September 26-29, 2023 saw the European casino industry meet for the European Casino Association’s annual Casino Industry Forum set against the spectacular backdrop of Montreux in Switzerland, hosted by the Casino Barrière de Montreux. The shores of Lake Geneva proved the picture-perfect gathering place for Europe’s leading casino operators to discuss the challenges, opportunities, trends and developments in land-based and online casino gaming.
In addition to the formal ECA member General Assembly, this year’s event programme was both wide and diverse, covering a host of exclusive presentations from European casino operators, internationally recognised speakers, and social activities exploring Montreux’s thriving cultural centre, which plays host to international jazz festivals, world-renowned artists, and global conventions.
Opening the conference, highly respected keynote speaker, Aric Dromi, discussed the rising expectations of customers who look for highly immersive and personalised gaming experiences that are also ethically sound and environmentally sustainable. On a similar topic, but from a different perspective, Hospitality Expert, Nancy Rademaker, spoke about the X factor of Customer Centricity, the effect on organisations and that an equal focus on Employee Experience (EX) will distinguish great companies from average ones.
Recognised industry experts also addressed the conference, including Phillipe Vlaemminick, Vlaemminick Law, who outlined the impact of new EU AML regulations on Europe's land-based and online casino industry. Paul Such, Hacknowledge, gave a fascinating and shocking appraisal of the threats facing casino operators in the post MGM and Caesars Ent. data breach era. Lucien Wijsman, FleXpeQt BV, graphically demonstrated the relationship between RTP (Return to Player) and the Player Experience, while Ismail Vali, Yield Sec, gave another informative and sobering account of illegal market activity in Europe.
The American Gaming Association’s Anton Severin summarised the extraordinary growth of the US market post-pandemic, and Europol presented its main findings from the European Financial and Economic Crime Threat Assessment (EFECTA). Representing ECA members, the ECA Industry Forum’s CEO Panel Discussion featured Simon Thomas (Hippodrome Casino), Petra de Ruiter (Holland Casino), Erwin van Lambaart (Casinos Austria) and Tiina Siltanen (Veikkaus Casino Helsinki & Tampere), who engaged in an enlightening debate delving into the future challenges and opportunities facing the land-based casino business in Europe.
In addition to the conference, a special social itinerary during the ECA Industry Forum provided opportunities for networking and socialising between industry partners and members of the ECA. Activities included an exciting poker tournament at the Casino Montreux Poker room; a guided walking tour in the steps of Freddy Mercury, which took guests on a musical journey around the Swiss municipality and town; a reception dinner at the historic Chillon Castle on the shore of Lake Geneva, in addition to the traditional ECA Casino Industry Forum Gala Dinner hosted in spectacular style at Casino Barrière de Montreux.
