How to build a strong team for an online gambling business

As with any other business, gambling companies require a clear structure and efficient organization. The owner’s role is to assemble a team of professionals who will contribute to the company’s growth. This article provides practical advice on building a recruitment process, developing a team, formulating corporate culture, implementing a tracking system, and creating a strong HR brand.

Why invest time and money in building a team?

Every skilled specialist or visionary team leader is looking for a positive workplace. Modern companies allocate substantial financial resources to team-building initiatives, and users on social networks such as LinkedIn laud corporations with robust cultures and hold those with deficient ones up to scrutiny.

However, is this truly essential? While it may seem straightforward to assemble a satisfactory team as long as there is a demand for labor, this is not always the case. In practice, this is not the case. To maintain and develop quality products, services, and reputations, operators — both onshore and online — need professional teams that can handle the challenges that arise. Poor training and high employee turnover can disrupt day-to-day operations and negatively impact revenues.

Therefore, the issue of team building needs to be addressed with the seriousness it deserves.

Financial aspect

Keeping your customers is more cost-effective than attracting new ones — no surprise there.

The same standards apply to employees. It is in a company’s best interest to identify and retain a suitable candidate after investing resources in finding and training them. This approach is plainly more profitable than constant employee turnover.

Effectively collaborating with team members can yield a number of benefits, including enhanced productivity and the ability to contribute to business growth. Research has shown that teams with high levels of cohesion and loyalty tend to generate higher revenue for the company. This phenomenon is known as ROR (return on relationships) – when intangible values are converted into tangible ones.

Business aspect

Many companies find investing in team building to be beneficial because it directly affects the speed and quality of daily tasks.

Typically, startups are established with a small group of specialists, with additional hires being made as the project expands. This enables managers to prioritize strategic development instead of being overwhelmed by routine tasks. When professionals execute their responsibilities on the ground, operational processes become more efficient, and the company's overall vision is realized more quickly.

Rather than allocating resources to minor tasks, it is crucial to assemble a team capable of handling day-to-day operations and problem-solving independently. This approach will free up resources for strategic planning and business growth.

Marketing aspect

The significance of a company's image cannot be overstated. Brand recognition is influenced by numerous factors, and one of those is the perception of the company as an employer. As a team grows and attracts more qualified specialists, it is a clear indicator of the business's success and its relevance to partners.

At a certain point in the fiscal year, companies release annual reports that emphasize their corporate culture and team dynamics. Employees who are loyal, motivated, and productive serve to demonstrate the stability of the business, which is a strong argument for potential investors.

Organizational structure of online casino

An online casino can be launched with a limited staff, often consisting of only the founder. However, as the project evolves, it becomes essential to have specialists in each area to ensure the project's success. Let's examine the departments required for the operation of a casino.

Legal department

Every business needs a legal team, and gambling businesses even more so.

Online casinos can face various challenges, and internal lawyers can wind up being very busy. A legal team is necessary to handle different partnerships and collaborations, and they will also take care of licensing and certification, deal with expansion into other countries, and solve disputes, protecting your platform’s good name.

A highly professional and effective legal department is an absolute necessity for an online casino, especially taking into account the fact that your players are not physically present, which can bring some unique complications.

Accounting and finance

This department is responsible for all internal and external financial processes. Professional accountants and financial specialists track the company’s expenses and revenue. They also assess external deals and analyze the financial development of the online casino project. Accountants need specific knowledge and skills to work with banking and payment systems, as well as an understanding of the tax system and expertise in financial regulations.

Account managers

Account managers communicate with gaming content developers — or, if a casino decides to make its life easier and get all its games from a single provider, aggregators. This means they keep an eye on new game releases and make sure these games are integrated into online casino platforms as soon as possible.

They also keep an eye out for updates and special offers, including tournaments and other events that are in the operator’s interest. Apart from game developers, this team also communicates with the platform software provider, if it was not created by an internal team of developers.

Technical support

These experts ensure the website functions without any interruption, 24/7.

Technical support should always be available for troubleshooting: this team is responsible for all technical processes and equipment, including any software errors or any other mistakes at any stage of the player’s journey on your online casino platform. Players have high expectations for tech support; they must react immediately to any queries or complaints to maintain the platform’s reputation.

Operators should not allow any technical failure, whether it’s a payment transaction or gameplay itself, as these kinds of frustrations will quickly drive players away. It is also worth noting that many casinos choose not to develop the software themselves, but leave it to a software provider; in this case, the software provider offers non-stop technical support.

Player support & compliance

Some players might question the legitimacy of a gambling platform.

That’s why online casinos need to make players feel secure and taken care of, and nothing builds trust in the era of chatbots like having a real person handle a complaint. As a channel of direct contact and communication, player support is one of the most important departments in an online casino business.

Great customer support requires effectiveness and a positive attitude. Support staff should be able to provide answers to any questions or complaints that may arise and be ready to solve any problems and difficulties players may have; their main role is to leave players satisfied with the platform’s service, in turn maintaining the casino’s good reputation.

Compliance specialists also work to ensure a company’s transparency. They handle documentation, payments, and personal data, as well as ensuring the business’s day-to-day operations are in line with KYC and AML policies. Usually, there should be four customer support operators, with three team members each working eight-hour shifts, and one specialist handling emergency situations.

The more languages your customer support team speaks, the better. They should be able to communicate effectively in English, as it is the most commonly used international language, and other languages depending on the target audience and markets of operation.

Marketing

Online casinos are dead in the water without effective promotion.

First of all, there should always be a clear, focused, and sophisticated marketing strategy. It is better to develop the strategy before launch, in order to set the targets you’ll be aiming for. Marketing specialists will take care of promotion, using various marketing techniques, such as affiliate programs, SEO optimization, email marketing, social media advertisement, etc.

The marketing team suggests which bonuses to offer players and comes up with ideas on how to improve player conversion and retention rates, which have a direct impact on a casino’s profitability. Online casino promotion is challenging, as the online environment is very competitive.

What kind of employees do online casinos need?

Start-ups can consist of a minimum of people — sometimes just the founder — but with time, every area will need a responsible professional. Let’s have a look at different levels of employees.

C-level management

Gambling business owners and investors normally delegate the daily management of their project to C-level executives. Top management is responsible for the development of the whole company and makes decisions in the owners’ interests. Highly experienced C-level professionals are necessary to keep the business running, as they coordinate all the different teams that make up a project to achieve the business’s goals. These are the main responsibilities of a top-level manager:

• Development and fulfillment of company-wide policies.
• Setting policies for customer service management.
• Cooperation with the finance department to ensure regulatory compliance and financial reporting.
• Creation of partnerships with third parties such as game developers and payment system providers.
• Monitoring competitors.
• Analyzing players’ preferences.
• Cooperation with marketing and advertising specialists.

Management and team leads

Chief officers and directors collect data from the company’s management and communicate with managers directly to discuss plans and set goals. Managers and team leads, in their turn, organize their subordinates’ workflow around achieving those goals. They take responsibility for their teams, assign tasks, and provide oversight. Managers make sure their teams work as efficiently and productively as possible.

Team members

These professionals execute routine tasks, constantly maintaining high standards of quality. If players have complaints, if transactions are interrupted, if connections are broken, if you need to add new games to your platform, or if you need to promote your project in a new market — one of the team members you hire will handle it. Like the turning gears that keep a watch ticking, every team member in a gambling project matters.

Outsourcing

Some tasks are too small to justify hiring a full-time employee but too big to fit on anyone’s plate. They might be a one-off assignment or a regular responsibility, but either way, you might turn to external assistance — outsourcing. Some common candidates for outsourcing include freelance designers, videomakers, copywriters, website developers, etc.

Remote workers

Home office was common for many companies even before the pandemic, but the Covid years had a huge impact: hybrid and remote work have risen to the top of workers’ list of expectations. Your remote employees are on the same team as those in-office, but some additional effort is needed to make them feel like a part of the company. Maintaining the same standard of corporate culture for both remote and in-office team members will keep internal processes effective regardless of employee location.

When is it time to expand the team?

Staff expansion becomes necessary as the business grows and tasks increase. Typically, the development process follows two primary directions.

Horizontal growth

Horizontal growth involves expanding activities, competencies, and influence without increasing the number of management levels. These objectives may include the introduction of new products, entry into new markets, growth of the client base, launch of additional areas, and strengthening of expertise in the current area.

The team’s horizontal growth involved increasing the staff and inviting new specialists, expanding the functional scope, and training new skills and qualifications of employees when they move to related positions, as well as deepening their expertise in their field.

The benefits of horizontal growth:

• Flexibility and adaptability of the team to changes
• Increased efficiency due to more experienced employees
• Increased job satisfaction through development in different directions
• Strengthened corporate culture
• Retention of valuable specialists

Horizontal growth presents new opportunities for the company and team, but it requires a clear structure and understanding of goals to benefit the business and employees.

Vertical growth

Vertical career progression is the traditional method of advancing in one’s career. It involves transitioning from entry-level positions, such as internships, to management roles. As employees move up in the company, their responsibilities increase. They begin to participate in decision-making, manage people, and control budgets.

Conversely, business growth and changes in the company do not necessarily result in team expansion. Certain business objectives necessitate the addition of new personnel, while others can be achieved with the existing staff. Optimizing and automating processes is a strategy that can be employed to free up resources and enable employees to develop new skills within their current roles.

How to find and employ skilled professionals

Gaming companies are consistently seeking new talent. Team expansion is necessary for both horizontal growth, such as entering new markets or changing business niches, and vertical growth, which involves improving and developing existing products. This role necessitates both experienced managers and reliable performers who can swiftly implement ideas.

There are two main ways to find employees:

• Creation of an internal HR department. It includes recruiters and HR managers who are responsible for finding, training, and preparing personnel. Larger companies use this option.
• Collaboration with external partners is essential for achieving our goals. Startups and small studios turn to external specialists. Such cooperation can be based on both one-off contracts and on a permanent basis.

Onboarding

Let’s think of it this way: if an employee doesn’t pass a trial period or leaves right after it, the company has to find, employ, and often train a new one, which, in turn, creates an additional (read: unwanted) cost. Avoiding staff turnover is simply cheaper. Besides, having one loyal employee who grows their skill set over time is far more efficient than repeatedly hiring and training a new one.

Proper onboarding and training processes help new hires successfully adapt to the team, which is key to building the employee’s loyalty. Companies who properly onboard their employees show a 50% higher recruit retention rate.

In business terms, if the recruitment process was poor, onboarding presents the second chance to understand whether the new employee is a good fit and, if not, the first couple of months are enough to identify the problem in time.

However, if the recruitment was done properly, onboarding provides an opportunity to determine the new team member’s strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes even analyze the way the management communicates with the new employee and provide them feedback about interaction between the team and the leader.

It is always beneficial to stay in communication with new employees, establishing group chats or sending out surveys to gather feedback or address questions.

It is important to note that managers require additional time to adapt and become familiar with processes, as well as to acquaint themselves with employees. While the standard onboarding process can take up to six months, managers often need up to eight months or even a year to begin demonstrating productive performance and results. It is important to note that effective onboarding programs can reduce the time to four months.

This is often reflected in the relevant laws, which officially grant directors longer probationary periods. The list of responsibilities, knowledge, and experience is much broader, and three months is insufficient time to assess results.

Training and development

The development of individual employees’ skills directly correlates with the growth and success of the entire team. By enhancing individual competencies, teams can tackle more complex tasks, find new solutions, and improve the quality of their work. When a specialist learns a new tool or methodology, the team can benefit from that knowledge, expanding its capabilities and increasing its competitiveness.

Skill development also impacts efficiency. Employees who are confident and competent tend to work faster, make fewer mistakes, and achieve better results. This approach enhances team communication, fostering a more cohesive and productive work environment. Consequently, business wins: a robust team can achieve high results, which positively impacts profitability and long-term company development.

Motivation and monitoring of results

What strategies can be employed to effectively motivate and incentivize casino staff? The success of online casinos hinges on two key elements: objective performance evaluation and a well-designed motivation system. HR metrics are used to analyze key performance indicators related to personnel, including but not limited to: staff turnover, the cost and time of recruitment, and the speed of new employees' adaptation. These reports offer a general overview of the team's current state. The true performance of a business is measured by key performance indicators (KPIs) that are directly linked to business goals. These KPIs include conversion rate, customer lifetime value (LTV), total profit, and return on investment (ROI). The success of an iGaming project is contingent on the quality of interaction with the audience, and as such, the performance indicators of the marketing department are given special attention. These indicators directly affect growth and ROI.

Achieving and maintaining high and stable KPIs is impossible without a well-thought-out motivation system, which becomes the main source of productivity and innovation. It encompasses both tangible and intangible incentives that motivate employees to not only execute tasks, but also to pursue superior outcomes.

Financial incentives are typically expressed as bonuses for meeting goals, bonuses, or a percentage of profits, linking an employee's compensation to the company's performance. The non-material aspect fosters long-term loyalty and encompasses training, professional development, social guarantees, relocation assistance, and a corporate reward system.

A balanced combination of these approaches helps to create a cohesive and efficient team capable of ensuring sustainable growth of the iGaming business.

Description of internal business processes

Another useful tool for increasing productivity and avoiding time waste is a description of internal processes — simply put, the steps necessary to execute a certain task.

Writing these descriptions will most probably take significant time, but it will save even more time and effort: new team members will know exactly what to do and have less questions, saving time on onboarding; and managers will know how to track performance and where to spot mistakes.

This is especially important in case of positions occupied by one person — if there is no one else in the company doing this job, all the accesses, documents, information, contacts, and plans can be lost if the person leaves.

A typical example of the Business Process Modeling can be this:

1. Go to the coffee machine.
2. Check if the coffee machine is on.
3. If it is off, turn it on.
4. Check if there is coffee in the coffee machine.
5. If not, add coffee grains to the container.
6. Check if there is water in the coffee machine.
7. If not, add water to the container.
8. Put a cup on a coffee stand.
9. Choose a type of coffee on a panel.
10. Push a button with the chosen type of coffee.

In addition to tracking, internal processes are instrumental in enhancing and optimizing workflow by identifying areas for improvement. All successful companies invest time in such descriptions.

Making your team a brand

Corporate culture allows employees to identify with their employer. Employees who feel appreciated and work in a welcoming environment have higher levels of motivation and productivity, and are more likely to stay with the company.

Here are a few aspects of corporate culture:

• Employees have cherished, trustworthy relationships.
• Team members have shared ideas and visions.
• There are opportunities to learn new skills and share creative ideas.
• Employees are motivated by results and are evaluated on their achievements.
• Employees respect their leader and trust that their workplace is safe and stable.
• Teamwork tools (Slack, Trello, Jira) are used to organize tasks and communicate.
• Regular team meetings are held to discuss results and plans.
• Management and colleagues provide feedback.
• Employees unite and respect each other.

Corporate culture starts with a clear vision of the company’s present positioning and future plans, which come from shareholders or top management, and are then implemented by the HR team as a brand — the HR brand is as important as the business brand, since this is what new candidates research in the first place when considering the company. Statistically, employees prioritize their well-being, development, and professional goals over money.

The HR team seeks out candidates whose profiles they think would fit the company’s corporate culture. It also determines the future types of team building activities. Overall, a friendly, informal, and open environment encourages certain methods of communication, while a strict atmosphere with clear subordination stifles it.

It takes a lot of communication and interaction between the management and employees to unite the company with a corporate culture and HR brand. One of the most important parts of the process is fostering a culture of openness: no company can grow and develop unless management expects employees to treat each other with tolerance and respect.

Company events, welcoming offices, a clear structure, benefits, tolerance and respect towards each other, and fun (videos, games, chats, etc.) will make the office a place people want to go and spend time, not one they want to leave as soon as their working hours are done. It is also good to share the team’s life publicly to let others see how good it is to be a part of the company — this is especially important in the highly competitive iGaming industry where candidates are normally young.

When a company becomes a place where people want to apply, and the company is viewed as a great employer, it develops a better reputation among partners and competitors as well. The team becomes a brand.

If you still have questions about the topic, if you need to know details of any region regulation, or if you are evaluating benefits of attracting an external professional software developer, contact us and get a free consultation.