Pulse
Bettina Glatz-Kremsner: inclusivity
By William - 10 February 2022
On April 1, Bettina Glatz-Kremsner will step down from her position as General Director of Casinos Austria and as a Board Member of the ECA. G3 takes the opportunity to discuss the pivotal roles she has played in both organisations through the lens of diversity and inclusion.
Since 2017, the ECA and its partners Clarion, AGEM and the University of Las Vegas Nevada, have been promoting the training of young leaders from a diversity and inclusion perspective. The aim is to enable young, aspiring employees of the European casino industry who are committed to diversity and inclusion to participate in the Executive Development Programme. This unique and best-in-class training programme is co-hosted by the Universities of Las Vegas and Reno and takes place annually.
So far, the ECA has been able to offer eight young executives the opportunity to participate. G3 interviewed Bettina Glatz-Kremsner, acting Vice President of the ECA and General Manager of the Casinos Austria Group, to find out why this programme is so important to the ECA and to more broadly discuss diversity within the land-based casino sector.
Does the European casino industry have a diversity and inclusion issue?
Yes, and it is an issue for our industry as a whole, which is why the Board of the European Casino Association has actively been involved in addressing this subject for many years. In fact, it was centermost in recent board discussions concerning future ECA strategy and initiatives.
The fact that men still predominate in the terrestrial casino sector is also historically conditioned. In Austria, for example, it was not so long ago that there was a ban on ‘night work for women.’ This was only abolished when Austria acquired full EU membership in 2002. Thereafter, the first female croupiers were recruited in 2006 in Austria, and this year we proudly announced the first female director in an Austrian casino, namely Casino Velden.
We currently have two women as Board Members of the ECA, which is not yet the number I personally would like to see. However, in our industry, a ‘small steps’ policy is the way forward when it comes to diversity. I believe the right path has been taken and I am convinced that we will see an increasing number of positive changes in the near future.
Why aren’t more women in leadership roles in the industry?
As aforementioned, this is a historically conditioned issue within Europe, but I would like to state that, in my opinion, there is still room for improvement for women in leadership positions in non-casino industries as well. While that’s no excuse, my view is that the ECA must ensure more women are promoted into leadership positions among its members.
We must promote diversity and also consider how the industry contributes to another important societal topic – inclusion.
Of course, one should not forget that family friendliness and the compatibility of work and family still play a special role for working women. This is where the challenges lies if we are to make a career in the casino sector an attractive prospect for the female target group.
Is there a glass ceiling to the upper management of casinos in Europe?
Unfortunately, I believe there is a glass ceiling and the reasons for this are manifold. It is not simply that men are to be blamed, but in my opinion the answer to this question is yes.
How would you describe the discrimination you have faced? Have things changed? How far do we still need to travel – and is the casino industry heading in the right direction?
Fortunately, this has not been the case in my personal career, and I can say this with complete conviction. Why not? Well, I believe that I benefited from the fact that I grew up in Hungary with the self-confidence that it is not gender that defines us, but personality and, latterly, performance.
For these reasons I have not felt any personal discrimination, but I also know others that have. The casino industry is changing and leaders now realise they should not exclude 50 per cent of the potential in the selection process for evolving talent. After all, casinos also have female customers for whom this is certainly an important topic.
I acknowledge that a lot of small steps have been taken, but now is the time that the industry should be taking much bigger strides. For me, things are moving much too slowly, and I am convinced that if no concrete quantitative goals are set in addressing diversity, no significant progress will be made. However, if numbers are attached as goals, then change will happen.
European casinos are seen as traditional, slow- paced, non-revolutionary – and inclined to play-safe. Are we asking too much to expect a diverse representation of people in key roles within upper management?
Absolutely not. Greater pressure should have been brought to bear much earlier. In the service sector, casinos are still something of a last bastion for men, but that must change.
What’s your view of the EDP Scholarship offered by the ECA to promote diversity and inclusion? Is it a good start – too little too late – a sticking plaster covering a larger issue?
Within the framework of this top educational programme, the ECA, together with our partners, has made training possible for eight employees of the European casino industry over the last three years. Six of the scholarships were awarded to women, all of whom explained in their application how they live and promote diversity in their day-to-day roles.
The EDP Scholarship is not only a call to ECA members to nominate their best people, but we also want to make our members aware of how important diversity is within our sector today. This scholarship programme creates the appropriate level of attention around this topic and highlights the importance of inclusion at the same time.
Should the make-up of the ECA Board be changed for the betterment of the industry? And should the Board be worried by recent negative social media coverage?
The ECA Board is elected by its members. In relation to the number of member representatives, the proportion of women on the board is 20 per cent, with two female representatives. I would describe this ratio as acceptable, but there is room for improvement. The ECA Board, as well as its members, have the topic of diversity at the forefront of their agenda and are reminded, again and again, just how important it is to move forward on this subject.
There is ample female talent out there, but we must make the effort to find and promote that talent accordingly. If it’s the case that women aren’t actively taking the next step on the career ladder out of modesty or self-confidence, this is where good leaders are needed to see and promote potential. Role models are also important, and I hope, in all modesty, to be one.
Is too much attention focused upon gender as opposed to faith, disability, race, sexuality etc.?
That is totally right, but you can’t tackle everything at once. All these issues are important and will play a critically important role in society in the future. It is my conviction that a gradual change will take place that will make the gambling sector more colourful, more diverse, more inclusive, and more sustainable in the future and thus retain its customer appeal.
As you leave the ECA Board in 2022, female representation halves. Does this need to be addressed urgently?
I have no influence upon who will replace me in the ECA, but of course I wish that it will be a woman and that the proportion of women in the ECA Board will increase in the next years. I hope that parity will be reached in the future, which might sound optimistic, but that’s my nature.
