Global sports betting operator Entain and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) have announced a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Women’s Innovation Igniter, to open a path for women students seeking careers in the sports betting, gaming, and technology industries.
Through the initiative, Entain and UNLV will recruit, mentor, support and introduce talented women to the industry and design more inclusive working environments in historically male-dominated fields.
The program will be based at the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park, a unique innovation building featuring a state-of-the-art laboratory with an esports arena and a virtual reality studio. The curriculum will include internships and mentoring from industry executives as well as opportunities for hands-on experience.
The program will be spearheaded by Jan Jones Blackhurst, CEO in Residence of the International Gaming Institute, and Robert Rippee, executive director of the Innovation Hub. The program is set to launch in August with a class of about 20 women.
“Entain is the ideal partner to help us bring this groundbreaking program to life,” said Blackhurst. “As a leader in online sports betting and gaming, Entain will help us showcase the myriad of opportunities available in these professional fields, further develop our curriculum, and help women see career pathways in a technology led industry where they are not always well-represented.”
Last month, Entain named Jette Nygaard-Andersen as the company’s CEO, making her one of the most high-profile female executives in the sports betting industry.
“We are honored to be a part of such an inspiring and pioneering program with UNLV,” said Nygaard-Andersen. “Women can face many obstacles in getting traction in careers that are often or traditionally male dominated. This program will encourage women to aspire for careers they previously may not have considered, and it provides the hands-on experience they need to make the sports betting, gaming, and technology industries more inclusive.”
In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Blackhurst noted that the lack of women in the field of gaming equipment design, particularly when it comes to slot machines.
Women comprise “80 percent of all slot players,” said Blackhurst, a current board member with Caesars Entertainment. She said the program “shows the gaming industry coming together realizing that there’s a lack of young women in these fields and putting their resources and talents behind them to remedy that,” Blackhurst said.
Entain is the 50-50 joint venture partner with MGM Resorts International in Roar Digit, the New Jersey company that operates the BetMGM sports betting app. Entain operates several European online gaming brands, including bwin, PartyPoker, Ladbrokes, Coral, and FoxyBingo.
Blackhurst said that one of her first missions will be to let students know that there are opportunities for women by highlighting those now in the industry.
“You expose these women to students, and they see themselves.” Blackhurst says “You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Blackhurst was the first woman mayor of Las Vegas, serving two terms leading the city before joining Caesars where she and her teams developed the industry’s first responsible gaming practice, advanced environmental stewardship, and advocated for important social issues.
Blackhurst is not certain the entirety of the curriculum that will be offered but said one of the features will be to encourage the students to be innovative. Instead of telling them what to design or make, they’ll be encouraged to come up with original ideas.
“Think of these young women designing a sports betting game that has a broader appeal for a female audience,” Blackhurst says. “It grows the market for all of us.”
