‘We are so focused on efficiency that we lose experience’ – Mauro Miceli on iGaming redundancies

Director of Operations at Betstarters, Mauro Miceli, noted that another wave of redundancies has taken place across the iGaming industry over the past few weeks, raising questions about what is driving the trend.

“What worries me slightly is whether we sometimes become too focused on efficiency and forget how much knowledge, experience and human judgement walks out of the door when good people are made redundant,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Mr Miceli questioned whether AI is beginning to reduce the number of people needed for certain roles, whether companies are becoming increasingly focused on profitability and leaner operations, and whether more jobs are being moved to countries where the cost base is lower.

“Technology is allowing teams to do more with fewer resources, while regulation, taxation and operating costs continue to increase. At the same time, businesses are under constant pressure to improve margins, and unfortunately headcount is often one of the first areas looked at,” Mr Miceli wrote.

"AI can automate processes, while moving operations to lower-cost jurisdictions can reduce expenses. Restructuring can also improve a company's balance sheet," Mr Miceli further explained.

However, the reduction of headcount can also mean the loss of knowledge, experience and human judgement. Employees build relationships, understand clients, solve unusual problems and bring years of industry knowledge with them.