Olga Safina, Director of Employer Brand and Employee Engagement at Growe

In the fiercely competitive world of iGaming, attracting and retaining top talent is paramount to achieving sustained business success. However, this comes with its own unique set of challenges: How do you ensure you are sourcing the right people for the job? How can you attract them to your company? And then, how do you ensure that they want to stay with you for the long term?

There are several different approaches you can take to answer at least some of these questions. But one thing that we’ve found at Growe is the importance of a robust employer brand in distinguishing companies from their competitors and appealing to the best and brightest in the industry. We have witnessed firsthand how a strong employer brand can transform our organization, drawing top-tier talent and driving remarkable business outcomes.

Attracting Top Talent

A compelling employer brand is a powerful magnet for attracting top talent. Ultimately, this shows both current and potential employees who you are as a company, what your core values are, and what it’s like to work with you. As the adage goes, first impressions count. These initial perceptions can influence whether someone chooses to join your company, so use this as an opportunity to showcase all the reasons why your company is a great employer!

At Growe, showcasing who we are as an employer has been a central component of our HR strategy. By clearly communicating our values, mission, and culture, we have positioned ourselves as an employer of choice in the iGaming industry. We wanted to make sure that our brand narrative resonates with potential employees, highlighting not only the exciting career opportunities but also the supportive and inclusive work environment that we offer. We have achieved this in different ways:

Transparent Communication: Transparency is absolutely essential if you want to build a solid relationship with your team. At Growe, we maintain open and honest communication about our company values, goals, and expectations. This not only builds trust and attracts new candidates who align with our vision but also strengthens the bond within our existing team.

Showcasing Success Stories: We regularly share success stories and testimonials from current employees internally and externally (e.g., on the company’s Medium blog, through “Ambassadors of Growth” brand ambassadorship program). It’s important to highlight their achievements and illustrate the growth and development opportunities available at Growe.

Strong Online Presence: Our active presence on social media platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook) and job portals ensures that our employer brand reaches a wide audience, enhancing our visibility and attractiveness to potential candidates.

Impact on Business Success

The positive impact of a strong employer brand on business success cannot be overstated. From external reputation to commercial performance and even employee engagement, employer branding impacts all areas of a business. At Growe, our focus on our employer brand has had a number of benefits, especially in terms of talent acquisition and overall business performance.

Increased Talent Pool: Our strong employer brand has allowed us to significantly expand our talent pool by more than 25% over the last 12 months, with more than 1000 specialists located in over 40 different countries around the world. In 2024 alone, we attracted over 60,000 new unique visitors to our website, with more than 300 unique visitors per day, demonstrating the growing interest in our company.

Higher Retention Rates: A strong employer brand fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty among employees. We believe that we have created a company culture that encourages our team to develop their own careers and pursue new opportunities that might not have been available at other companies. This has resulted in lower turnover rates and reduced recruitment costs. Our internal events and initiatives, with an 80% employee participation rate, have played a crucial role in this achievement, something that we’re particularly proud of.

Enhanced Employee Engagement: Engaged employees are more productive and innovative. Our brand has helped us maintain an 82% average employee visit rate on our internal portal, with 31 articles released each month. This engagement drives higher performance and contributes to our business growth.

Market Reputation: A reputable employer brand isn’t just important from an internal perspective; it also boosts our standing in the wider iGaming industry. Through our participation in nine external events, including speaking on expert panels, attending as delegates, and exhibiting, we have solidified our position as a thought leader in the iGaming sector.

 Case Study: Growe’s Success in Action

Our journey at Growe exemplifies the transformative power of a strong employer brand. Here are some key highlights from our experience:

Internal Engagement: From June 2023 to June 2024, we organized 103 internal events across our global company hubs, achieving 80% employee participation. This high level of engagement has strengthened our internal culture, fostered a sense of community, and brought our team closer together.

Content Creation: Our brand ambassadors generated expert articles each quarter for our internal portal and public industry media, reinforcing our brand’s position as a thought leader and innovator.

Publications and PR: We have published more than 20 thought leadership pieces in global media in 2024. Our partnership with global industry media has further amplified our brand presence.

As you can see, creating a strong employer brand is much more than simply adding benefits for your employees. It is absolutely essential for attracting top talent and driving your business forward in an increasingly competitive industry. At Growe, our commitment to building and maintaining a robust employer brand has yielded significant benefits, from expanding our talent pool to enhancing employee engagement and improving financial performance. By continuing to invest in our employer brand, we are confident that we will maintain our competitive edge and drive long-term success in the dynamic world of iGaming.

Playtech announced the launch of a new bespoke game, Pig Champions, developed exclusively for Kaizen Gaming, one of the biggest GameTech companies in the world. This launch marks the first Live Casino bespoke title for the leading sports betting & gaming operator and strengthens the strategic partnership between the two companies.

The game, designed to appeal to all audience types and player types across all markets, is a sporty animated universe in a Money Wheel Game show format, where 3 Pig Champions characters compete with each other to reach the highest multipliers within 3 exciting Bonus rounds. The studio is located in Playtech’s Romanian facility (PTR), offering a unique, immersive, animated experience made with fresh Unreal engine technology, featuring unique gameplay built from the ground up using advanced real-time animation.

Kevin Kilminster, Chief Product Innovation Officer at Playtech Live: “We are delighted to partner with one of the leading sports betting & gaming operators in the world to launch their bespoke Live Game Show, Pig Champions to their extensive player base. After being selected by Kaizen Gaming as the leading developer of bespoke live content, collaborating on Pig Champions has enabled the team to showcase their passion and experience by exploring new innovative ways of bringing live casino games to life that offer a fresh, safe gaming experience for players. Our partnership with Kaizen Gaming continues to evolve and we look forward to our next collaboration in bringing further exciting games to market.”

Christos Mavridis, Head of Live Casino of Kaizen Gaming: “Our content offering is some of the most exciting on the market and working with an established partner like Playtech will assist in enhancing our current portfolio even more. Pig Champions stands as evidence of Playtech’s expertise and extensive experience, elevating our live casino offering and emphasising our commitment to creating top-quality innovative game experiences for our players.”

Amusnet Italy is the fourth-best casino provider in the country for June 2024, according to iGaming Tracker. The company has made a significant leap in the rankings, advancing three positions to secure the fourth spot. The achievement is underscored by a 1.1% increase in market share, reflecting a substantial gain in visibility and preference among online casino operators and players. This rise reflects Amusnet’s growing influence and effectiveness in the Italian market, demonstrating the company’s leading place among the industry’s top providers.

Several notable accomplishments have bolstered Amusnet Italy’s presence in the country. The company’s commitment to excellence was recognised with the prestigious Gold Award for Casino Content Supplier 2023 from EGR Italy last November. Furthermore, Amusnet has added six new partnerships with operators since January, bringing the total number to over 30, and has maintained a robust portfolio with over 100 certified games. Additionally, Amusnet Italy has released 14 new games since the beginning of the year, with more games planned for release by the end of 2024.

Polina Nedyalkova, Director at Amusnet Italy, said: “We are incredibly proud of our progress and the milestones we have reached. This ranking highlights our leading position in the industry and our dedication to delivering high-quality, engaging gaming experiences to local players. Our advancement to the top position underscores our growing influence and effectiveness in the Italian market, and we look forward to continuing this momentum and bringing even more top-notch games to our audience.”