‘The time has come for esports to explode’ – Executive Coach Marion Gamel

For Marion Gamel, Executive Coach at Mariongamel.com, the trends shaping the iGaming industry are not necessarily emerging from within the industry itself.

Having worked at Google and served as CMO of Betsson before moving to executive coaching – where she has coached leaders at major companies such as Spotify, Uber and Coca-Cola – Ms Gamel is keenly aware that customers’ expectations are now set by the digital giants they use on a daily basis.

“I don’t think that iGaming trends are influencing the gaming industry; I think global trends are influencing the gaming industry,” she says in the latest issue of iGaming Capital.

“These trends – personalisation, data safety, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, intuitive UX, and seamless transition across devices – become expectations from customers who also happen to enjoy online gaming,” Ms Gamel explains.

Looking ahead, the Executive Coach believes the gaming industry should become more inclusive and open to the outside world, attracting talent from other industries, diversifying the background of employees, and moving beyond the male, middle-class, digitally savvy target audience it has so far largely focused its efforts on.

Moreover, she says, companies’ future offerings will have to consider the new realities created by the pandemic.

 The distinction between customers’ work and play activities has become increasingly blurred, while SportsBook and the opportunity to bet on events was limited.

“This has to be replaced by other experiences, especially as sports betting has always been the acquisition channel for gaming companies. Esports has been talked about for many years and I suspect the time has come for this activity to explode. Could esports be the new sports bet?,” Ms Gamel concludes.

This forms part of a wider feature carried in the latest edition of iGaming Capital.