Two Women Shake Up The Male-Dominated Gambling Industry

In the past, men have held a significant presence in the gambling industry. However, the landscape has transformed, and now two remarkable women are taking center stage as pioneers in the online gambling and sports betting sector.

Amy Howe questions FanDuel’s spending habits

In February 2021, Amy Howe took the helm as CEO of FanDuel, leading the way for the prominent sports betting giant. Soon after assuming her role, she began challenging the industry’s traditional methods of customer acquisition, creating a stir in the process.

In order to acquire customers, companies in the sports betting industry adopt an assertive approach. Consequently, they often entice potential customers with exceedingly generous sign-up bonuses, including free bets and other enticing rewards.

Howe opines, however, that there is a threshold beyond which excessive spending on these promotions can be detrimental. The substantial decrease in company profits due to the distribution of free money may outweigh its benefits.

Sports betting companies in states such as New York are required to pay taxes on promotional expenses, treating them as revenue rather than marketing expenditures.

“In January 2022, Howe expressed our focus on efficiently allocating our funds for customer acquisition. We prioritize reaching the widest and most suitable audience while ensuring fiscal responsibility.”

Jette Nygaard-Andersen’s new methods of gaining customers

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, the CEO of Entain, is advocating for alternative approaches to attract customers who share a similar mindset. Rather than relying on free bets or sign-up bonuses, Nygaard-Andersen has put forth different tactics to attract new clientele.

Her main focus is to enhance the appeal of the company’s recreational aspects, with a particular emphasis on making free-to-play games more enticing.

It appears that Nygaard-Andersen’s strategy has been successful as Entain experienced significant revenue growth in 2020. Additionally, in 2021, the company’s worldwide customer base expanded by 25 percent.

BetMGM Sportsbook, a joint venture between MGM Resorts and Entain, not only excels in attracting new customers but also holds the top position in market share for online gambling and gaming.

In the states where BetMGM operates, the company is also in a tie for second place when it comes to the market share of sports betting.

She stated, “This places us in the same league as other companies that are customer-focused disruptors experiencing significant growth, such as Netflix and Google.”

She further explained that, much like those two highly prosperous corporations, they employ their technology to consistently ponder on ways to enhance their products and services, and to explore innovative solutions for the benefit of their customers.

Pushing for increased female interest in the industry

Both female CEOs, who are considered powerful and influential, have shared their aspiration to witness greater involvement of women in the industry.

Howe pointed out that although women make up fifty percent of sports fans, they only represent around 15 to 20 percent of the sports betting population.

According to Howe, it is crucial to effectively engage with female customers by genuinely focusing on their needs. A strategy to achieve this goal involves promoting female sports and demonstrating solidarity with female athletes.

According to Nygaard-Andersen, technology has a significant impact on entertaining Entain customers. She emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the company’s platforms, including artificial intelligence and programming data sets, are unbiased in order to attract women’s attention.

“It primarily concerns the underserved groups,” she emphasized. “Specifically, it encompasses women and young girls.”

Entain invests in closing gender gap in tech

Ennovate, an innovation lab funded by Entain, has received a recent investment of GBP100 million. The primary objective of this initiative is to facilitate the transfer of cutting-edge technology from various parts of the globe to non-profit organizations, with a focus on generating societal benefits.

In addition, Nygaard-Andersen has expressed her support for “Girls Who Code,” an organization that Entain has contributed to. This organization aims to address the gender disparity in the technology sector.

She expressed, “By instilling excitement for technology in girls at a young age, we lay a strong foundation. Once girls are aware of this, they have the potential to become exceptional superstars.”

FanDuel’s parent company made an aggressive goal in gender equality

Flutter, the parent company of the prominent online gambling platform, FanDuel, has recently made an admirable commitment. They have set a target to have women occupy 40% of their leadership positions by the year 2026.

Howe’s passion for expanding opportunities for women in the gambling industry is reflected in the publicly-declared benchmark.

Female leaders and their responsibility to other women

During the conference, Howe’s dedication to mentoring and empowering fellow women in the industry was palpable as she delivered a speech at the 2022 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

Numerous women attributed their success in the sports industry to Howe, acknowledging his significant role in promoting, hiring, and facilitating connections for them to obtain high-level positions.

Howe has expressed, “I am aware of the fact that I have the opportunity to contribute, and this motivates me to become a more effective leader. I genuinely believe that this will lead to long-term success for our company and our industry.”

In addition, Nygaard-Andersen has emphasized the significance of incorporating women in the predominantly male industry, focusing on both employment opportunities and product design.

She expressed her aspirations to revolutionize the industry, not only through product innovation but also by promoting diversity and inclusion in our industry’s mindset.

Nevertheless, Nygaard-Andersen appears to prioritize merit rather than getting entangled in the complexities of someone’s gender.

She has expressed, “I don’t identify myself primarily as a female CEO. I simply present myself as a leader within the industry.”