Last week saw the return of the world’s largest gaming technology event, ICE 2020 – where gaming, betting and esports professionals came together to share insights on the future of the industry.
And the future looks bright, with this year’s event proving to be the biggest yet – drawing in over 35,000 visitors from over 150 countries, including the team from GroupVery.
So, after taking in 3 full days of networking, expert speaker sessions and the latest gaming innovations we thought we’d share a few things we’ve learnt, as well as our highlights from ICE 2020.
Brand is everything
The betting and gaming industry is under public scrutiny more than most, with recent high-profile media attention only bringing the industry further under the spotlight.
It’s no surprise then that branding was a key part of this year’s agenda. With advice from established brands from different industries helping betting and gaming companies present a more positive social image.
A particular highlight was the expert speaker session from Danny Rogers, Editor in Chief from PR Weekly, who explored how we can change gaming’s image for the better.
Esports is on the rise
The rise of the esports industry was on full display at ICE 2020, with a $250,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament taking centre stage.
A testament to its growing relevance to the betting market, esports had a bigger presence than ever at this year’s event.
We expect to see this presence grow even further at future events too, with an eye-watering $13bn esports betting market only likely to grow in the coming years.
The US market is open and ready for business
As we explored in our recent blog, the US betting market continues to whet the appetite of the global betting and gaming community – with a marked increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions between US and non-US betting companies expected this year.
There was a buzz at ICE 2020, with news of DraftKings’ merger with SBTech and the planned merger between Paddy Power Betfair and The Stars Group.
Prepare for many similar mergers and acquisitions in 2020, as organisations seek to capture a slice of the US betting gold rush.
Engineering skills remain in high demand
With the global betting and gaming industries seemingly fit and healthy, greater demand for engineers and developers is inevitable.
But with a distinct shortage of talent already having an impact on the sector, it seems hiring is only going to get more difficult, and more expensive.
And with 472k unfilled roles in the US software market alone, it was clear that many of the organisations at ICE are looking for alternative approaches to solving their software development challenges – with offshore resourcing remaining a popular option.
Overall though, it was clear that organisations will need to do more in the future if they’re to meet their resourcing needs.
Summary
Breaking into the US market, capitalising on the rise of esports betting and ensuring a positive public perception will bring considerable challenges, and opportunities to the global gaming and betting industry in 2020. But perhaps most of all, ensuring you’ve got the right people to truly capitalise on these opportunities will be the biggest test of all.
So, it seems betting and gaming companies will have plenty to keep them busy until ICE 2021. We’ll see you there!
