Gambling continues to adapt to the new rules of recruiting as leaders place a greater emphasis on responsible gambling roles. Emma Clayton-Wright is the Managing Director at EyeSpy Recruitment and a HR expert who explains how responsible gambling positions are growing in authority to help gambling’s daily operations.
SBC: Does responsible gambling have a separate discipline in most of the gambling organizations? What happened to this important change, and when?
Emma Clayton Wright (MD @ Eye Spy recruitment). Absolutely. In most organisations we are in contact with, responsible gaming departments sit alongside customer service, fraud prevention and AML.
This customer operations aspect has been a common feature of recruitment agencies over the past three to four year. Over the last 18 years I’ve been in this industry and have witnessed the rapid evolution in customer operations. Compliance and the focus on safer gambling used to be seen as a threat to the business and an obstacle in achieving its commercial goals. Operators are now investing in centers of excellence and there is a real passion for customer care.
SBC: What are responsible gambling roles supposed to include?
ECW The role of the safe gambling team is to assess the effectiveness of any action taken, identify potential customers at high risk for gambling-related harm and act accordingly to minimize that risk. These are often required as part of operator licensing requirements. The team acts as the first line defense for customers who are most at risk.
SBC: Which qualities are companies looking for in responsible gamblers?
ECW: Candidates who have exceptional communication skills are able to make well-informed decisions and make sound judgments. They must be flexible and resilient in an ever-changing environment. It can be difficult to work at the forefront of customer service. You need to communicate and influence multiple stakeholders from all levels.
Employers are more likely to hire candidates who show a willingness to learn and are able to find ways to improve services and processes. This is not a job that you do just as a show up and go. It can also be a career option and an area where people have the opportunity to grow and move quickly.
SBC: Are there many qualified candidates available?
ECW It is indeed very high. A well-funded start up in Gibraltar recently hired us to help them build an entire vertical customer operations. This included a Head for Safer Gambling and multiple Team Leaders who face numerous territories as well as their teams of agents. This was an enjoyable and fulfilling project. Our client was extremely happy with the quality of our candidates that we sent for interviews and were ultimately hired.
Many of the candidates have excellent educations, are often bilingual and bring great value to a company. The talent pool in major gaming jurisdictions is very strong, according to us. We can recruit very talented candidates if the brand is engaging, the culture is positive, and the senior management invests in safe gambling.
SBC: Could you give us an example of someone you’ve placed who has succeeded? Why did this candidate excel so much?
ECW – There was one candidate we had placed that has stayed with us. A gambling addict, he was an extraordinary individual. He was homeless at his lowest and had reached rock bottom. He rebuilt his life, and is now a safer gambler for an operator.
He is able to understand the gambling habits of gamblers and has a passion for being a mental-health advocate within the industry. I could see that he loved his work. He was able to step up into the role of team leader with a client who is safer in gambling environments. I’m confident that he will succeed. So far, the feedback has been fantastic from his hiring managers!
SBC: What should operators and suppliers look out for in identifying responsible gamblers?
ECW Make sure that the culture values are aligned first. Look for candidates that share the company’s vision of creating a center of excellence in customer service and safer gambling environments. This role requires soft skills. The agents will need to handle difficult conversations. This will take diplomacy and empathy.
