Human resources in iGaming? It’s both indispensable and under pressure. HR teams drive growth, culture, and compliance. Yet they face a constant struggle for specialist talent, shifting regulatory demands, and the need to support fast-moving operations.
HR Faces a Specialised Talent Shortage
Recruiters in iGaming do more than just match resumes. They need candidates who understand licensing, wagering, payments, even regulators’ expectations. Many current HR professionals have risen through support or operations or moved over from fintech or betting – there’s no formal training pipeline for iGaming HR roles. In practice, the pool of qualified HR talent is tiny, while demand races ahead.
This shortage is structural, not just cyclical. Roles supporting compliance, payments, and VIP functions move between companies, relying heavily on personal networks rather than traditional sourcing methods. Continuous hiring in support and operations means recruiters never really “close” vacancies – the pipeline never stops running.
Regulations continue to tighten. Every new licensing jurisdiction or anti-money laundering requirement drives up demand for compliance-savvy HR expertise – and the available talent simply can’t scale to meet this swelling demand.
The challenge is that HR isn’t just an underrated aspect of iGaming; it’s one of the most highly paid and hardest to staff functions. This was highlighted in SpinHire’s August 2026 analysis of HR recruiters in iGaming.
Moreover, the rapid growth of the iGaming industry has intensified the competition for skilled HR professionals. As companies expand into new markets, the need for culturally aware recruiters who can navigate diverse regulatory landscapes becomes crucial. This adds another layer of complexity to an already demanding hiring environment.
Growing Maturity Means HR Is Now Central
The industry has moved from expansion into operational maturity. HR isn’t a back-office support anymore; it is a central operational lever. Filling roles swiftly, planning ahead, and retaining talent matter directly to execution quality.
The 2025 iGB/Pentasia Salary Survey found an average salary growth of 4.09 percent – the strongest in three years. This reflects the intense competition for experienced professionals in tech, compliance, and data roles.
Moreover, slow hiring in support or retention teams can significantly impact the player experience. It causes longer response times, inconsistent communication, and directly affects engagement and revenue. When HR slips up, the player experience suffers.
Additionally, iGaming companies are increasingly focusing on employee retention strategies. Developing leadership capabilities within is seen as a key to sustaining growth and ensuring seamless operations. Companies must create internal succession plans and learning and development programmes to nurture talent.
Investing in leadership development and career progression paths helps in mitigating the risk of high employee turnover. By fostering a culture of growth and opportunity, companies can maintain a committed workforce that propels them toward sustained success.
Clear Compliance Pressure: EU Pay Transparency Among Trends
HR in iGaming now must also meet new legal obligations. The EU Pay Transparency Directive, effective June 2026, requires operators to adopt open and clear compensation practices. This means restructuring pay frameworks and introducing transparency where it didn’t exist.
Other trends shaping HR include:
- AI in recruitment workflows – automating CV screening, candidate matching, and early outreach, which improves efficiency and reduces bias.
- Skills-based hiring – task-based assessments are increasingly replacing CV focus, emphasising ability over past job titles.
- Borderless workforce models – hiring across geographies with remote teams, which allows access to a wider talent pool.
- Employer brand credibility – showcasing culture, employee advocacy, and transparency, which are crucial in attracting top talent.
These trends reflect how HR connects to product delivery, cost control, and performance. As companies evolve, HR departments need to align with strategic business goals while maintaining flexibility.
The integration of AI not only streamlines hiring processes but also presents opportunities for improving diversity. By focusing on skills and merit, companies can build more inclusive teams that better reflect their global customer base.
Hardest Roles to Fill
As per the SOFTSWISS iGaming Talent Trends 2026 report, HR and Talent Acquisition roles are among the most challenging to hire in B2B, with 34.7 percent of respondents highlighting it. In the B2C segment, HR hiring difficulty stands at 17.4 percent.
Across both segments, demand is high and supply low. In fact, hiring volumes are also highest in roles like payments, compliance, and customer support – which match the roles hardest to fill. This indicates that as these roles become more crucial to operational success, the difficulty in filling them increases correspondingly.
Companies must now explore unconventional recruitment strategies, such as partnerships with educational institutions to develop tailored courses and internships. These initiatives can serve as pipelines for future talent, thereby alleviating some of the pressure on HR functions.
Rapid Growth Tests HR Capability
EvenBet Gaming tripled its headcount from 87 to 260 between 2022 and 2026, a testament to rapid growth. They achieved this as a remote-first organisation while entering markets in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. HR had to keep retention rates up, hire fast, and ensure the right cultural fit under significant pressure.
At the same time, global talent shortages in technology, compliance, and sales have driven up salaries and forced companies to explore alternative sourcing. EvenBet’s HR director noted strategies including recruitment outsourcing, building remote ‘augmented teams’, and tapping into “hidden workers” – retirees, individuals with disabilities, refugees, and partners of relocators.
This level of adaptability is now necessary. Companies must be proactive, using innovative strategies to build a diverse and skilled workforce capable of supporting expansive growth.
The ability to navigate cultural differences and understand disparate local markets also adds to the complexity faced by HR departments. Building a team that mirrors the company’s ethos and values is essential for sustaining growth and customer satisfaction.
Honesty and Culture Outweigh Payday
With salary, bonuses, and benefits becoming increasingly standardised across the industry, they’re no longer sufficient to differentiate companies. Instead, what draws and retains talent now is transparency at hiring, adaptability to technological and regulatory shifts, and how organisations handle employees’ anxiety around AI technologies.
For many professionals, honesty in the first conversation counts more than dazzling perks. Offering a candid overview of company policies, growth potential, and expected challenges resonates more deeply with potential hires than perks alone.
Moreover, fostering a strong company culture where employees feel valued and invested in can lead to automatic brand ambassadors – individuals proud to advocate for their organisation. This approach not only helps in maintaining current staff but also attracts future candidates.
Recognising the importance of mental health and providing support, along with encouraging work-life balance, further enhances employee loyalty. HR that embraces these values not only nurtures happier employees but also strengthens the organisational framework.
So how good is HR in iGaming? It’s a tough gig. Expect high pressure, razor-tight requirements, and stretched expectations. But those teams are also vital. When HR works well, the company executes, stays compliant, and keeps players happy. When it doesn’t, everything else starts to wobble.
That doesn’t make HR in iGaming perfect. Far from it. But it does make it essential.
Today, HR sits at the core of iGaming performance. And getting it right can make all the difference at scale.
