The Most Powerful Women in iGaming 2020

It's a well known fact that women are under-represented in many industries, especially at the higher levels although there is strong evidence to support the idea that those companies that do use a gender diverse platform fare far better than those that don't.

Overall the betting and gaming industry is pretty even when talking about gender diversity with around 47% of all the employees being female, although when looking at managerial positions the percentages begin to widen in favour of male employees, with CEO's or MD's having the widest percentage with 83% of all CEO's being male.

The career ladder for women still appears to be a lot harder to climb and this inequality is sure to have a long-term impact on the talent pool, and as men outnumber women at the manager level, there are significantly fewer women to either hire or promote to the more senior management levels.

But, not everything is doom and gloom and there are many examples of women performing really well at the highest levels of the gambling industry who help to shape or influence decisions in a positive manner.

For instance, Melissa Blau who is the director of iGaming Capital has always been a strong supporter of innovation and has been chair of the Clarion Start-up Launchpad since 2009. Starting her career in investment banking before moving into venture capital gave Ms Blau a love for the more entrepreneurial side.

Alongside her work with start-ups, she also consults for a wide range of gaming businesses working in both Europe and the US, returning to live in the US in 2015 playing a major role in the US market.

Managing the igaming RFP and vendor selection of the Delaware Lottery, working with Tropicana to launch its igaming offering in 2013, and also launching and continuing to own one of first licensed affiliate businesses in New Jersey, Ms Blau is recognised as an exceptionally successful and knowledgeable force within the industry.

Just like the software developers behind the game who strive to bring their players the very best experiences, so many women in the higher positions within the industry work tirelessly to achieve only the very best results.

Take Britt Boeskov who is the chief experience officer, Kindred. Promoted to head a new division at Kindred she has also taken on a board position as independent non-executive director at Racecourse Media Group.

Shannon DeHaven who is the deputy director of digital operation, Michigan Lottery has the reputation of being somewhat of an inspiration who is described as the pre-eminent expert in all digital and iLottery matters.

There is no doubt that women can and do cut the grade if they make themselves visible. Being out there, on the front line, helps enormously as does writing for magazines which are always looking for new, innovative content, especially if you have something to say. Magazines tend to do events as well giving women the chance to attend conferences and webinars, but being aware of what you are best at and how you can share that expertise is essential in order to succeed.