I would like to tell you all about the many things I saw this year at the International Gaming Expo (a combination of what was formerly ICE and ICEi), but for the first time since I began attending this event (I believe my first ICE was 1999) I did not make my way up and down every last aisle of the expo. I didn't make it out of the Cybercrime conference on Tuesday, and it was non-stop meetings Wednesday and Thursday. So I'll keep my limited assessment of the exhibition short and share some thoughts coming out of my meetings and interviews (excluding, of course, those that were strategic in nature.)

For starters, some general observations . . .I heard from a few colleagues who attended G2E last fall that exhibitors and attendees were a bit deflated, and I expected the same scenario at ICE, but I was pleasantly surprised. In fairness to G2E though, IGE has always been much more low-keyed so a negative vibe wouldn't be as glaring.

In the interest of maintaining full disclosure, yes, I work for the company that produces IGE.

Bird's eye views of IGE 2009

As for the numbers, Clarion Gaming reported 23,080 unique visitors at Earls Court over the first two days of the exhibitions, a 1.1 percent increase year-on-year. Calling it "growth" is a bit of a stretch; for all practical purposes it was stagnant, but I think in this economy, status quo is a huge plus. I can't understate that enough. The numbers for most other events -- across all industries -- are significantly down during this challenging economy. . . .

. . . and a nice little segue into my chat on Thursday with Warwick Bartlett of Global Betting & Gaming Consultants. At the EiG event in September, I asked Warwick how the gambling industries are faring in the dawn of the economic catastrophe, and he said they were hanging in there okay--certainly better than most industries. Four months later. . . . not so good. Prospects for online gambling are okay, but the land-based gambling industries, according to Warwick, are starting to feel the squeeze. I captured a brief synopsis of his assessment in audio, which I will post to the IGN blog site soon. Stay tuned. . . .

Now for something a little more uplifting . . . Montel Williams, an author, former TV talk show host and quite a celebrity in the States, is stoked about his new poker project, International Team Poker League. A longtime poker buff and more recently a serious competitor, Williams has a relationship with gambling software supplier Playtech and trekked to London to make an appearance at ICE. The new TV show is an elimination-style reality/competition series that injects the team element into traditional poker. Naturally, the competition (which will, by the way, include Internet satellites) will be spiced up with the requisite drama that makes reality TV compelling to the masses.

It's good to have a fresh poker product in the mainstream, but I'm particularly optimistic about what Williams could do for the online game. Following my interview with him (which will be available in streaming video in mid February), I asked him what he thought about the industry and US policy. As it turns out, he's very much on top of the critical issues and is a strong advocate for legalized, highly regulated online poker. I'm hopeful that he can be an important voice in the movement to do away with prohibition.

I also did a brief interview (coming soon in streaming audio) with WagerWorks UK Gaming Director and GM Oliver Lofthouse. The software supplier used ICE as a platform to launch two more branded games, "Battleship" and "Dungeons & Dragons," and the next mega brand in line for launch is "Transformers." Wagerworks' path to market presence in the I-gaming space was an interesting one. With deep roots in the land-based gaming industry, they stumbled for quite a while in the online space with problematic software, but they seemed to have recovered well. Now they are going head to head with longtime industry giant CryptoLogic (a partner with Marvel Comics) in the race to capture the mass market via major entertainment brands. I would not have predicted this. Both companies seem to have a lot of momentum, but I think they need to be very careful not to venture too far in the direction of brands that are geared toward children.

Late on Thursday I spoke with Kaye McDonald, the director of gambling in Antigua. The island nation is trying to reinvent itself as a premier Internet gambling jurisdiction and they were out to make a splash at ICE. Its hosting services have been devastated by prohibitive US policy and the rise global competition. They recently tightened up regulations and in doing so became the only Caribbean jurisdiction to be white-listed by the British DCMS. The new approach in Antigua is to attract top-tier operators with regulatory standards on par with First-World jurisdictions--minus all the red tape, of course. In a nutshell, it's the western version of the Malta model. My inclination is to question whether they are committed to high standards or simply dedicated to projecting the image of having high standards. McDonald has me convinced it is the former. The audio interview will be posted soon.

In my third and final IGE '09 blog, I will offer some advice to future attendees.

The Clarion Gaming Lounge at IGE. It's not on the map, but if you follow your nose to Pizza Express, you can't miss it.

A close up of Sue Schneider's
badge, reflecting her new role
with the company.