The necessity of building and maintaining a strong network is a familiar construct among numerous industries, and is certainly one that is not lost in the gaming community.
However, among the multitude of strategies and expert tutorials in how best to achieve such a goal, is the question of: how much do you know you network? With this in mind, CasinoBeats is aiming to take a look under the hood, if you will, and has tasked the 100 Club in helping out.
First to step up to the plate is Glen Bullen, CCO of Digital Asset Management, who talks us through a coincidental entry into the industry, embracing challenges, and technological advancements.
CasinoBeats: Could you begin by talking us through any past experiences that have been gained outside of the gambling industry? Could your career have taken any different paths?
Glen Bullen: I got involved in igaming quite by chance. I’d released from the Army and returned to university with an aim of joining the civil service. But I was also in thrall to the dot com boom of those late 90’s and all the potential the internet held for business (and to change the world as we knew it).
I found the disenchanted government workers I studied with quite in contrast to the exciting stories coming out of Silicon Valley at the time and realised I could not join their ranks.
Through a university contact I was invited to join a start up in Vancouver as employee number five, which I leapt at and left any thought of government service behind. That it was involved in the fledgling igaming space was of no factor to me.
So with my focus being on the company type, not the industry, I could have just as easily ended up at a pet food start up as I did one in igaming. But am sure glad that’s what it was focused on as it’s been a fantastic industry to be a part of the past two decades.
CB: What was it that eventually led you into this industry?
GB: What led me to it is as above; what’s kept me in it is the constant growth and opportunity the sector delivers. Never a dull business this.
“…it’s been a progress of many exciting steps – but not ‘normal’ admittedly”
CB: How would you assess your journey through the industry to date? Are there any interesting anecdotes that would interest our readers, or any stand out experiences that may not have been possible without the current, or a past, role?
GB: I’ve always aimed to choose what to do next by what I find exciting or challenging – not necessarily what the ‘right’ next step should be. Not the best way to guarantee seamless career progression, but (with only a few exceptions) one I’ve not regretted.
And getting a charge out of being a part of start up and growth phase companies does open you up to an inherently unstable situation which isn’t always going to play out as planned!
But having such an open mind and focus has allowed me to grab opportunities to work in eight countries, and in a variety of different sectors (and company styles) within the overall igaming umbrella, and to always be challenged and growing professionally for it. So it’s been a progress of many exciting steps – but not ‘normal’ admittedly.
CB: What would you say have been the major changes during your time working in the industry? Both for the better and worse?
GB: When I joined in 1999 if you wanted to own an online casino site you had to decide between the newfangled download option, or waited on a CD-rom in the post. Twenty+ years later and there’s a world of gaming in the palm of your hand. So there’s been massive strides in the supporting technology which have impacted every aspect of the industry.
And of course in the late 90’s and into the early 2000’s regulation was nothing near what it is now, so that’s another massive change and influence on the industry.
CB: If you could ask the 100 Club any questions, or task them with tackling any issue, what would that be?
GB: Anybody in the 100 Club have any connections who can build better remote conferencing platforms? Kudos to all the organisers, they’ve been trying their hardest this past year. But, to me, the technology’s just not there (yet) and the events aren’t having the impact they should.
Remote events are here to stay I think – though the sooner we can get back to f2f as well the better – so there is a definite need for better supporting technology in order to make them more effective. 100 Club: anybody able to step up on this?
If you would like to tell your story, or be considered for the CasinoBeats 100 Club, please email us at [email protected].