iGaming Academy Managing Director on creating ‘a culture of compliance’

It is the role of executives to “not only create a culture of compliance but one of best – or at least – better practice,” Jaime Debono tells iGamingBusiness in a recent interview focusing on education around compliance within the industry.

The Managing Director at iGaming Academy, which provides classroom and eLearning training courses for professionals and businesses in the global gaming and gambling industry, highlights the key pillars HR leaders can focus on to tackle compliance, including personal responsibilities and engagement strategies.

Stressing the power executives hold when it comes to educating their employees, Mr Debono affirms that for companies to successfully navigate a changing regulatory environment, they must adopt a top-down approach.

“We know that all compliance failings are a function of policy, procedure or control – indeed these points come up time and again in the written findings of the GC, for example,” he continues, emphasising the importance of implementing a secure policy which provides clear steps for identifying, handling and preventing compliance failures.

Each employee must also recognise the role they play within the compliance process, the Managing Director adds, explaining that “it is then the role of HR, training leaders and departmental managers to disseminate all required knowledge throughout the organisation. But, crucially, knowledge alone isn’t enough; they must also strive to create a culture of compliance.”

Going on to advocate for the flexible implementation of training for employees, in a way that maximises engagement, Mr Debono notes, “compliance training has to be delivered efficiently, fitting into organisational structures and employees’ workflow. The business’s imperative to minimise compliance risk is clear, but if training is not delivered efficiently, it can become a significant burden.”

Finally, he adds, tailoring training to different employees also makes for better results. “For employees who require greater persuasion, HR leaders should certainly consider the time-saving benefits of automation, which can do much of the hard work required to achieve 100 per cent completion rates,” Mr Debono shares.