The gambling industry remains one of the most dynamic verticals. Yet, persistent notions of traditional male leadership and business roles remain widespread.
During Women's History Month, we recognise experts who set new standards for management, communication, and development. Casino Market believes that their experience and achievements defy all stereotypes.
Opinion Expression Among Professional Responsibilities
In the business world, female specialists are still often expected to be more flexible and willing to compromise than their male counterparts. Engagement in dialogue truly helps move things forward. Nevertheless, it is important to plunge into discussions and be prepared to rigorously defend one’s position when necessary.
Maria Ism, Uplatform’s Sales Team Lead, is confident that expressing an opinion does not mean creating conflict. Instead, it is about:
- being clear and prepared;
- respecting professional boundaries;
- challenging decisions that mismatch goals or values.
In her opinion, the most important thing for successful work is separating emotions from actions. Disagreements should be resolved through data analysis, prioritisation, and assessing the impact of various scenarios on the business. Dialogues become productive when the focus shifts to results.
Work Pressure as a Source of Strength and Growth
Making decisions in tight circumstances is still often associated with a particular personality type. It is especially true in areas with high operational loads and emotional demands:
- negotiations;
- sales planning;
- management, etc.
Each of these tasks requires the ability to remain calm in the face of uncertainty. In iGaming, as in many other commercial industries, there is still a widespread belief that men are better suited to this format. In practice, the situation is different. For many women, pressure becomes not a barrier, but an environment in which resilience, clarity of thought, and administrative skills are developed.
Maria Vartanians, 18Peaches’ Senior Sales Manager, notes that female specialists not only cope with obstacles but also launch and develop large-scale projects under such conditions. It is especially evident in leadership positions. Nevertheless, perceptions of success still vary.
For men, prosperity is more often associated with career advancement, while women juggle multiple roles across their jobs, families, and social expectations. Under these circumstances, the idea that female professionals are less able to cope with the workload makes no sense.
In Ms Vartanians’ experience, sales is a constant, stressful job, combining:
- negotiations;
- client requirements;
- key performance indicators;
- obligatory focus, agility, and persuasion.
Even after contracts are signed, the pressure does not ease. Instead, it transforms into responsibility, regular reporting, and performance demands.
Leadership inevitably comes with increased scrutiny. Each decision is a subject of discussion, and mistakes can have long-term consequences. Yet, Ms Vartanians views external feedback as an additional assessment indicator.
Her algorithm of work is as follows:
- Anchoring information to measurable outcomes.
- Communicating early to leave no room for interpretation.
- Documenting real impacts and setting professional boundaries.
- Cooperating with those who appreciate execution more than perception.
When attention is predictable, it ceases to be perceived as pressure and becomes a data source. Female experts not only cope with high workloads but also know how to use them as a growth driver.
Achievements as a Measure for Career Advancement
In positions where success is defined by income and accomplished goals, job promotion should be tied to specific results. Nevertheless, when a woman occupies a high-level role, her past attainments are often forgotten or go unnoticed. Career advancement is attributed to corporate inclusivity policies rather than merit and actual achievements.
Marie Reyjal, Sigma Group’s Head of Sales, has always worked in positions where success is measured by numbers — revenue, growth, and completed tasks. She knows how to gain these, but after becoming a leader, her colleagues began to change their perception. Some believed the promotion was linked to diversity policies rather than merit. No one said it outright, but Ms Reyjal had to put in extra effort to prove competence.
Now the expert’s role is not limited to just managing a project or department, and she constantly demonstrates that her position is well-deserved. This environment adds pressure: instead of focusing directly on improving and achieving new levels, the specialist is forced to consider how others perceive her.
According to Ms Reyjal, the best solution is transparency and consistency. Promotion should be tied to measurable results to dispel any doubts and assumptions.
Factors Influencing Performance: Marital Status Has No Effect
Questions about family plans, whether blunt or implied, continue to be asked of women at work more often than they should be. This approach inherently assumes that personal life and career ambitions must compete with each other. In practice, any path is a personal choice. Professional motivation does not disappear when private details are discussed.
Since Maria Bashkevich, Uplatform’s Head of Marketing, turned 30, she has repeatedly been asked by interviewers about her marital status and plans for motherhood. For some employers, those seemed more important than the portfolio, brand growth experience, and ROI-maximising skills.
The situation reflects established notions about how women’s careers should develop. Firms consider men “safer” because they will not take maternity leave. The issue is the mistaken assumption that a job applicant’s professional path can be predicted by gender and that motherhood automatically becomes a priority among all life spheres. It leads to the following stereotype: caring for children is a natural female responsibility.
Ms Bashkevich is confident that family matters are a separate decision that should not influence one’s career. Personal success and work achievements belong to different areas of self-development, so they are unrelated and do not compete with each other. What women truly want is a choice.
Perseverance and Responsibility: Signs of a Strong Leader
Power is often understood as ostentatious confidence, brutality, and even aggressiveness. In reality, this trait represents much more than these.
Modern strength is all about:
- making difficult decisions;
- setting and maintaining boundaries;
- assuming responsibility and taking risks, etc.
Lucie Kadlecová, Aviatrix’s CMO, began her career in the iGaming sector 10+ years ago and has personally witnessed the changing attitudes toward market professionals. It took a lot of tenacity and persistence to prove her niche credentials and convince people that she was more than just a pretty face. Step by step, the representative evolved into a significant, successful, and respected specialist.
Today, this journey seems almost unbelievable, the expert shares. The gambling industry is not for the weak, as it is extremely dynamic and demanding. Having remained in the market for over 10 years, Ms Kadlecová has fully proven her value and strength.
This story demonstrates that leadership is not about loudness and visual shows. Often, it appears as persistence, confidence, and a quiet inner determination to act and accomplish goals.
Recognition: Result of Achievement and Skill, Not Luck
When someone quickly advances in their career, society tends to attribute it to luck, without examining the circumstances or appreciating the individual’s true commitment. Female leaders are significantly more likely than their male colleagues to hear such comments.
Kristina Topal, 18Peaches’ Senior Sales Manager, claims that women in iGaming often receive the dismissive response, ‘You were just lucky.’ She has encountered this attitude countless times herself. Yet, success comes from curiosity, persistence, and a proactive approach, not luck. Every deal, project, and launch is the result of diligent study, hard work, and trust in one’s own judgment.
The expert agrees that beauty is sometimes perceived as an advantage, but it can also complicate life. Women are not always taken seriously, especially in male-dominated industries. Business conversations often become personal, which complicates the path to success, but what truly matters is skills, professionalism, and accomplishments. An attractive appearance is just a pleasant bonus, sometimes useful.
According to Ms Topal, the ability to make high-stakes decisions is equally common for both genders. The key is to perform work with quality and confidence, trusting your judgment. Ultimately, measurable results speak louder than any stereotypes and assumptions.
Professional Development Beyond Predefined Roles
For a long time, female career opportunities were limited to coordination and support positions, functions that ensured stable performance but rarely offered significant strategic influence. This approach was based on long-held beliefs: organisation and assistance were women’s responsibilities, while decision-making and management remained the domain of men.
Today, this logic is gradually losing its relevance. Dina K.’s experience as Uplatform’s Head of B2B Projects shows that female workers exceed expectations. Moreover, they gain significant results in business administration and development.
Key insights from the expert:
- Any success is often followed by external attempts to explain how it was achieved. People want to understand and sometimes emulate someone else’s path.
- Each story is unique. The outcome is influenced by many factors, such as decision-making speed, circumstances, personal position, etc.
- It is important not to copy others’ scenarios. Instead, it is wiser to recognise opportunities for individual growth and seize them.
- Every achievement is just a stage, followed by the next step. What helps most on this journey is agility and quick adaptability.
The specialist’s main source of energy is working with people. She values the constant exchange of experience, the search for ideas, and interaction with strong personalities, which sets the direction for further development. In dynamic industries like iGaming, initiative and the ability to evolve play a crucial role, gradually displacing outdated myths.
Strong Leadership Position: No Gender Limitations
Management roles require directness, a clear stance, and confidence in one’s choices. Nevertheless, when women display these qualities, they are often interpreted as overly abrupt or intrusive. Meanwhile, the similar behaviour of male workers is perceived as a sign of good decisiveness and strength.
Josmar Diaz, Endorphina’s Regional Manager Iberoamerica, has frequently encountered an unspoken expectation: she should be gentle, smiling, and not challenge others’ opinions. When a woman formulates a clear position or insists on an alternative approach, it is interpreted as overkill. A male employee in a similar situation, by contrast, appears to be a confident leader.
Double standards are especially evident in environments where strong ideas, creativity, and strategic thinking are valued. Women’s confidence is often mistaken for extra emotionality, stubbornness, or an unwillingness to engage in dialogue. In the end, female experts are forced to constantly balance internal support with others’ expectations.
Ms Diaz believes that for an honest assessment of managerial qualities, it is important to focus on actual results and contributions to business development. The focus should be on innovative offers, their effectiveness and impact on strategy, rather than subjective judgments about personality.
Stereotypes lead people to believe that women are less competent in complex technological areas. Nevertheless, in practice, the market increasingly trusts specialists who can make informed decisions and be responsible for them, regardless of gender.
Emotional Intelligence and Accountability: Strong Sides
Even the tiniest feelings of female professionals are frequently considered unstable behaviour, whereas it is a sign of well-developed awareness, perception, and commitment. Meanwhile, men’s identical passion for results is interpreted as good leadership skills, vision, and dedication.
Denise Abela, Yggdrasil’s Chief Legal & Business Operations Officer, emphasises that the stereotype that female experts are too emotional remains widespread. Thus, their achievements are often underestimated or even ignored. Nevertheless, “sensitivity” frequently speaks about accountability, which should be taken seriously. The industry must learn: ambitions and competence do not have a gender.
The Main Things About the Role of Women in Gambling
Stereotypes may set the starting point, but they never determine the outcome. For female specialists who have reached career heights and openly share their experiences, any stigma becomes an obstacle turned into a new motivation.
The story of every successful woman in the iGaming industry teaches us the following:
- Established, outdated patterns only remain valid when mindlessly followed. They must be constantly confronted.
- Once real experience and the determination to assert one’s position come to the fore, unfounded assumptions quickly lose their relevance.
- Leadership, skillfulness, professionalism, career advancement, decisiveness, and strength are gender-neutral and must be evaluated equally for both female and male experts.
We promote openness, a strategic approach, and creative problem-solving. Expertise remains our core value. We appreciate team members’ individual business results regardless of gender. For more information about the company’s transparency and inclusiveness, or to purchase top-notch gambling solutions, feel free to contact us.
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