Gambling’s lack of diversity to have a “negative impact” on future of industry

A lack of diversity in the gambling industry is “likely to have a negative impact” in the future, according to the All-in Diversity Project.

The body released its latest report for 2021 which showed less than 15% of respondents identifying as ‘non-white’, with the findings indicating this could have ramifications for the industry moving forwards.

In the report, 85% of participants identified as ‘white’, with just under 10% identifying as ‘other’ or not disclosing their race. A further 6% identified as either Asian (3%) or Hispanic (3%).

In the report’s comments, All-in Diversity said: “This lack of diversity is likely to have a negative impact on the industry if the key findings are an indication of a long-term trend.

“The results show that there are blind spots at the top. This not only helps explain the lack of diversity in the industry but has reputational and operational ramifications when considered in the context of Gen Z, diversity, employee inclusion and belonging,” the report added.

Elsewhere, the study found the gender split across the industry had slipped from previously being 50:50.

More than half (56%) of the industry is male, compared to 43% female. This is the biggest gap between men and women to date since All-in Diversity’s launch in 2017.

The number of individuals identifying as non-binary, while still very low, is now significant enough to register a measurable value which is a positive sign for the industry.

Despite the widening of the gender gap in general, the percentage of women in senior positions has continued to rise. Industry executive boards are now on average made up of 29% women, with a third (32%) of non-executive boards now female.

However, in 2019, 38,257 women identified as being at an entry level in the industry. This figure has since fallen to 30,500 in 2021.

At a managerial level, there has also been a significant decrease in the number of women, falling from 3,312 in 2019 to 1,800 in 2021, which can be partly blamed on women leaving gambling.

All-in Diversity said: “Women are leaving the workplace in unprecedented numbers for a number of reasons including, but not limited to, the great resignation, the menopause and post-Covid pivoting, and for this industry at least, the number of women coming in has dropped below 50%.

“The logical impact of this over time will be a lack of role models and mentors, and a reduced pool of talent for senior executive and board roles.”

All-in Diversity surveyed 40 organisations across 16 jurisdictions for its 2021 report. More than 140,000 employees took part.

Of these companies, 41.5% identified as ‘large’ or a PLC with more than 250 employees.