3 more withdraw from Ice London – Zitro, Novomatic, and TCSJOHNHUXLEY follow Merkur claiming Omicron, logistics, and dates are not ideal! (Image from courtesy of Christine Schmidt at pixabay.com )
While we have reported some very exciting news this week in the world of online casinos, some of it will not have been what some people would have wanted to hear, and by people, we mean the organisers of Ice London 2022. Fresh off the news that the tough decision was made for Merkur to pull out of this year’s event, we can reveal that there have been 3 more withdrawals.
Following in Merkur’s footsteps was Novomatic, and Zitro, which was quickly followed by TCSJOHNHUXLEY to withdraw from the event that was due to go ahead between the 12th and 14th April. Is the event now completely in doubt? Firstly, Merkur cited its reasons for the dropout, and there was not only one reason but a few. Firstly, the ongoing covid-19 situation has evolved into a wave of Omicron infections.
The new variant is by far the tamest of all the variants, but that was not reason enough for Merkur to approach it with the same level of caution as we have all previously seen. There is the financial strain it would have on the company, as it is no longer as easy, or as cheap, as it used to be flying to and from the UK. Also, Merkur believes that this year’s event will see far fewer people attend than at previous events, meaning their return on investment would more than likely not be justified.
A Domino Effect in Play?
Merkur seemed to have created a domino effect, and next up was Novomatic and Zitro to forfeit the event, citing reasons not too dissimilar to Merkur. Now, however, there was even more reason to withdraw, as because of the announcement that Merkur would not be attending, it would mean that it had downgraded the event further. The event was originally scheduled for the 1st and 3rd of February but was then put back to the 12th and 14th of April, to allow the Omicron variant to stabilise, but it seems that this has not been the solution for some.
One of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of end-to-end live gaming solutions and services, TCSJOHNHUXLEY, announced on its website that it had decided to withdraw from this year’s ICE London event, dealing a further blow to the event’s organisers. The company stated that it was a decision that did not come easy, as the company has been an ever-present at ICE for 30 years. The company understands the importance of the event but believes the organisers must hold it at the right time and in the right conditions.
The question remains – can the show still go ahead? Surely any more withdrawals would force the event organisers to push back the event even further. Would another rescheduling tempt these companies to return? If that is not enough, maybe the event could be cancelled entirely. At least for this year, anyway.
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