KPMG director Micky Swindale raised the hot subject of diversity at the eGaming summit in the island.

Micky played a vital role in organising the day-long event which was attended by nearly 300 movers and shakers in the online gambling industry.

eGaming is now an important part of the island’s economy with some of the biggest global ’names’ operating here including PokerStars and software giant Microgaming.

The issue of gender diversity was first raised at a Business News round table discussion involving island-based women working in gaming, this time last year.

Micky said that had since sparked moves on the issue.

She told Business News at the Villa Marina summit venue that diversity is a big issue. She said the publication in the summer of the BBC’s gender pay scales had also put the spotlight on the issue. She said: ’I want to put the focus on why it is important to have diversity.’

She believes gender diversity issues are even more marked in the eGaming sector than in business generally.

She added: ’Gaming,rightly or wrongly is perceived to be more male dominated. She said a well known sector analyst pointed out that other than Denise Coates at Bet 365, it was a struggle to think of another senior female executive in the gambling industry in the British Isles.

’We did a poll at our Gibraltar summit to ask the delegates for the gaming operator they worked for or ones they knew best, what percentage of the executive team were female, and 75 per cent of our delegates said less than 10 per cent of the executive team were female. So that’s a really tiny margin.’

And she said it was also marked in the customer base.

’Other than bingo the participation by women online is actually very low.

’It’s interesting that bingo advertising is much less male dominated and much less testosterone fuelled than the advertising for casino, sports betting, slots and poker.

’Clearly it pays dividends when you speak to women as well as men, in your advertising.’

Micky claimed it was clear there were some serious [diversity] issues based around the customers and around talent working in the industry.

’That was why we ran a workshop in April and now we are working with KPMG in the UK on the hashtag: WeAllWantToPlay initiative in the eGaming industry which included a dinner in London with some big names.

KPMG’s group managing director, Russell Kelly, told delegates that there had been continued growth in the scale of the eGaming industry in the island over the past year.

He said the Isle of Man currently has 37 licensed entities.

A further two have been approved and are awaiting licences and five more have applications in the pipeline.

’So good strong business flow is coming in.’

The island’s chief minister Howard Quayle said eGaming has become a major component in the island’s economic success. It accounted for one fifth of national income in the most recent published annual statistics.

Micky Swindale is speaking up for women in eGaming