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ICE Barcelona 2026 recap: Growing the power of play
ICE Barcelona 2026, which revolved around the theme “Growing the power of play”, has concluded, and organisers Clarion posted videos after each day recapping what took place at the biggest gathering of the international gambling industry. Several representatives from Game Lounge were present at the event, including CEO Richard Dennys, and some team members also spoke on panels and hosted talks.
Looking back at the event
In a video recapping the event, Clarion said that ICE Barcelona showcased the full spectrum of the industry across casino, betting, esports, technology, payments, and iGaming. It continued that this was achieved with immersive content delivered through multiple show floor stages, conferences, and feature zones, which it added were all designed to spark conversation and drive the industry forward.
Clarion spoke of how the event took place with an expanded footprint including Hall 1 of the venue, as it remarked that ICE Barcelona had arrived on a whole new scale, bringing together the international community for an unforgettable week of innovation, insight, and connection.
Day 1 began with the ICE opening ceremony, which launched a lively and packed show floor, including live tournament action at the ICE Esports Arena.
The day also marked the opening of Casa Brasil; “A vibrant hub highlighting Brazil’s fast-growing gaming market, alongside a strong focus on responsibility at the Sustainable Gambling Zone.”
Topics discussed at Casa Brasil included an outlook on the Brazilian market by H2 Gambling Capital Managing Director Ed Birkin, as well as a discussion with Fabio Augusto Macorin, the undersecretary for Monitoring and Enforcement at the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, and President of the National Association of Games and Lotteries of Brazil (ANJL) Plínio Lemos Jorge, regarding the promotion of sustainable regulation and efforts against the illegal market.
Speaking about the World Gaming Forum conference, Clarion said that the conversation focused on global impact and leadership, including discussions about the economic impact of Ras Al Khaimah, as well as regulatory leadership.
Visitors of ICE Barcelona 2026 spoke about what they like about ICE compared to other events, with one visitor speaking about how much they love the location. They also spoke about how grand the event is, and subsequently how there is the opportunity to meet anyone in the industry.
In a video recapping Day 2, Clarion remarked that one of the headline show features was Pitch ICE, which was described as “a platform giving emerging businesses the opportunity to pitch ideas directly to industry leaders and investors, spotlighting the next wave of gaming innovation”.
Clarion stated that the show floor also welcomed major star-power, with appearances from chess stars Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and GothamChess, as well as appearances by football legends Henrik Larsson, Hristo Stoichkov, Luis Figo, Johan Mjällby and Alessandro Del Piero, including a live interview with John Terry.
On the theme of “Growing the power of play”, Clarion said that this was brought to life with cutting edge innovation which was showcased across hundreds of stands, “from AI and payments to platforms, data, and immersive tech driving the future of gaming”.
Additionally, the ICE Esports Arena delivered more action with ‘beat the pro’ challenges, featuring penalty shootouts, skill tests, and full matches.
On the topic of learning, Clarion said that this aspect remained front and centre on the final day of the event, with workshops covering safer gaming, and cybercrime and fraud entering new markets. It added that the sustainable gambling zone also hosted its final sessions, “continuing vital conversations around responsibility and impact”.
Conclusion of ICE Barcelona 2026, and looking to 2027
Ultimately, ICE Barcelona 2026 proved to be a massive event for the international industry, as Clarion also remarked that networking was an ever-present aspect of the event throughout, from spontaneous meetings on the show floor, to the ICE Barcelona beer festival.
Clarion is already gearing up for the next year, and the date for ICE Barcelona 2027 has already been set to begin on 18th January 2027.
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