Karma

January was an exciting month for Karma as we had the opportunity to present in the UK at the World Lottery Association marketing conference as well as attend ICE Totally Gaming all in the same week.

ICE was billed as one of the largest gaming conferences in the world and it certainly lived up to its reputation. An estimated 21,000 visitors entered the Exhibition Centre over a three-day period. The event and crowd was a blend of brick and mortar and online gaming companies including casinos, lotteries, regulators, Internet gaming companies and start-ups.
 

To see the video presented by Karma's CEO Paul LeBlanc  at the World Lottery Assoiciation see our post World Lottery Association marketing conference recap.
 

The conference was a great experience. Here is a short-list of my top takeaways after walking the floor for a few days. 

US market activity heating up - In a space where regulatory changes move stock prices more than operating results, the recent DOJ opinion on the Wire Act was the hottest topic at the event. The general consensus was that US Internet gambling is not a case of ‘if’, but ‘when’, however it is expected to take some time as individual states decide how to proceed and what form it will take.

Speculation on real-money Facebook gambling - There was a lot of talk on the potential for Facebook to allow real-money play, especially in light of IGT’s recent acquisition of DoubleDown Interactive for $500 million. Gambling-themed games have grown to become the third most popular genre on Facebook by monthly active users (MAU), currently monetizing on virtual coins that players can never cash out.

Favourite product on the floor – Definitely the pirate-themed multi-player slot by WMS. The game pitted two teams of two against each other in a head-to-head social play experience. The objective was to sink the other team’s ships by creating matches of the reel and earning cannon balls in the process.  The game was a ton of fun and grew a crowd quickly.  Check it out here.

Favourite quote - Has to go to Walter Bugno, CEO Spielo and GTECH G2. “Many years ago in Vegas, slots were considered to be only a game to entertain housewives while their husbands played the real games”. I thought that was a great insight into how things evolve, considering 90% of the products featured at ICE this year were slots. It is interesting to think about what current trends might turn into the next 800-pound gorillas.

Most lasting impression - Product myopia. For all the talk of innovative new products on new platforms, the majority of what I saw was more of the same…slots, poker and casino. To be fair, there were some very polished games on mobile and tablet but for the most part it was the same traditional products offered on new devices.

Were you at ICE? What did you think? I’d love to compare notes.