Professionals working in the international casino industry now have the opportunity to join forces and help raise funds for worthy causes, following the launch of the International Casino Charity Fundraiser at ICE 2004.

Chaired by David Boden of Grosvenor Casinos, who will be joined by six other Board members made up of international casino suppliers and operators, the ICCF will be administered by ATE Group and help generate funds for worthy charities through donations and fundraising events staged throughout the year. Charities would need to apply to the ICCF to be considered as beneficiaries and levels of grants will be made on merit, voted for by the Board, whose members will give their time free of charge and will meet to review on-going support and fundraising opportunities. The first contribution made to ICCF funds will be money raised at this year's ICE Ball.

David Boden stated: „The casino industry hasn't been given recognition for its charitable work. However, I think anyone who has witnessed and indeed benefited from the tremendous support the industry has shown over the years, when supporting charities through events such as the ICE Ball, can see that nothing could be further from the truth. Through the ICCF we will be in a position to provide a strong level of support on behalf of the industry to worthwhile causes all year round. We will be able to do this in a co-ordinated and structured way to ensure that we can spread funds across a number of charities fairly and on merit.“

Exhibiting at ICE 2004 on stand C1, the ICCF is keen to hear from casino professionals working in all sectors across the globe and will welcome any suggestions for both worthy causes and fundraising initiatives. For more information contact Karen Cooke on (tel) +44 (0) 20 7713 0302 or (email) kcooke@ateonline.co.uk