At the recent 22nd annual East Coast Gaming Conference at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, several prominent women in the gaming industry presented a panel discussion, “Challenges Women Face in the Gaming World.” Serving on the panel were Alisa Cooper, New Jersey Casino Control commissioner; Holly Gagnon, president and chief executive officer at Seneca Gaming Corporation; Karie L. Hall, vice president and general manager at Harrah’s Atlantic City; Lynne Levin Kaufman, partner and gaming law specialist at Cooper Levenson law firm; and Amy Kuzdowicz, senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer for JACK Entertainment. The panel was moderated by Karla Perez-Larragoite, vice president of gaming at Sysco Corporation.
Kauffman said women must acknowledge that many in the business world have “ingrained opinions” about them. “We’re in a transformational time for women not only in our industry but in society. Are we really supporting people? If we’re not, let’s talk about it, and let’s understand what those biases are.” Hall said open discussions about unconscious bias are more effective than simply having a written policy about equal treatment.
Cooper encouraged women to pursue what they want, especially if they are attracted to careers not traditionally welcoming to women. “You inspire other women. You reinforce their goals. Go for whatever your dreams are. You can seek advice from male friends and female friends. But when you’ve got to make that decision, you have to remember it’s your final decision.”
Gagnon added women need to tell a supervisor about their goals and ask how to prove they can reach them. “It’s really important to express your intentions. Don’t assume it’s just checking off these boxes that is going to get you there,” said Gagnon, a founding board member of Global Gaming Women, which supports the development of women in the gaming industry.
The panel discussion was timely because the May issue of Fortune magazine reported the number of women leading Fortune 500 companies fell by 25 percent from last year, from 32 in 2017 to 24 this year. And the 2017 Women in the Workplace report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, the largest study of its kind, found that women are hired and promoted less often than men.
That study reviewed 222 companies with a total of more than 12 million employees, and found fewer women than men are hired for entry-level jobs, even though 57 percent of recent college graduates are women. Also, the study found women are 18 percent less likely than men to be promoted from an entry-level position to a manager role, which limits the number of women who could fill each level of the corporate ladder.
