The 4 Best iGaming Careers
Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, December 21, 2021
The online gambling industry is an increasingly prominent and influential employer in the global marketplace, especially in the UK and its various territories around the world.
Currently, British iGaming firms employ more than 100,000 people in the UK and various overseas territories, including Alderney, Gibraltar, Malta and the Isle of Man. In the UK alone, more than 10,000 people work in the sector, not including those who operate on a freelance basis.
There’s also a broad diversity of careers available in the iGaming space. But apart from becoming a professional gambler, what are the best and most exciting iGaming careers available to interested parties?
1. A Live Dealer
Online casino games have become increasingly authentic and interactive over the course of the last decade, in order to replicate the pace and excitement of a corporeal gambling experience online.
This has largely involved the use of so-called “live dealers”, who are real people and immersed in video technology and perform the variable roles of croupier and dealer in real-time. This adds a realistic and human element to the iGaming experience, while bridging the gap between online betting and frequenting a brick-and-mortar casino location.
Becoming a live dealer is also a relatively accessible career, as there are no formal qualifications or accredited skills required to carry out the role. You may see online that most live dealers are female, but this trend is changing as employers become more inclusive and less focused on outdated stereotypes.
However, applicants with experience of dealing or working as a croupier in a similar role or land-based casino will probably have a competitive edge over others, especially if they specialise in a particular table game or iteration.
2. A Graphic Artist
The iGaming market is incredibly crowded and competitive, which is why the niche has evolved from having a 39% total industry share in 2018 to more than 52% just two years later.
Despite the dominance of a select few market leading gambling brands like 888 and William Hill, the iGaming space also features a huge number of smaller and independent operators that continue to compete for a relatively small slice of the overall marketplace.
In order to compete more aggressively, operators need to stand out visually from their rivals. This is why there’s such a high demand for skilled graphic designers and artists in the iGaming space, as brands look to set themselves apart and steal the smallest of competitive edges.
The work of a graphic artist in this field can be broad and incredibly varied, from creating eye-catching casino backdrops and icons to branded characters that help to market the platform. Operators may also use animated symbols and high-quality 2D art elements within their sites, and will pay handsomely for the best and most experienced designers.
Once again, those with iGaming experience may have an advantage over other applicants, but the most important thing is that you have a visually engaging portfolio and can demonstrate a considerable range and depth of skills.
3. Working in Marketing or Customer Support
On a similar note, casino brands (particularly smaller, independent and new operators) tend to rely heavily on creative digital marketing to attract a constant slew of new customers.
These marketing drives can take numerous forms, from the use of paid ads and affiliate campaigns to the deployment of organic content and social media messaging. Often, operators create integrated campaigns that utilise a number of different channels, depending on their precise objectives and available budgets.
Because of this, operators will usually deploy a core team of marketing professionals, who usually have academic qualifications within the field and years of experience operating in similarly competitive markets. However, they may also seek out freelancers with particular expertise to help with individual campaigns, including those skilled in fields like PPC, copywriting and social media management.
When it comes to retaining customers, customer service is arguably the most important string in an online casino’s bow. While much of this is automated through chatbots in 2022, there’s still a demand for telephone and email operators to respond to more complex customer queries and deliver satisfactory outcomes.
In some cases, customer service can also be used as a channel through which to upsell and market products at a time when consumers are most engaged with the brand. Of course, there are some limitations due to the rules around responsible gambling, but operators are always looking for friendly customer service agents.
4. Software Development and IT Professionals
Last, but not least, we come to the tech side of iGaming. Make no mistake; the whole industry is powered by expansive code and algorithms, which automate gameplay and ensure that games are seamlessly accessible across both desktop and mobile devices.
At the heart of this is a core team of skilled computer programmers and software developers, who can perform an array of roles such as creating and automating website functions to aiding the development of games for established libraries like Microgaming, Play’n Go, NetEnt and Playtech.
Some of these market leading software houses release new titles every single year, so there’s a huge demand for competent, skilled and experienced developers who can work quickly and to an incredibly high standard.
You’ll almost certainly benefit from gaming experience when applying in the marketplace, while once again we’d recommend having a portfolio to hand that effectively demonstrates your unique and most relevant skills.
Other technology and IT professionals are also in demand in the iGaming niche, with these individuals playing a key (albeit often understated) role in guaranteeing website performance and functionality in real-time.
These pros can help to prevent website downtime or issues that impact on gameplay functionality, while safeguarding player deposits and ensuring that SSL encryption data is updated at all times.