DEI Done Right: Making it Work for Your Business & People

DEI policies are more than feel-good measures. They help build workforce loyalty and boost company performance.

For years, conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in gambling have centered on representation. Now, the industry’s leading voices are asking a different question. It’s no longer about whether companies are “doing DEI” and achieving a PR boost. It’s about whether those efforts are creating better workplaces, retaining talent and ultimately improving business performance.

The gambling sector has progressed in terms of DEI in recent times, with the majority of companies making consistent efforts to diversify their workforce and encourage a more inclusive sector. But the DEI journey for the industry is just beginning.

Mark Skinner, chief people officer at Allwyn Digital, says the conversation around DEI has matured, with companies now expected to deliver measurable business outcomes. “Today, we recognize that diverse teams make better decisions, challenge assumptions more effectively and are more innovative,” Skinner says. “At the same time, there has been greater scrutiny around the effectiveness of DEI-focused programs.

“Stakeholders increasingly want evidence that initiatives deliver meaningful outcomes rather than simply demonstrating good intentions. I think that’s a healthy evolution. The focus has shifted from ‘Are we doing DEI?’ to ‘Is it improving our business, our culture and our ability to attract and retain great people?’”

Entering a New Phase

Skinner’s point reflects a wider shift in the view about DEI. The second term of U.S. President Donald Trump has seen a significant number of pro-diversity policies reversed and a broader corporate debate over whether DEI has become too detached from measurable business outcomes.

Diverse teams make better decisions, challenge assumptions more effectively and are more innovative.”
—Mark Skinner, Chief People Officer, Allwyn Digital

Yet despite the backlash against DEI in parts of the U.S., the gambling sector appears to have taken a more pragmatic approach, one that retains DEI as a key focus but also reframes discussions about performance. For Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting & Gaming Council in the U.K., that evolution has been clear.

“The conversation has moved beyond representation alone towards inclusion, retention, well-being and progression,” Hurst explains. “Businesses increasingly understand that DEI must be embedded in everyday culture, not treated as a separate initiative.”

The Power of Association

Much of the progress made over recent years has been driven by industry associations, which have increasingly focused on mentoring, networking and leadership development.

Alongside her leadership of the BGC, Hurst is a board member at Global Gaming Women. She says it has given her firsthand experience of how access to networks, mentorship and role models can help talented women advance in the sector.

Lois Bright, founder of Women in Gaming Africa, says the group’s key achievement has been making women visible and helping them to progress into leadership roles.

“I’m not saying they weren’t visible before,” says Bright, who is also the co-founder of Gaming Advisory Partners. “But what I would say is there are plenty of women who wouldn’t have been in commercially facing roles and would have therefore not have had a client-facing role or been in the public eye.

“I think it’s given a boost to women in the sense that they have a platform for tangible change, not just them as individuals, but collectively as a movement.”

Leadership Sets the Tone

A point the industry largely agrees on is that DEI must start at the top of a business.

“Leadership is the single biggest determinant of an inclusive culture,” Skinner comments. “Policies matter, but individuals experience inclusion primarily through their managers. Leaders set the tone through the decisions they make, the behaviors they reward and the conversations they encourage.

“At Allwyn, we’re focused on uniting our colleagues behind one culture while respecting the unique identity of each market. For international organizations, one of the biggest leadership challenges is creating consistency of culture and opportunity without losing the strengths that make local teams successful.”

Some companies, such as Evoke, actively monitor DEI in their leadership tier to track whether their initiatives are making a difference.

“Leadership is critical in setting expectations and maintaining accountability,” says Nicola Kociuba, learning and performance business partner at Evoke. “For example, our Nomination Committee monitors progress against diversity objectives and considers diversity in succession planning and appointments, while ensuring decisions remain based on merit, experience and capability.

“We track representation at the senior management and board level. Alongside representation, we also look at the strength and reach of our colleague communities, and whether colleagues feel able to contribute and be heard. Together, these are important indicators of whether DEI is becoming embedded in the culture rather than simply reported on.”

Measuring progress has become a key theme for the sector. Playtech also tracks its DEI achievements to keep tabs on its progress. According to Sophie Yaxley, the company’s global Centre of Excellence (CoE) director, female representation in Playtech’s leadership rose from 23 percent in 2021 to 32 percent in 2025, with DEI oversight sitting at the board level rather than being left solely to HR.

“Ultimately, our focus is not only on representation, but on fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, develop and succeed,” Yaxley says.

The Biggest Battle: Recruitment or Retention?

For some time, one of the key questions when it came to DEI was how the gambling sector could attract diverse talent into the industry. Now, that question has turned to whether the industry can actually retain the diverse employees it’s managed to attract.

The answer, in the view of industry experts, is creating a welcoming culture that entices that talent to stay. This is an aspect of DEI that Skinner believes is often misconstrued.

“One misconception is that DEI is solely about recruitment targets,” he says. “Recruitment is important, but bringing diverse people into an organization without creating an inclusive culture simply results in higher turnover.”

Skinner also believes recruitment is still the bigger challenge over retention. “The gaming industry operates in a highly competitive talent market, particularly for digital, technology, data, AI and product roles,” he says.

Skinner also argues the ongoing perception challenges the industry faces can be a barrier for attracting diverse talent.

“Many talented individuals simply don’t understand the breadth of careers available in gaming and lotteries, while others have preconceived views about the sector itself,” he continues. “Overcoming this requires greater visibility of career opportunities, stronger employer branding, partnerships with universities and community organizations, and showcasing diverse role models across leadership.

“We’re not just competing with other operators; we’re competing with fintech, gaming, technology and consumer brands that often have stronger employer recognition and, in some cases, fewer misconceptions associated with their industry.

“As a result, we can miss out on talented individuals who simply don’t consider our sector.”

Beyond Representation

While representation remains important, Yaxley warns that many companies still mistake headcount for inclusion.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that DEI can be measured by representation alone,” she says. “Representation matters, but it’s only one part of the picture.”

For her, the real test is whether employees have equal access to development, promotion and leadership opportunities, rather than simply being hired in the first place.

More women should be shortlisted for positions. There shouldn’t be a case of going, ‘Oh, let me tick a box here.’”
—Lois Bright, Founder, Women in Gaming Africa

Bright believes another common misconception is that diversity is achieved by simply ticking boxes during recruitment.

“More women should be shortlisted for positions,” she suggests. “There shouldn’t be a case of going, ‘Oh, let me tick a box here’ or ‘This person is an anomaly to the rule.’

“I think it’s about businesses evolving to understand that having more women inside their businesses will aid and abet the success of their businesses, not hold it back.”

Yaxley adds: “The most meaningful measure of progress is not simply who joins an organization, but whether opportunities, development and leadership pathways are accessible to everyone.”

Where Does DEI Still Fall Short?

Despite the progress made, interviewees agree there are still areas where the gambling industry has work to do.

“While the industry has made significant strides in recent years, I believe there is still work to be done to ensure diversity is fully reflected at every level of an organization, particularly within senior leadership and executive positions,” Yaxley says.

While much of the industry’s progress has centered on gender diversity, Yaxley argues other forms of diversity still receive too little attention.

“I also believe disability and neurodiversity deserve greater visibility within DEIB conversations,” she states. “These dimensions of diversity can often be less visible, yet they bring valuable perspectives, skills and ways of thinking that strengthen organizations and contribute to better outcomes.”

Disability and neurodiversity deserve greater visibility within DEIB conversations.”
—Sophie Yaxley, Playtech Centre of Excellence Director

Bright believes the biggest challenge in Africa remains ensuring more women reach senior decision-making positions. While she’s observed clear progress through initiatives such as Women in Gaming Africa, she believes there’s still a lack of female representation in some of the industry’s most influential roles.

“I think if you look at the regulators, sometimes I do feel sad to see that it is largely just men,” she says. “I’d like to see more women regulators in more senior positions.

“But I think the tide is turning. Our work is not done. That’s how I see it. We’ve got lots more to do, but I definitely think it’s moving in the right direction and it’s moving in the right direction in sort of fits and starts.”

Bright also warns against viewing DEI through a single global lens.

While the U.S. and markets in Europe may have broadened discussions to encompass issues such as LGBTQ+ inclusion, she notes that priorities differ across Africa, where legal, cultural and social realities can vary between countries.

The Future of DEI

Looking ahead, industry leaders believe the next phase of DEI will be less about standalone initiatives and more about embedding inclusion into everyday business decisions.

While companies continue to improve representation, the focus is increasingly shifting towards creating workplaces where people from all backgrounds can progress and build long-term careers in the gambling sector.

Businesses increasingly understand that DEI must be embedded in everyday culture, not treated as a separate initiative.”
—Grainne Hurst, CEO, UK Betting & Gaming Council

Yaxley hopes DEI will become “a fundamental part of how organizations operate,” with technology and people analytics helping businesses in making fairer, evidence-based decisions on talent.

“Ultimately, I hope the conversation evolves from representation alone to a stronger focus on belonging,” she says. “Diverse teams are important, but lasting progress comes when people feel valued, heard and able to contribute fully.”

That sentiment reflects the consensus across the industry.

As Skinner says, the question is no longer whether companies are “doing DEI,” but whether it’s improving their culture and strengthening the overall business.

For a sector facing intense competition for talent, fostering an inclusive workplace is becoming as much of a commercial priority as a cultural one.