Informa buys ICE organiser Clarion for £2.24bn
UK-listed events group Informa is buying Clarion, the company behind ICE, the gambling industry's biggest trade show, for £2.24bn.
The deal
Informa is paying around 11 times Clarion's expected EBITDA. The multiple falls to 9 times if £50m of cost savings are delivered, and to 8 times if expected operating profit of £25m is achieved. The purchase is funded by dedicated acquisition financing and a share placing and retail offer of about £940m. Completion is expected late in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
- Deal value: £2.24bn.
- ICE 2027 runs in Barcelona on 18–20 January under Informa.
- Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant stays on and joins Informa's executive team.
What Clarion owns
Besides ICE, which moved from London's ExCeL to Barcelona in 2025, Clarion runs the affiliate conference iGB Live, which moved from Amsterdam to ExCeL London in 2025. Its portfolio also includes defence show DSEI, IFA Berlin and Distributec. Informa Group CEO Stephen A. Carter said the combination underlines Informa's position as a leader in B2B live events.
Why it matters
ICE is where game studios unveil the slots and live tables that later reach casino lobbies. To see which casinos carry the newest releases, check our guides to casino games and free spins.
Source: SBC News, 6 October 2026. Written by the Jeton Casinos editorial team based on the source report.