Clarion Gaming’s ICE London event has named a charity, namely the Young Gamblers’ Education Trust (YGAM), as an official partner for the first time. The YGAM, which aims to support young people in regard to problem gambling issues, will assist ICE and Clarion in informing and enhancing safety for this demographic. The ICE London event takes place from 6th – 8th February at ExCeL London.
The affiliation hasn’t come out of thin air. In fact, Clarion have been supporting and working with YGAM for some years now, including attending the World Regulatory Briefing seminars. Still, Clarion’s choice to extend the invitation of a partnership with the three-year-old start-up charity could not be more timely, given how hot a topic child gambling is in the UK at the moment.
The Gambling Commission published a study recently indicating that 25,000 children aged 11-16 could be considered problem gamblers, with many more at risk. The press has been quick to run stories on this topic, and it’s certainly one the gambling sector must address – and be seen to act on – in order to improve its reputation somewhat.
Clarion Gaming are one of the leading events companies, running numerous high-profile conferences and events in the gaming sector, and as such they have an active interest in promoting social responsibility within the sector and are keenly aware of how this will improve the image and overall sustainability of the industry. This is not the only initiative regarding CSR which we’ll be seeing at ICE 2018. They are also featuring a new zone in this year’s event, the Consumer Protection Zone, which will serve as an arena for presentations by organizations, such as the YGAM, on this subject.
