Taking Risks, Betting on Yourself
Joe Watkins, President, Worldpay Gaming Solutions
Growing up in Las Vegas around all of the bright lights, Joe Watkins, president of Worldpay Gaming Solutions, always aspired to a career in gaming, though he was not sure of the path to get there.
After all, he can recall when Caesars had a two-year wait list to work for them. His exposure to the industry began at a young age as both of his parents worked in the industry—his mother at a VR store and his father as an engineer at MGM. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and building a career outside of the industry, Watkins was able to break into gaming when Caesars Entertainment called, almost out of the blue, to ask him to join the Enterprise Sales team, despite it being a significant pay cut at the time.
This opportunity has opened doors to a successful career in gaming. Watkins, who humorously refers to himself as an alum of the “University of Caesars Entertainment,” gained extensive experience in various brick-and-mortar operations across Las Vegas, New Orleans, Cincinnati and New England. This experience eventually led him to Worldpay Gaming Solutions, where he now impacts the online payment sector for gaming.
Watkins has consistently emphasized self improvement and taking risks. He believes in the mantra, “You’re either getting better or getting worse.” Reflecting on his career, Watkins notes, “There will be a lot of points in your career where you will have the safe, comfortable option, and then you have the option that scares the crap out of you. Despite the fear, I’ll always pick the option that scares the crap out of me, and I will bet on myself.
“Go for the option that scares you. Go for it. Bet on you.”
This philosophy guided his shift from brick-and-mortar casino marketing and operations to the online payments sector. Inspired by a conversation with Joe Pappano, his predecessor at Worldpay, Watkins recognized the growing importance of online gaming and took a chance on this new frontier, never looking back.
In his leadership role, Watkins places great importance on connecting with his team and listening to everyone. His time on the casino floor interacting with staff at the start and end of each day taught him the value of open communication. As he transitioned to leading a diverse, nationwide team, he sought ways to maintain this connection.
After a conversation with a newly hired sales development representative from a large non-gaming company, Watkins created “Caffeinate and Collaborate,” a program that encourages team members to share their thoughts over a cup of coffee.
Watkins’ leadership style is also influenced by Dan Gilbert’s (co-founder of Quicken Loans, Rocket Mortgage, and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jack Entertainment) famous “isms,” which he encountered while working for Gilbert in Cincinnati.
These “isms” are short memorable sayings that represent bigger management or company culture ideas and are used to remember what is important in running a successful business.
Watkins aims to instill his own set of guiding principles in his team, such as “Be interested, not interesting.” This phrase and others like it help team members focus on others rather than themselves, particularly in public speaking or meeting situations. Watkins has a wealth of these phrases, which he uses to inspire and guide his team.
Looking back on his career, Watkins acknowledges the role of luck, saying, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. You might not have as much control over when an opportunity may be available, but you absolutely can be prepared for it. Work your tail off to be ready to meet the moment when it shows up.”
Watkins attributes his success to being prepared for unforeseen opportunities, such as when he received that career-defining call from Caesars or the conversation with his predecessor that inspired him to pivot from traditional casino operations to the online payment sector, while having a leadership style that emphasizes team connection and continuous improvement.
