Racing Post CEO: Tech talent gap down to poor perception of gambling industry

The shortage of top tech talent in the gambling industry is down to the unfavourable public perception of the sector, according to Racing Post CEO and editor-in-chief Alan Byrne.

The gambling industry in the UK has endured a year of media scrutiny around the FOBT furore, social responsibility failures and sizeable financial penalties, as well as the sheer volume of betting advertising on TV.

And with public trust in the industry at an all-time low according to the Gambling Commission (UKGC), Byrne believes gambling firms are paying the price by having to search in a smaller talent pool than other sectors.

Byrne told EGR: “One of the problems for the gambling industry is that we are fishing in a smaller pool because there are some people that don’t want to work in the sector.

“This is disappointing but it reflects the public coverage of the sector and the souring in the mood about gambling, which we all need to help challenge.

“When we were hiring a CTO, we used an agency and some of the candidates said they didn’t want to work in the betting sector.

“Other companies have had the same experience. We all need to change the perception of gambling and get back to betting being fun. Luckily, that is now being addressed,” he added.

Racing Post found a solution by hiring top tech talent from inside the industry. The business recruited former Camelot tech chief Nikos Kryvossidis as CTO in October last year, but the recruitment process was not without its challenges according to Byrne.

He said: “We have found it extremely challenging to hire tech people because the demand is so high everywhere and all businesses are looking for top talent.

“We were lucky in getting Nikos. For me it is the area where there has been the greatest inflation in salaries because of the demand all over town.

“It might be easier for us than for gambling operators because we are slightly in the middle as a publisher,” he added.