The hiring of scantily clad hostesses came under fire again yesterday after the gambling watchdog threatened to boycott the industry’s flagship event over ‘swimsuit’ sexism’
Gambling Commission chief executive Sarah Harrison said the body would not attend future ICE Total Gaming trade shows unless changes were made to the culture.
Promotional hostesses and entertainers at the three-day annual conference, held in London’s Docklands, included a pole dancer in bondage lingerie and young women dressed as cheerleaders, Bavarian maids and burlesque dancers.
The ICE Totally Gaming show is the biggest annual event in the betting industry, file photo
Many of the stands at the event in the Docklands featured scantily clad models, pictured
One of the central stands featured a pole dancing burlesque performer, pictured
A centrepiece show run by Playboy, featuring an aerial contortionist in a hoop, ran regularly throughout the day from 11am. Other women wearing low-cut dresses had the logos of the companies they were promoting painted on their backs. Charity Gamble Aware yesterday warned of ‘blatant sexism’ at the trade show, one of the world’s largest with over 30,000 attendees.
The row follows outrage over the men-only Presidents Club charity dinner, where young female hostesses were allegedly gropped by guests. Formula 1 and the World Darts Championships have since ended their use of ‘walk-on’ and ‘grid girls’ in the fallout.
Miss Harrison said while the men worse suits, ‘the women were being asked to wear not much more than swimsuits.’ In a speech at the event, she added: ‘I hope that this will be last year that my female executives, managers and colleagues have to hear the stories of promo girls, bikinis and pole dancers as they start to plan their visit to ICE.’
People who attended the event over several years claimed it was ‘wall-to-wall’ alcohol
Those attending the conference were handed free alcohol from those with the stalls
The three-day event in the London Docklands is the biggest gaming industry show of the year
She called on organisers Clarion Events to ‘give this issue priority’ and think about how the exhibits affected the industry’s reputation, adding: ‘The Gambling Commission’s attendance at events like this in the future will depend on there being change.’
Stallholders included Paddy Power, Barclaycard, the Isle of Man and IMG Media, whose partners include the Football Association and ATP Tennis.
Companies from the worlds of casinos, bingo, sports betting, fixed-odds betting terminals and technology providers were all present at the event.
Free alcohol and food, including premium whiskies and sushi platters, was offered by many stalls, with casino ‘bars’ opening throughout the day and a ‘happy hour’ at 3pm. Staff said licensing rules permitted exhibitors to give alcohol away but not sell it.
One of the main features was an aerial contortionist who started performing at 11am each day
One British male attendee, who has been going to ICE Total Gaming ‘for years and years’, said it involved ‘wall-to-wall alcohol’ as stall competed to outdo each other with ‘Vegas-style’ shows.
He had mixed feelings about the hostesses, which he said was ‘going against trend’ having been ‘more acceptable’ before.
One vendor selling skimpy uniforms for casino hostesses said: ‘Sometimes the outfits are a bit “too much information” and hostesses show a lot. But it’s a very male dominated event and industry.’
GambleAware chief executive Marc Etches, said: ‘What’s been happening at ICE is blatant sexism and we agree with the Gambling Commission’s call to the industry to address this.
But hostesses questioned by the Mail said they enjoyed working at the event and that they were well-paid. One, who was hired from an agency in London, said she found it a ‘confidence boost’, adding: ‘It’s our bodies, if we’re going to make money out of it better to do that than not work at all’.
Kate Chambers, managing director at ICE Total Gaming, said: ‘ICE London has been working with the European Casino Association to encourage respectful representation of women on exhibition stands.
‘Our strategy is to drive a cultural change amongst exhibitors and an appreciation of issues related to the portrayal of women.’
The Mail found no evidence of untoward behaviour by attendees at the conference, nor suggestion that attendees committed any wrongdoing.
A spokesman for Paddy Power said the firm agreed with Miss Harrison’s calls to improve the conference.