The community benefits to complement day-to-day business

Making employees happier and more productive during office hours can bring far-reaching benefits for businesses from any sector.

However, this focus on well-being has been sweeping the gambling industry in recent years, as companies search for the right community aspects to complement day-to-day diligence.

Microgaming was hailed as one of the ‘The 10 top coolest offices in the UK‘ just a few months after opening its new Douglas home in 2017. The fourth of five stories is a communal area featuring a library and dart board, as well as table tennis, poker and pool.

Just last year, Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) opened its new Malta-based HQ, complete with a top-of-the-range commercial kitchen, state-of-the-art cardio and weights section, and two purpose-built slides to reflect the company’s “sense of playfulness”.

Similarly, it was announced this month that Sky Betting and Gaming (SB&G) staff were to be consolidated into one building at Leeds’ Wellington Place, delivering community benefits including “bee keeping, free fitness sessions and wellbeing initiatives”.

Meanwhile, BetVictor has committed to ‘The Rock’ through a new recruitment drive to its Gibraltar head office, which now houses an athletic track running through the different departments and a basketball court doubling up as a meeting space.

This comes just a few weeks after bet365 sanctioned a multi-million relocation project from Gibraltar to Malta amid Brexit concerns.

Seeing this sort of investment in employees across four leading online gambling jurisdictions has, without doubt, inspired progressive supplier Altenar to spruce up its own Malta home.

Altenar will hold an official party tonight (12 June) to open its new St Julian’s office, which features an open plan working area, lounge and kitchen, two balconies – one of which faces downtown – and a sophisticated lighting system, while the company has confirmed that a gym will be added next year. There are even showers provided for those travelling to work by bike.

At the end of 2017, the number of full-time employees for online licensees of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) reached 5,861. And with salaries on the rise, as shown in a survey by Betting Jobs, the office environment is set to become a key employee differentiator.