How the igaming industry came together for International Women’s Day 2023

Some of the world’s largest betting and igaming firms came together once again to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).

With the industry still needing to shed its historically macho image, the annual event comes as a timely reminder of the excellence and importance of women working in the sector and beyond.

In the UK, just 24% of the STEM workforce are women, with the sector failing to attract women due to barriers such as discouragement and discrimination blocking their pursuit of careers in the field.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, closing the gender gap in STEM education would equate to an economic improvement in EU GDP of €820bn by 2050, with total employment rising from 850,000 to 1,250,000 by 2050.

The lack of opportunity afforded to women appears across all forms of business, from being denied entry-level roles to hitting a glass ceiling with the weight of male counterparts sitting heavily upon it. The general understanding now is that equity is the key process to enable women to flourish and achieve equality in the workplace.

The analogy of being invited to the party compared to being invited and getting on the dance floor is a crude metaphor, but one that perhaps distils the notion in the most simple terms.

The gambling industry is nowhere near a level of equality to be pleased with. Just six of the EGR Power 50 operators are led by a female CEO. There is still braggadocio abound and scenes from some of this year’s ICE exhibitors show there is still much more to be done. Regrettably, it is a marathon and not a sprint when it comes to levelling the playing field.

But, the industry is making the right strides, with a slew of campaigns, initiatives and championing of staff hitting the airwaves this week. Here, EGR explores what some key industry players have been doing to commemorate the ever-important event.

All-in Diversity Project

The All-in Diversity Project and Square in the Air partnered once again this year to launch a campaign highlighting the range of personal stories and achievements of some if the women who help shape the igaming industry.

The 2023 campaign included championing women’s efforts and successes outside of their workspaces, shining a light on world-record holders, military veterans, scientists and voluntary health workers.

Igaming organisations joined together under the banner of #GamingAsOne, with a number of major operators and suppliers involved in the campaign which was covered on social media throughout the day.

Major operators including BetMGM, Betsson, Entain, Flutter and Yolo Group, alongside suppliers such as Games Global, IGT, Light & Wonder, Microgaming and Playtech featured in this year’s campaign.

Elsewhere, the horseracing industry has also been involved with International Women’s Day as organisations such as the British Horseracing Authority, Godolphin and UK Tote united using the hashtag #AllintheRace.

Regulators such as the Malta Gaming Authority and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission have also added their support to this year’s campaign.

Tina Thakor-Rankin, co-founder of the All-in Diversity Project, said the 2023 campaign has an altogether different tone and approach to the three-part video series that was produced for last year’s initiative.

She said: “Last year, our International Women’s Day video campaign, sought to highlight the sometimes shocking personal experiences of women working in the betting and gaming sectors.

“Into 2023, it is time for celebration and an opportunity to emphasise the amazing achievements of women in our industry.

“This campaign uses those feats to illustrate that not only does this industry seek to fully embrace equity, but that our different experiences make us stronger,” Thakor-Rankin explained.

LiveScore Group

LiveScore Group hosted a panel at the firm’s London office featuring women leaders from outside the industry to discuss the challenges they have faced in their careers.

The panel featured Brainlabs global comms director Rebecca Fennelly, career coach Keren Blackmore and Setforth CEO Adrienne Gormley, who discussed the importance of workplace policies to support women and gave guidance on how men can be good allies both within business and outside the world of work.

Flutter Entertainment 

London-listed Flutter Entertainment took the opportunity to give FanDuel CEO Amy Howe, the only female CEO of a US-facing sports betting business, a platform to share her thoughts.

Howe said International Women’s Day allowed the company to “reflect, celebrate and acknowledge” the work that Flutter had done to support women in the workplace over the last 12 months.

Howe went on to discuss the relevance of being the only woman CEO in the US-side of the sector, and said she had a sense of “duty” to address gender inequality, not just at Flutter, but right across the industry.

Flutter also reaffirmed its commitment to achieve its goal of 40% of its leadership positions to be held by women by 2026. 

Kindred Group

Kindred Group detailed an extensive list of programmes its delivered in recent months in the run up to IWD2023 as it aims to develop a more inclusive company culture.

The firm held a workshop for 429 members of its exec team to tackle unconscious bias, while also putting an inclusive senior leader hiring process in place.

The Unibet parent company also launched a mentoring scheme within its Womenkind employee network. 

Like Flutter, Kindred similarly confirmed it planned to have a 50/50 gender split among its senior leaders by 2025, with the ratio currently sitting at 22/78 in favour of men.

Kindred CEO Henrik Tjärnström said: “We are committed at Kindred to strive for equality in our workplace and support our fantastic women at all levels of the organisation.

“This International Women’s Day we are celebrating our women at Kindred and working to deepen the culture of allyship within the organisation,” he added. 

Odds On Compliance

Consultancy firm Odds On Compliance has announced the formation of a new employee resource group for women in the workplace called Women Leading Women. The group aims to provide a supportive and empowering community for women at the firm.

Women Leading Women is open to all women working at Odds On Compliance. The resource group will provide a platform for women to share their experiences, offer support and advice to one another and empower women generally to push forward their own career progression and success.

This new group will also offer professional development opportunities for women, such as networking events, mentorship programmes and skills training sessions.

President of Europe for Odds On Compliance, Cheryl Jones, said: “Empowering women is a key part of our approach. I have always strived to make mentorship a priority for all the women who have supported me along my career journey.”