Over the past few years, women have played a significant role in the evolution and growth of the online betting industry, and their contributions should not go unnoticed.
The career path of those working in sports betting is still a predominantly male-led industry, yet we are starting to see this change, and women are using this industry to rapidly progress up the professional ladder faster than in many other industries.
For women wanting to enter the sports betting industry, there’s often a steep learning curve if they don’t have a background in sports, casino and betting, and immersing yourself in this world is imperative if you’re to be successful. For those that don’t have a natural passion for sports, I would suggest staying up to date with sports news, listening to your peers group who are knowledgeable about sports, and generally staying up to date with the latest trends to stay relevant. Learn as much as you can about the products and markets available within the industry, both locally and internationally.
Evolving sports betting industry
We have definitely seen the online betting industry evolve over the last six to seven years. Women are entering the online betting industry at a rapid pace, particularly in the fields of marketing, human resources, operations, and finance and more broadly across online betting operators. This is largely reflected by the growth we are seeing in South African operators leading the way in diversifying gender representation in online betting as a whole.
There is a significant opportunity for the industry to upskill, mentor and create jobs for aspiring women leaders and to prepare the next generation of women to lead online betting companies. Advice I would give to other women is to keep upskilling yourself, stay ahead of trends and keep up to date with industry news – in short, keep learning. In the online space, things are ever changing, and you’re only valuable if you remain relevant.
Building career roadmaps
Mentoring and coaching women creates career roadmaps that can develop a culture of diverse thinking. Mentorship plays an important role in addressing the gender gap and provides tangible role models and guidance for women in corporate career environments.
Online betting is one of the fastest industries for women looking for rapid career progression into leadership positions. Whereas in other industries it could take decades before they find themselves at the helm of a department or company, in online betting, women are finding themselves in leadership positions in under five years. Online betting also forces women to be up to date with the latest emerging technologies, trends and new regulations.
Mentoring leaders of the future
It’s important for systems to be put in place that facilitate learning opportunities and skills development for women and this needs to be a continuous process. This includes soft skills development and engagement leveraging industry updates, coaching, and engaging with other women in the industry at conferences, for example.
Senior leaders have a responsibility to mentor, upskill and empower women in the workforce, across all industries, to aid in their professional development, and to help guide their career advancement. Nobody can do this alone and I believe mentoring is one of the top strategies to help address the gender gap and unemployment crisis in South Africa.
Things look very different today than what they did even just a few years ago. We are seeing positive developments as more women hold leadership positions in this space and we can expect to see the online betting industry looking very bright in the future.
I would encourage all qualified candidates who want a job in online betting to reach out to recruiters who specialise in the industry, and express their intent. The betting industry is substantially more open to recruiting outside of our industry, and industry experience is generally a blocker in other sectors. Often experience in the business of sports is not a hard requirement either.
It’s by no account an easy journey and it’s a fast-paced environment that requires women to be resilient, adaptable and innovative. The hustle isn’t for everyone, but if you can meet that challenge you will thrive.