The iGaming Super Show in Dublin two weeks ago was surprising in more ways than one. Firstly, there was the copious amount of alcohol on offer. I know that Dublin has a reputation as a booze-fuelled destination, but was it really necessary to have young girls parading the exhibition hall wearing hol
The iGaming Super Show in Dublin two weeks ago was surprising in more ways than one. Firstly, there was the copious amount of alcohol on offer. I know that Dublin has a reputation as a booze-fuelled destination, but was it really necessary to have young girls parading the exhibition hall wearing holster belts with bottles of tequila and shot glasses? The group of suited and booted middle-aged men who indulged in an early morning shot of Mexico’s finest tipple obviously thought so. “Just topping my levels up from last night,” one of them politely informed me (he’d obviously caught me gawping).
What happened the night before to make this man want to intoxicate himself even further I’m guessing you want to know? If I said that the party hosted by Bodog’s Calvin Ayre cost a whopping £700,000 (allegedly) and told you that the theme was seven deadly sins, then I’m still not sure your imagination could take you to a place dark enough. Let’s just say that the party was not for the faint-hearted and after queuing outside for 45 minutes just to gain entry (a free bar meant no-one was leaving fast), I had seen enough just through the windows of the club.
It seems that scantily-clad girls and alcohol go hand-in-hand with gaming trade shows, but every now and then I wonder why. Would delegates refuse to attend an exhibition if they thought that the most flesh they might encounter would be when they shook hands with another delegate? Would they really be more inclined to do business if there was an 18-year-old girl wearing a bikini and a boa constrictor in their eye line? (As I said, the iGaming Super Show was surprising in more ways than one).
I’m sure that some of the men in the industry would disagree with me - “It’s good for morale” - and I’m aware that to say the industry is male-dominated is an understatement, but wouldn’t it make a refreshing change if when you approached the exhibition bar next time, a George Clooney lookalike in a pinny served you your over-priced bottle of water instead? Just a thought!
