GGW Voices is an ongoing collaboration between CDC Gaming and Global Gaming Women featuring commentary and insight from women in the gaming industry.
One of the most exciting aspects of working in the regulated gaming industry is that it’s constantly evolving. New technologies and processes that weren’t even on the industry’s radar a handful of years ago are now fully integrated into our everyday work. Couple that with the fact that the gambling ecosystem is comprised of a multitude of different industries – marketing, promotions, legal, responsible gambling, tax, audit, accounting, cybersecurity, surveillance, and more – and it can feel overwhelming to stay on top of the latest rules, regulations, and trends.
That’s why investing in continuing education and training can be paramount to prolonged success in this fun, dynamic industry many of us call home. As the Operations Director for UNLV’s International Center for Gaming Regulation (ICGR), my role is to develop accessible executive training programs that ensure attendees learn industry-wide best practices from world-class practitioners in their field. Whether you’ve been in the industry for two or twenty years, there’s always something to learn, and maintaining curiosity is what sets you apart from the crowd.
One of the most rewarding aspects of developing these trainings is to see a class filled with attendees ranging from vice presidents to new hires. For individuals in leadership positions, attending these courses demonstrates to their staff that they not only value education, but they are also never too experienced to keep learning. For those who are entering the workforce, it demonstrates an eagerness to learn and grow within your role.
Getting on-the-job training is only half of what developing these courses is all about — the other half is creating the opportunity for attendees to build their networks. When we think of the gaming industry, our minds often default to its main hubs, like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. It’s not shocking for someone who works at Caesars Palace to have a colleague or mentor that works for MGM, but for someone at a small, regional casino, the opportunity to meet someone else that works in this industry can feel out of reach. These trainings provide opportunities to make those connections.
It’s hard to put a value on having a strong network. Global Gaming Women has been paramount to me being able to build mine, and my network is one of the reasons I have been successful in developing training courses in my current role.
A prime example of this occurred just a few months ago. AI and cybersecurity are the hot topics of the moment. You can’t attend a gaming conference without consistently hearing these words. When I started my marketing career at Caesars, the only AI I used daily was the spellcheck function on Microsoft Word. But now, AI is integrated into the very fiber of the industry, whether it’s boosting surveillance capabilities or helping identify AML compliance issues. It became clear to me that our Center needed to provide a training course to highlight how AI and cybersecurity can help casinos ensure compliance and improve security going forward.
The only problem is…I’m not a cybersecurity expert. The good news was someone in my network just happens to be. A single phone call later, and we were developing a virtual AI and cybersecurity crash course that highlighted how AI is being used in the industry, how it will be used in the future, how scammers are using it to hack casinos, what government regulations are in place to legislate the use of AI, and what casino executives should be on the lookout for (thank you, Melissa Aarskaug and Matthew Wein!). The course sold out over a month in advance. I recognized an industry need, and my network helped me fill it.
When you invest in training, for yourself or your staff, you can unlock personal and professional growth. At the ICGR, attendees leave each training with the speaker’s contact information. We also encourage attendees to share their contact information with each other. You never know when you’ll run across a problem in your role where the difference between solving it or not, is the ability to phone a friend.
