Industry Roundtable: Celebrating International Women’s Day Throughout Gaming

Every 12 months on March 8, International Women’s Day (IWD) presents a strong alternative to rejoice progress, highlight challenges, and honor the ladies driving change throughout industries. This 12 months’s theme, #GiveToAcquire, emphasizes the transformative energy of generosity—when people, organizations, and communities give again, they create alternatives and pave the way in which for better assist and success for ladies. It’s a message that deeply resonates inside the gaming and on line casino industries.
To rejoice International Women’s Day, we’ve gathered inspiring leaders from the on line casino world to share their journeys, mirror on the challenges they’ve confronted, and envision a extra inclusive future for the {industry}.

Join Dearbhla Purcell, Director of Marketing and Events at Games Global, and Pamela Buckley, Executive Vice President at Global Gaming Women, for an inspiring roundtable dialogue celebrating their journeys and exploring how the {industry} can drive better equality.

Tell us about your background. What impressed you to pursue a profession within the gaming {industry}, and what has your journey been like to date?

Dearbhla Purcell:

From an early age my mother and father created an surroundings the place sporting ambition and work life stability weren’t mutually unique. My brothers and I grew up in a wholesome, aggressive family the place achievement was inspired however a wholesome life stability was paramount.

My profession has not been linear, and that has labored in my favour. I started within the building {industry} as a Quantity Surveyor, the place budgets, forecasting, and worth evaluation formed my skilled mindset. After finishing my MBA, I made the choice to pivot and begin once more, shifting into iGaming. Being based mostly within the Isle of Man, it was gaming or finance, and I selected gaming intentionally for its scale, tempo, and ambition.

I used to be instantly struck by the vitality of the sector. It is international, demanding, and unforgiving if you’re not centered. That surroundings suited me. Today I convey each chapters collectively, taking a look at advertising by a business lens. Creativity is highly effective, however solely when it delivers measurable affect.

Over the years I’ve led international model and experiential initiatives, overseen flagship franchises, and labored carefully with business and government groups to align advertising with development. The journey has been intense and infrequently uncomfortable, which in my expertise is precisely the place actual development occurs.

Pamela Buckley:

When folks ask me about my background and what impressed me to pursue a profession in gaming, I at all times smile a bit of as a result of for me, it was by no means a single defining second, however relatively a collection of lucky occasions coupled with arduous work, lots of grit, and perseverance. Each alternative was an necessary step in my journey that has led me to the place I’m at this time.

I used to be born and raised in Las Vegas, so the gaming {industry} wasn’t simply one thing I stepped into, it was central to the neighborhood that raised me. The lights, the vitality, the hospitality, the 24/7 momentum, it was acquainted. In 1996, I began as a lifeguard on the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. At the time, I couldn’t have predicted that job would turn out to be the inspiration for a lifelong profession in gaming and function my introduction to the ability of visitor service and teamwork. I then superior to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino as a entrance desk agent, a job that opened the door to a 23-year journey with Caesars Entertainment.

My path has been something however conventional, and truthfully, I wouldn’t change a factor. What many individuals discover stunning is that my faculty diploma isn’t in hospitality, however relatively schooling. While I constructed my skilled life inside casinos and resorts, I’ve at all times thought-about myself a lifelong learner at coronary heart. Teaching, mentoring, and serving to others develop has at all times been woven into my profession. Even in operational roles, I gravitated towards coaching groups, creating leaders, and constructing environments the place folks may stretch into their potential. That basis in schooling formed the way in which I lead with curiosity, construction, empathy, and a deep perception in development.

One of the best presents of working inside a big group like Caesars is the flexibility to take what I name the “jungle gym” method to your profession. Instead of climbing a single, vertical ladder, I used to be in a position to transfer throughout disciplines, spending years in lodge operations, on line casino advertising, and later VIP operations and gross sales. Each transfer stretched me. Each position strengthens a unique management muscle. And every expertise strengthened that this {industry} rewards those that are keen to boost their hand, work arduous, and keep curious.

In 2023, after a protracted significant chapter with Caesars, I had the chance to hitch the opening staff on the beautiful Fontainebleau Las Vegas because the Executive Director of Fontainebleau Rewards and Casino Services. Opening a property of that magnitude pushed me exterior of my consolation zone in the very best means. It required resilience, adaptability, and imaginative and prescient and it gave me invaluable expertise and perspective that I carry with me at this time.

Then, in late 2024, I stepped into what I actually think about my dream position with Global Gaming Women, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, devoted to supporting, inspiring, and advancing ladies within the gaming {industry}. As Executive Vice President, I’ve the privilege of mixing a long time of operational management expertise with my ardour for schooling, mentorship, and advocacy.

In some ways, I really feel my journey has come full circle. I is probably not educating in a conventional classroom, however my work is about affect. It’s about serving to ladies discover their voice, uncover their ardour, and see a spot for themselves in an {industry} that has formed my whole life.

What progress have you ever seen for ladies in gaming, and what adjustments do you suppose are nonetheless wanted? What recommendation would you give to ladies trying to develop within the {industry}?

Dearbhla Purcell:

It is a male dominated {industry}, however what {industry} isn’t? Pre-gaming, I certified after 4 years of examine as the one feminine in my class of 40. I used to be negotiating pricing and budgets within the depths of winter in Scotland as a QS with males twice, even triple my age. So, strolling into gaming and seeing different ladies across the desk already felt like main progress.

Over the previous eight years, I’ve witnessed sensible ladies in management, however I additionally noticed the struggle it took to get there. I’ve lived elements of that myself with changing into a mom whereas maintaining skilled ambition firmly intact, and it has been something however seamless. For me, it has required resilience, collective ambition with my husband, and lots of private assist. It will not be straightforward, however it’s completely potential and, for me, price it.

That stated, illustration at senior and technical ranges nonetheless wants work. Visibility adjustments what feels achievable for ladies.

My recommendation is straightforward. Build business credibility. Know the numbers. Speak up early. Do not await permission. And again different ladies loudly, particularly when they don’t seem to be within the room. Even higher, invite them into the room.

Pamela Buckley:

Over the years, I’ve witnessed exceptional strides for ladies in gaming and the success of GGW displays this progress. What began as a small however mighty group of proficient and motivated ladies in Las Vegas a decade in the past, has matured into a world group with greater than 9,000 members in 70-plus international locations. Today, extra ladies additionally maintain management roles, there are expanded {industry} initiatives and networking alternatives tailor-made to ladies, and there’s an growing recognition that numerous groups result in stronger enterprise outcomes.

With that stated, I nonetheless consider there may be work to be achieved. Women proceed to be underrepresented in on the government/c-suite degree. We want an industry-wide dedication to fairness, making certain ladies have equal entry to management titles, truthful and clear compensation, and the high-profile alternatives that enable them to develop. Equally necessary is fostering a tradition the place ladies really feel empowered to take dangers, step into challenges, and confidently pursue roles that stretch their capabilities. True progress requires each structural fairness and environments that encourage ladies to steer with out hesitation.