Informa agrees to buy Clarion, the company behind ICE
The world's biggest gambling trade show is getting a new owner. Informa has agreed to acquire Clarion, which runs ICE, in a deal worth £2.24 billion.
Deal details
The valuation is roughly 11 times Clarion's projected EBITDA. Informa says the figure drops to about 9 times once £50 million of planned cost savings are achieved, and to around 8 times including an expected £25 million rise in operating profit. A new acquisition loan and an equity raise of roughly £940 million will pay for it. Completion is expected at the end of Q4 2026, subject to regulators.
- Deal size: £2.24 billion.
- ICE 2027 runs 18–20 January in Barcelona, under Informa.
- Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant moves onto Informa's leadership team.
Clarion's other events
ICE left London's ExCeL for Barcelona in 2025; that year the iGB Live affiliate event moved from Amsterdam into ExCeL. Clarion's portfolio also includes DSEI, IFA Berlin and Distributec. Informa CEO Stephen A. Carter said the deal strengthens its business-to-business events arm.
Why it matters for Toronto players
Whether you play at Casino Woodbine or online, the games you see next year are usually revealed at shows like ICE. Read up on slots and live casinos to see what's new.
Source: SBC News, 6 October 2026. This article is based on publicly reported news; our editors summarised and rewrote it for Toronto readers.