other reaction,but also to see what else is around.

A NOTHER element thatintrigues me is playertracking. The Global Draw,one year down the linewith its joint venture with

Playtech’s Videobet, which had playertracking originally, may now be in aposition to deliver on this.

All Phil Horne, the Global Draw’sMD, says now is that he welcomes the“increased yield management tools,

promotional functionality and accessto Videobet games library that theycan offer”.

But my local Ladbrokes has beenhaving a Odds-on card trial aroundthe existing gaming machines and,with the Global Draw now rolling outtheirs across the Ladbrokes estate, ithas to be short odds that by thesummer the reward card and playertracking could be operatingthroughout Ladbrokes’ machinesestate.

This goes to the core of the originalidea behind the card and the Harrah’sTotal Rewards card that I sawoperating successfully in the LasVegas casinos a good few yearsago.

Will incentives and player trackingenable Ladbrokes to persuade coremachines players to switch shops? Itlooks seductive to me and I will beinterested to see what othercompanies and operators think, andany plans for resistance.

Make no mistake, it’s a crucialbattleground where Ladbrokes havemade a huge investment via the card.So far, all we have heard about is thecosts of this. Could the benefits finallystart to emerge this year, and at whatcost to rivals?

There will be lots of other newgames and machines ideas – I lovethem, especially those new explodingreels that are gradually appearing.

Horne says the Global Draw islaunching ‘Newar’ roulette, which hasupgraded presentation and anadditional 3-1 double aroundodds/evens and red/black, with aconsolation if zero comes up. As ever,it’s operating to an unusually lowmargin, which is why these gamesand machines have been sosuccessful.

4 Wednesday, January 19, 2011 racingpost.com/mobile

ICE

Finding your way around

Racing Post Wednesday, January 19, 2011 5SHOW DIRECTOR KATE CHAMBERS, PAGE 7ICE

company stand/box number

2db Ltd 4240

3M Touch Systems UK Ltd 3570

A Bet A Technology 5760

Advantech-Innocore 3332

AEE Technology Co Ltd 6000

AKK 6000

Alberici Spa 6120

Amatic Industries GmbH 3060

Astrosystems Ltd 4372

Barcrest Group 4110

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP 5860

Betadvanced.com 5121

Betgenius Ltd 5115

BETLIVE888 4544

Betologic 6322

Betradar.com 5170

Betsoft Gaming Ltd 4040

Betsson Business Solutions 5120

BetStone Ltd 4384

Betting Business 6132

Betting Jobs.com 5143

Betware Sp. z.o.o. 5122a

BMM Compliance 4090

Business In Sport and Leisure (BISL)4438

Buzz Sports 4220

Callcredit 4773

CardLogix Corporation 3524

Casino & Gaming International 6232

Casino and Gaming Industry EOOD3274

Casino City Press 6007

Casinos Austria Management GmbH3460

CBCX Betting Systems 4207

Cermel Group 3620

Cherry Labs 4205

Chetcuti Cauchi Advisors Ltd 5174

CNWL National Problem Gambling Clinic3494

Comesterogroup Srl 4100

Computrad (Europe Ltd) 5210

ComTrade d.o.o 5380

Credorax (Malta) Ltd 4552

CSB Group 5680

Data Modul Ltd 4031

Dennis Publishing Ltd 5884

Densitron Displays 4342

Digient 6065

Dragonfish 5250

EGaming Review 5580

Elavon Financial Services Limited4340

Elit Company Ltd 4548

Elite Video Systems Ltd 4772

Elo TouchSystems 4252

EMD 4114

Enetpulse 5106

Entraction 5445

Espresso Games Ltd 5220

Euroengeneering d.o.o 4165

Everymatrix 5142

Evona Electronic spol. s..r.o 4210

Experian QAS 4323

Expo 24 Romania/Entertainment Arena Expo 4294

Eyeconomy Ltd 5119

Ez-Mix 4564

Facto Edizioni Srl 4531

Fenlex Corporate Services Ltd 5880

Fournier Playing Cards 3250

Francis Taylor Building 4560

FutureLogic Europe Ltd 4160

Gambling Commission 6111

Gambling Insider 6235

Gamcare 4530

Gaming Intelligence 6154

GBI Racing 4545

Genera Networks AB 6130

Gioco News 6112

Global Betting Exchange 6118

Global Gaming Business 3482

Global Payment Technologies (Europe) Ltd4344

GTECH G2 5260

Hot Games 4554

ICS Europe 3625

Iforium Ltd 5123

iGaming Affiliation Magazine 4555

IGaming Business 5190

Industrias Lorenzo S.A 4255

Innovative Technology Ltd 4260

Inspired Gaming Group 4075

Intelligent Deposit Systems 3252

Intergame/Intergaming 3574

Interplay 6248

Intralot Interactive S.A. 5540a

ISA – Casinos.de 3401

Isle of Man Government 5530

iSolutions s.r.l. 5220

iTec Hardware Gmbh 6210

IVG 4111

Jamma Srl 4341

Joc Privat Magazine 6009

Journal des Casinos 4443

Kambi Sports Solutions 4132

Kiosk Europe 4345

LTM Network 6156

LVS 5241

Magtek Europe Ltd 4376

MaxBet 3564

Mechatronics Co Ltd 6312

Media Systems Ltd 5161

MEI UK International Ltd 4060

Meridian – The Sports Bookmaker &Casinos 4240

Merkur Gaming GmbH 4070

Mirada Plc 5970

MONETA.RU Ltd 6125

Money Controls Ltd 4050

MRG Systems Limited 4142

National Gaming Academy 3382

Network Media Services Ltd 4774

New Deal Entertainment N.V. 6244

NMi 3254

Novamatic 3035

Nyx Interactive AB 5430

Omega Gaming 6233

Openbet Ltd 5165

Optimal Payments 5154

Pariaz Ltd UK 4334

Parspro Ltd 5290

Paula Ltd 6212

Paysafecard 4113

Pentasia iGaming Recruitment 5184

Playtech Software Ltd 5357

Plus Five Gaming 5870

PokerTek Inc. 3384

Portomaso Gaming 5770

Press Association Sport 5215

Quinel Italia 6110

Quova BV 4543

R & D S.r.l 5387

Racing Post 4130

Responsible Play (Inc. Gambling Therapy)3493

Retail Mate 6131

RunningBall AG 5240

Safecharge International Ltd 5575

SAGSE 4436

Satellite Information Services 6224

Scandic Bookmakers Betting Software5118

SECARTYS 4437

Seven Sport Media 6211

Smartbetting (Czech Rep) 4242

SoftWeave Ltd 5173

Sports Alive 6141

Sports Betting Tech 5182

Spotoption Ltd 4112

Stream2play 5588

Studio 7 Productions Ltd 5682

StylGame S.R.L 3270

Subsino Game Technology Co. Ltd4105

Sunplus Corp 6250

Suzo Happ 4150

System Gaming 4370

TAB Austria Industrie-undUnterhaltungselektronik GmbH & CoKG

4230

The Global Draw 4145

Totepool 6113

TZ Limited 3550

Uniforms by John Marks 3640

Vasco Data Security 5375

Wee Chin Electric Machinery Inc.6214

wh Munzprufer Berlin GmbH 4324

Wigamin 6314

Winsonic 3380

World Trade Spa 3380

X2 Computing Ltd 4451

XproGaming 5440

Yoyousoft 6005

Zuum d.o.o. 3381

A full list of whois exhibiting atICE and where

THE Racing Post Betting Cafe willhost the launch of the Post’s nextgeneration Touch Bet digitaltouchscreens which will providepunters with the very bestbet-prompting information and liveresearch facility. New developmentsinclude richer content, new graphicalfeatures, a new wide-screen layout aswell as additional sports content.

Kevan Moretti, head of B2B servicesat the Racing Post, says: “Our aim isto provide the shop audience with thesame ‘live’ Racing Post editorial, statsand tipping information which onlinepunters have access to.”

Looking ahead to ICE, Moretti adds:“As the Racing Post team, we aregenuinely delighted to be taking sucha high-profile presence at thisimportant annual event for thebetting industry.

“This is a large and well-attendedshow at which both the domestic andoverseas operators can take a look atall of the trends and technologiesimpacting their particular business.

“We are excited about this year’s

show and extend an open invitationto all our friends in the bettingcommunity to drop in to the RacingPost Betting Cafe to have a coffee anda chat.

“We will also be offering theopportunity for our visitors torecharge their batteries; even toaccess their emails using our freeWi-Fi facility. We look forward toseeing as many of you as possible atthe Racing Post Betting Cafe at stand4130, which we hope will become thehub of the show.”

Channel 4 Racing pundit JohnMcCririck will be taking a look at thestand on the final day.

Kate Chambers, the show’s director,has welcomed the central role beingplayed by the Racing Post.

She says: “I’m pleased that aninstitution that’s synonymous withbetting and bookmaking will betaking such an important role at show.The Racing Post Cafe is certain to be afocal point, providing a warm andfriendly welcome to bookmakerseverywhere.”

Racing Post will showcasenew digital touchscreens

at our prestigious cafe at

To see our latest touchscreentechnology for the retail

bookmaking estate. In additionwe are also showcasing our latest

product developments acrossprint, mobile and online platforms

6 Wednesday, January 19, 2011 racingpost.com/mobile

Racing Post Wednesday, January 19, 2011 7NEWSICE

Murphy insists sports spreadbetting hasn’t reached its peak

Most comprehensive display of gamingproducts ever housed under one roof

IF YOU ask Sporting Index chiefexecutive Warren Murphy whether thesports spread betting market hasreached its peak, be prepared for amoment’s silent reflection.

He has heard the question before,many times, but replies with thepatience of a man for whom theanswer comes easily.

“It frustrates me when people saywe are the poor relation of the bettingmarket,” he says. “It’s not true. Andit’s also wrong to say spread bettinghas peaked.

“As far as Sporting Index isconcerned, we’re heading for a recordyear in profitability – 50 per cent upon last year – as well as recruitmentand level of activity.

“What’s happened is that themarket has changed and becomemore mature since the early 1990s,when spread betting was introducedand the City was flying.

“Back then there was strongcompetition, but City Index went,Cantor Index disappeared, and IG’sExtrabet is up for sale, which createsthe impression that sports spreadbetting is not doing well.

“That’s not the case for us, butperhaps being so dominant is notideal, since we haven’t knocked outthe general perception.

“People don’t see our figures,because we’re a private company, and

one-dayers in Australia to come,punters had money in their pockets.It’s a huge benefit to spread bettors ifthey get a good win, even if it’spainful for us in the short term.

“I still think the Ashes prices wereright, and our cricket trader is still inthe job, because he’s the best in thebusiness.

“We back our traders, and I have asaying, ‘Keep the accountants awayfrom the trading floor’. Bookmakersnowadays don’t want to lose money,which means they are losing theirtraditional skills and some of theirheart.”

Trading on their traders through anew B2B division, Sporting Solutions,has become a feature of the SportingIndex business, since the managementeffected a buyout, supported byprivate equity investor HgCapital, for£75.8 million in late 2005, and islikely to be further strengthenedunder incoming chairman, financialservices specialist Mark Redwood.

Sporting Solutions takes the parentcompany’s in-play expertise to supplya data service to the wider, fixed-oddsbetting industry. Introduced in late2007, its clients include William Hill,the Tote, PartyGaming and SkyBet.

Murphy explains: “SportingSolutions supplies a 100 percent price, to which the bookmakeradds his margin and manages

we’ve been focused on the business,building up our product, the web andmobile services, and looking after ourcustomers.”

Spread betting remains a high-end,sophisticated product, Murphy says,but its attraction has benefited fromthe arrival of betting exchanges,which have educated more punters tothe back-and-lay principle.

“The outcome is that the number ofpeople who spread bet has gone up,”he says, “and the misconception aboutthe product having peaked can bemeasured by the breadth of marketsthat we cover.

“For instance, we’d have 150markets for one football match, andEuropean basketball is a sport onwhich we wouldn’t have offered pricesfive years ago.”

The success of Sporting Index restswith its trading team, Murphy says,resolutely defending his cricketexperts after they, as well as theAustralians, felt the full force ofEngland’s Ashes-winningperformance.

“That’s a sore point,” he admits.“No-one likes losing money, but that’sthe nature of the business. Everythingcan be judged in hindsight, but at thestart of the series, who would havesaid England would have won withthree victories by an innings?

“At least it meant that with the

his liability accordingly.“There’s an impression that

two-way pricing began with Betfair,but we’ve been doing it since 1992.

“When the Betfair system wentdown last year, many trading floorscouldn’t price up. Yet we carried on,because that’s our core tradition.

“We have around 50 traders, whowork in teams according to the sport,and each trader is responsible for bothodds compilation and liabilitymanagement, in order to keep up tothe minute or second on any match orevent.

“In-play betting requiressophisticated models, which for sportssuch as cricket and the NFL take yearsto get right. I see firms using modelstoday that Sporting Index were usingten years ago.

“Because we have thesesophisticated models and informedtraders, who are often workingunsocial hours that other providerscannot match, we believe we can offerbookmakers better pricing, as well asour heritage of in-play betting on lotsof markets.

“What’s equally important is thatwe don’t compete with anyone usingSporting Solutions. We use all theinformation for our own business, soif we get it wrong, it affects us just asmuch.”Howard Wright

How are you preparing for ICE andwhat are your expectations for theupcoming show?

Obviously, it’s been an extremely busytime and I speak on behalf of theentire team when I say that we can’twait for the show to open and towelcome the many thousands ofvisitors we anticipate will makethe journey to London’s EarlsCourt.

Of all the 20 or so industries I’vebeen involved in I can honestly saythat the gaming industry is the mostdynamic and the most intoxicating.It’s been a great year of positivechange for ICE and now’s the time tojudge how the various new initiativeswe’ve introduced work.

In terms of my expectations it’simportant to recognise that we are all– and by that I mean exhibitors,visitors, show organisers andthe media – part of a mammothevent.

With 400-plus exhibitors drawnfrom the international betting, bingo,casino, lottery, mobile, online andstreet gaming sectors occupying some20,000 square metres, ICE 2011represents the most comprehensivedisplay of gaming products ever

housed under one roof.On the show floor a record 54

countries – more than double the 26at November’s Global Gaming Expo –are represented by exhibitors, anamazing fact which goes way beyondjust exhibition statistics. In realbusiness terms it means that whateveris taking place anywhere in the worldof gaming has been demonstrated byexhibitors at ICE.

The very clear message is ‘come toICE and see the world of gaming’.Like everyone else, my expectationsfor the show are very high. Do you have some estimatedfigures about the number ofvisitors?

We can only go on the experience ofprevious years. Over the last decadeICE has attracted 180,000 visitorsfrom a total of 180 visitor territories –for context, the United Nationsrecognises 192 member states.Despite the global industry facingits toughest recession for decades,ICE 2010 succeeded in maintainingattendance levels at above90 per cent of the precedingyear’s record-breaking tally of20,707.

Furthermore, the number ofsovereign territories represented in2010 held firm at 123 and exhibitorfeedback confirmed the quality ofbuyers remained constant. Our levelof pre-registration has been verystrong and we have been workinghard to convert these into physicalattendees.

What are the most importantfeatures that visitors will find thisyear at ICE?

We have worked extremely closelywith the industry in its various guisesto deliver an event which is tailoredto the requirements of ourstakeholders – exhibitors, visitors,trade bodies and regulators. ICE 2011is totally different to its predecessors.

Our new identity is much morethan just a logo. It’s a way of thinkingwhich has change, technology andopportunity at its core. We haveinvested heavily in putting together aseven-strong programme of ICEConferences dealing with reallyimportant business issues.

Big changes have taken place sincethe 2010 show with far moreadditional and exciting developmentswhich will improve businessopportunities in the pipeline andimplemented in time for the 2012edition of ICE which we havebeen working on for the last sixmonths. Which trends will visitors be able toobserve this year?

I think one of the really valuablethings about ICE is that trends start atthe show. Every single breakthroughproduct that’s impacted the industryhas been shown at ICE and it’s acertainty that the hit product of 2011will be there also.

A really great thing aboutexhibitions is their ability to revealsomething which fundamentallychanges the way in which a sector

does business. The potential to beamong the first people to unearth agem is what makes exhibitions socompelling. We will have over 100regulators at ICE and perhaps some ofthe most valuable trends will be amove towards greater liberalisation ofgaming laws in different jurisdictions.Whenever there are regulatorychanges they will be reflected atICE.What does the future hold for ICE?

Our approach has always and willalways be to work with the market tobuild and create events that will makea telling contribution to businesses. Tothis end I would like to thank theBetting Association, Association ofBritish Bookmakers, Irish BookmakersAssociation, Independent Bookmakers’Association, and, of course, theRacing Post for their fantasticsupport.

I’m alraedy working on the 2012show and beyond in partnership withour exhibitors to deliver events theywant. We’re very committed to thebetting industry, we enjoy workingwith the betting industry and we willcontinue to support the bettingindustry.

The 20,000 or so visitors who cometo ICE each year love the exhibitionbecause it represents an unrivalledopportunity to meet up with oldfriends and see the new technologythat’s shaping the future of gaming.Our collective mindset is to always beat the vanguard of the gamingrevolution.

Big year forUS onlinegamblingCOULD 2011 be the long-awaited,historic year when the US market isopened to online gambling operators?Vincent Caldwell, Belfast-bornco-founder of Betinternet, who hasspent the last four years in the States,believes so, but he also has a warning,writes Howard Wright.

“This is the year it will happen,” hesays, “but it won’t be a case of thefloodgates opening. It will come instate by state. New Jersey is at theforefront, waiting for approval fromthe governor, and Florida is in with ashout, along with California.

“But any change in the legislationwill take time to implement. Pokerwill come first, then bingo, but I don’tsee sports betting for some time. AndAmerican companies will probablywant to keep the business tothemselves in the first instance.”

Meanwhile, Caldwell is maintaininghis immediate focus on another areaof the US gambling sector, thepari-mutuel horseracing business,which he reckons is also ripe forexpansion, both domestically andinternationally.

To that end, in November heconcluded a multi-million-dollar dealwith Stan James to take a 51 per centstake, with progressive arrangementsfor further buyouts, in his companyRacing2Day.

As a non-racetrack operator,Racing2Day broke the mould bygaining a wagering licence from theOregon Racing Commission inFebruary 2008, and operates from theAmtote hub system, with an onlinebusiness and a call centre in Portland.

Caldwell says: “I needed marketingfunds to press on. Venture capitalistsweren’t going to give much help, so Ineeded someone in the industry withtalent and international experience.That’s where Stan James came in.

“They’re very well respected in theindustry, and are ideal. Whereas abigger company might haveswallowed me up, I needed arelationship with someone I couldwork with.

“They want to build brandrecognition in the States, sothe website will becomeStanJamesUSA.com. It means theyhave a foot in the door, putting themat the forefront of any opportunitiesthat come along.”

Caldwell is a stickler for customerservice, another reason why he isdelighted to join the Stan Jamescamp.

“Most American operators haveconcentrated on looking after the‘whales,’” he says, “but I saw theopportunity to build something forthe man in the street, the ‘beer andhotdog guy’ as they call them.

“There are 43 million Hispanics and18 million Chinese in the States, butno-one seems to be catering forthem.”

Caldwell also believes there is amarket among ex-pat British and Irishpunters, who are missing sight offamiliar haunts.

“There’s probably a fear that theUS public may not be as interested aswe would like them to be, but I takethe view that they are simply noteducated, because they don’t get thecards, form and an explanation of theracing. But it’s not just a one-waystreet. Punters back home probablydon’t realise they can bet into a poolat Del Mar that regularly offers ajackpot of $5 million.”

Show directorKate Chambersanswers the keyquestions aboutthis year’s event

8 Wednesday, January 19, 2011 racingpost.com/mobile