Informa to acquire ICE organiser Clarion for £2.24bn
Informa, one of the world's largest B2B events companies, has agreed a £2.24 billion takeover of Clarion – the organiser behind ICE, the biggest trade show in gambling.
Price and financing
The price equals about 11 times Clarion's expected EBITDA. Informa expects that to fall to around 9 times after £50 million in planned savings, and to roughly 8 times once a further £25 million of operating profit growth is counted. Funding comes from an acquisition loan and an equity raise of about £940 million from institutional and retail investors. The deal is set to complete at the end of Q4 2026, pending regulatory approval.
- Value: £2.24 billion.
- ICE 2027 will run in Barcelona from 18 to 20 January under Informa.
- Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant joins Informa's senior leadership.
Beyond ICE
ICE moved from London's ExCeL to Barcelona in 2025, while iGB Live moved from Amsterdam into ExCeL that same year. Clarion also owns DSEI, IFA Berlin and Distributec. Informa chief executive Stephen A. Carter said the combination strengthens its B2B events portfolio.
Why Ontario players should care
Many of the slots and live tables shown at ICE end up at AGCO-licensed sites in Ontario. Browse our slots guide and the highest RTP slots to see what's worth trying.
Source: SBC News, 6 October 2026. This article is based on publicly reported news; our editors summarised and rewrote it for readers in Ontario.