Live Gaming Summit aims for diversity
Live Gaming Summit will take place in Barcelona on April 26 and a new initiative will be unveiled at the event.
Spain.- On April 26th, the second annual Live Gaming Summit is bringing together providers, operators, experts, and other stakeholders to discuss the latest developments in the live gaming industry. A major topic of discussion at this year’s event will be the need for operators and product developers to appeal to a diverse customer base.
“Organizations that prioritise diversity and inclusion gain a higher market share and have a competitive edge in accessing new markets. […] if you are not attracting women to your business then you need to think about why that is, because any idea that women are simply not interested in gambling is a not the case,” former UK Gambling Commission CEO Sarah Harrison remarked at the ICE Totally Gaming Conference 2018.
Harrison also severely criticised the presence of promo girls “expected to wear nothing more than swimsuits” at the London trade show. Her remarks illustrate that casual sexism, to an ever greater extent, comes with a cost.
The live gaming industry has long relied on female dealers and croupiers in daring outfits to attract a predominantly male audience. This strategy, however, is likely to be increasingly off-putting to a large segment of potential customers, and might also be intimidating to female staff.
“I know that a large proportion of players care much more about the pace of the dealing and the quality of the stream, as well as solid customer service, than the pretty girl at the table,” Karolina Pelc, casino director at LeoVegas says.
“Making live casino about the experience and not the depth of the dealer’s cleavage – something which you can already see with leading providers – is therefore the way forward for everyone.”
Not coincidentally, Pelc will be one of the featured speakers at the upcoming Live Gaming Summit, where she will also unveil a new project to promote diversity among live casino dealers.
The speaker lineup will also include: Kfir Kugler, CEO of Ezugi; Kevin Kilminster, Head of Live Casino Innovation at Playtech; Tom de Bruijn, Head of Live at Kindred Group; Rob Wheeler, Commercial Director at Medialive Casino; Tim Cullimore, Head of European Sales at TCSJOHNHUXLEY; Arnaud Schmit, COO at Partouche Images; and many others.
The 2018 Live Gaming Summit will take place inside Casino Barcelona, right next to the ongoing live action of its roulette and blackjack tables. The venue is located close to the beach and right underneath the Hotel Arts (Ritz Carlton), a top hotel in Barcelona.
