iGaming Learning and Development in the ‘New Normal’
Before the pandemic hit, the iGaming industry was already a highly saturated and competitive market to operate in. Now, with the added operational complexities brought on by the lockdown, iGaming companies will be increasingly looking for ways to streamline their processes and remain competitive.
Adam Roebuck is the Director of Studies at Gaming Operations Academy and shares his thoughts with iGaming Future on what it will take for iGaming operators to develop within the ‘New Normal’ and sustain healthy growth in the future.
In what ways do you think the impact of the pandemic has highlighted particular needs for learning and development in our industry going forward?
“A few things immediately spring to mind.
The lockdowns have finally made employers rethink remote working – up until the pandemic, employers were generally against the idea of employees working away from the office – this could be due to data security or a lack of confidence in their team members to complete the required day to day tasks.
This is not just a management challenge – many Team members also discovered that working away from the office environment can have negative impacts to mental health with some even claiming that they feel a lack of self-confidence to complete tasks which ordinarily were never a challenge when working alongside team members.
It’s obvious that workloads on employees have increased and individuals are now required to pick up the slack & complete tasks outside of their experience and comfort zone.
The sector needs to finally change with the times and embrace employee development & refrain from the urge to constantly throw more bodies at a problem each time a new challenge comes along.
The best investment you can make in 2021 is to educate yourself & your team members so they will want to stick around and help smash your 2021 goals.”
The modern workplace has changed forever and we’re now working in the new normal. How will this change the ways we train and educate ourselves as an industry moving forward?
“Remote working or hybrid working was always going to happen with the rise of more secured company networks, the horrifying increase in living expenses within our major cities, & our social awakening for a greener- sustainable living.
Remote working generates a fantastic opportunity to attract top tier employee talent on a global level, not just those who are based in London, Gibraltar, Malta, Las Vegas, Macau etc.
The key to attracting and keeping those individuals is to satisfy their hunger for a top-notch support system that gives them the tools they need to succeed – the more top talent you attract they more they expect (just like a top athlete) consistent training to help with their personal development.
Right now, free content is plentiful, but there is always a catch, it either lacks quality or someone wants to sell you something – people are getting fatigued with free content and events right now, the industry is wising-up and is demanding quality over quantity.
From the Gaming Operations Academy perspective, we will constantly shapeshift with the times and offer an ever-changing mix of digital, face to face & blended learning experience.
I also think this year will throw up more moral and practical questions in the future when it comes to attending conferences or training sessions.
Is the event/training session Safe?
Will the company insurance cover the trip?
Do you have the support / green light from close family members to go?
Justifiable price of travel?
Is the journey as eco-friendly as it could be?”
What can an organisation such as GOA teach an operator that they can’t teach internally?
“Put Simply – Global best practice with real-world/real-time experience.
Most companies offer (or should) internal training – the challenge is it goes out of date pretty quick (unless it’s really basic),
Organisations only have a limited amount of training time to dedicate to each employee.
Many companies have chosen the E-learning route – which serves a purpose in the correct environment – but if not used correctly will result in just a boring tick box exercise.
Our Digital Study Halls are all live and designed to be engaging to drive innovation and generate new ideas. Training content should be ever-evolving.
Every attendee is encouraged to ask as many questions as they need to get to grips with the topic. – we want each attendee to have the confidence to implement what they’ve learned.
All of our coaches have the right industry experience, many have worked in the 3 pillars of our sector.
- Operator
- Vendor
- Regulator
By trusting our global experience, you can be assured that we have seen the pitfalls so you don’t have to experience them.”
What does the future hold for GOA? Plans for 2021?
“2021 we will be focusing on the basics right, testing new product & trainers.
Our Hybrid face to face and digital events are planned but these will be in 2022 as we sit back and watch the events industry recover.
This means we can concentrate on delivering great quality training sessions to our customers.
Our course placements are not only taken up by organisations for employee improvement but also attract individuals that self-fund to keep ahead of their colleagues for promotions/career progression.
Just some of our upcoming Topics:
- Affiliate management programmes
- Sportsbook Fundamentals
- Creating an Igaming business
- Responsible Gaming & AML
- Rebooting your land-based casino operation
- Slots
- Table Games
- Marketing
- Improving your online Slot games portfolio
- VIP programme management
- How to use Gamification within your operation”
Editor’s Note: There’s no doubt that, as Adam put it, people are becoming fatigued by the constant barrage of online events and sessions. But this doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a huge demand for training and development, especially for those operators who want to retain and attract the best talent in the industry. Finding the best channels to deliver this development is a continual challenge, working with training experts like GOA could be the perfect solution!
To find out more about their courses and free workshops available please click here.
Special Promo: IGF50 – Discount code 50 euros off any Digital Study Hall for 2021
About Gaming Operations Academy:
Gaming Operations Academy has been born from the closure of Clarions Totally Gaming Academy.
Most of the trainers have been brave enough to join us on this journey & we have picked up some new trainers along the way – I cannot thank them enough for their trust and support.
All our courses are designed to improve revenue and customer engagement for established operators & start-ups, from all parts of our industry.
If you are(or aspire to be) Management, Head of Department, Team leader – you will walk away with tangible take-away’s & real-world ideas to implement within your team / wider business.
We have 3 main products – All live and engaging:
- Free Course Sample workshops – Get to know our product and Coach
- Digital Study Halls – Mixed classes with attendees from all over the world
- Inhouse team training – private sessions for teams of 10 +
NEW for 2021 each attendee will get a private 1 on 1 session with the coach post-course.
Standard prices start from as little as 599 Euros per person.
One great way to give your team the edge over the competition for 2021 and beyond.
