The Global Gaming Awards Get Spotted Lacking Any Diversity

Well they are gamblers, so perhaps they just bet no one would notice. A rather foolish wager, in this day and age. Someone always notices, because injustice tends to stick out. So just like other award shows before it, the Global Gaming Awards finds itself under scrutiny for a lack of diversity. You’d think online betting sites in the US and around the world would see this coming and head it off with reform. But no, they’re quite happy to just voice utter surprise anyone cares. 

The Global Gaming Awards are, to those in the industry, a big deal. People want to win them, they mean something within the profession. So one would hope the panel that judges these coveted prizes would be fair and balanced. No chance. Made up of big corporate executives from the gaming world and beyond it’s about as diverse as a room full of Imperial storm troopers. Out of 52 members only one is female. That’s disgusting. Even a pack of cards has four women in it.  

“One would expect anyone involved in this to step back until it’s fixed.” Said Abby Rachel Cosgrave of SafeComply. She may find her expectations dashed. After the Oscars and the Golden Globes if they really cared they’d have already included some more women. If only to negate the criticism. They didn’t. The Global Gaming Awards simply blustered a bit, and made excuses. Online sportsbook sites in the US and elsewhere know how this looks. They simply don’t care.

Will Bovada Win At The Global Gaming Awards?

“We acknowledge how this looks.” Admitted Gary Roudette, CEO of Players Publishing as if that were enough. He probably hopes awareness absolves them of guilt. However, he didn’t help that case by then stating the panel had to have “sufficient authority”. There are few women on the panel because there are few women CEOs in the gaming industry, he asserted. So the Global Gaming Awards made up of gambling companies pretend they’re not responsible for that too.

“The sad fact is there are not many women CEOs in the gaming industry’s leading companies.” 

• Gary Roudette – Players Publishing CEO

Hard to be a female CEO in the gaming industry if the gaming industry’s top executives don’t make you one, isn’t it? So how is it supposed to happen? A bloody coup? Assassination? Does Daddy have to give you the company for your birthday? Obviously, most women in the industry were not surprised. After the ICE pole-dancers fiasco they know where they stand. Apparently women shouldn’t bet on sports in the US at Bovada or anywhere else, just dance for those who do.

Industry Seems To Lack Any Desire To Change

The manifest and obvious sexism of this situation is mirrored by the somewhat obvious racial element. There are no black people on the panel whatsoever and precious few non-white faces. Once again they could so easily have remedied this already. But no, if you’re not a top exec there’s just no way you can judge the Global Gaming Awards, and there are few black gaming CEOs. Not that they invited any of those few to join of course. Just what were they thinking?

“Represents a dynamic cross-section of the global gaming industry.”

• Description of the Global Gaming Awards panel

They must have noticed the wind of change blowing through the awards universe. Should have seen this coming. Ought to have done something about it. They didn’t and now look as they’re a bunch of sweaty sexist racists completely out of touch with the average gambler. This is not what the Global Gaming Awards should be about. If companies want US gambling laws to continue to liberalize the powers that be within the gaming industry are going to have to liberalize a bit too.

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We a look at why the Global Gaming Awards made a stupid bet on no one noticing just how much diversity the panel of judges lacked.