How the Gambling Niche Competes with Fintech and Big Tech

Experts from the Online Casino Market company talk about the role of IT specialists in the entertainment industry. You will learn what search methods and recruitment options can be used, as well as how to lure away valuable employees from other spheres.

Why Gambling Competes with FinTech and Big Tech

Today, almost all sectors of the economy need top engineers, but the casino market faces unique challenges.

Historically, it was considered narrow-purpose and even questionable but in 2025, the owners of such projects can be easily compared with large technology companies. They create proprietary high-load platforms with AI, Big Data, and blockchain. It confirms the qualification of such specialists.

There are several reasons why FinTech and Big Tech are the main competitors of gambling brands in the competition for valuable staff:

1. Technical complexity. Online casinos and bookmakers need systems with good performance. Only experienced IT professionals can run such digital portals.
2. Security and finance. Like FinTech, gambling works with payments and privacy protection, using KYC and AML tools.
3. Big data and AI. Personalisation of casino products, predictive analytics of user behaviour, and other functions require powerful algorithms. Top engineers with vast experience and understanding of the industry specifics can cope with these tasks.

It is quite difficult to attract top talent. FinTech (Revolut and Wise) offers a transparent niche with great social influence, and Big Tech (Google, Amazon, and Meta) promises huge salaries and decent bonuses.

Ways to Compete for the Best Engineers

Let us consider the privileges that iGaming developers receive:

High Wages and Compensation

Casino brands are willing to overpay 20–30% compared to FinTech and Big Tech, especially for rare specialists (AI and Data engineers, DevOps experts). Top programmers in the entertainment sector can earn from $150,000 to $300,000 per year, as well as additional options and incentives.

The procedure for awarding prizes depends on the policy of the selected company:

• In some cases, such payouts make up to 50% of income if the engineer's remuneration is tied to GGR — Gross Gaming Revenue.
• A common practice is to provide signature bonuses (from $10,000 to $50,000) as part of retention programs.

For example, the DraftKings American gambling enterprise pays its AI and high-load system specialists more than Google. Playtech, the Swedish provider, managed to lure several top vendors away from Revolut by offering them more attractive incentives and interesting tasks.

Different Cooperation Formats

Leading casino brands focus on hybrid and remote structures of work. Thanks to this, experts can stay in countries with low taxes and a high standard of living.

iGaming operators often choose to be based in Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, and Ireland. These are jurisdictions with legalised betting, a warm climate, and a minimal fiscal burden. Working in such tax havens, companies offer more decent salaries compared to FinTech and Big Tech.

The advantages of the above-mentioned states include comfortable relocation and quickly apply for a residence permit.

Most companies help their employees move to another region:

• Flutter Entertainment provides a transfer package to Dublin and London for its senior engineers.
• Kindred Group is actively sending IT specialists to Stockholm to offer them a hybrid work format.

Interaction with Modern Technologies

The gambling sector is not just websites with casino solutions but complex systems that include the following elements:

1. High-load platforms. They process hundreds of thousands of requests per second.
2. Big data and AI. These tools are responsible for analysing the behaviour of customers, marketing automation, and creation of predictive models.
3. Blockchain. Distributed ledger technology is used to launch crypto casinos, implement non-fungible tokens, and support provably fair play based on smart contracts.
4. AR and VR. These are augmented and virtual reality solutions that help to achieve maximum picture detail and authenticity of the betting process.

Thanks to the iGaming niche, it is possible to develop technical and management skills:

1. For example, Flutter Entertainment creates software for real-time wagering with a delay of milliseconds. The product is designed for more than a million clients. For this reason, the vendor’s cloud engineers earn 10–20% more than the market average.
2. Entain is actively luring experts to create AI analysers of the behaviour of players. It is expected that ready-made program components will improve the user experience and contribute to audience retention.

Excellent Working Conditions

Gambling providers offer:

• comfortable offices with modern equipment;
• flexible schedule and the ability to switch to a 4-day work week;
• cool events, parties, and trips.

The online casino sector’s calling card is a more relaxed corporate style. Large enterprises do not have the bureaucracy of Big Tech. On the contrary, they convey a startup atmosphere. Managers care about measurable results and are willing to pay 20–30% above the market for achieving them.

Rapid Career Growth

In gambling, engineers often climb the ranks faster than in Big Tech. There is no strict job hierarchy, so you can achieve success already in 3–5 years. Besides, developers have the right to influence key decisions in the firm, which is almost impossible to do in large corporations like Google or Amazon.

For example, at Entain, many specialists become team leads in 1 or 2 years, which cannot be done in the majority of other companies.

Dynamic Business Environment

The betting niche is characterised by frequent announcements, experiments with products and technologies, as well as the introduction of innovations. All this is very different from more conservative directions with regulations and strict rules of work.

How Casino Brands Search for and Hire IT Specialists

Manufacturers use different strategies to lure engineers away from Big Tech and FinTech. They rely on high salaries, flexibility, interesting technologies, and rapid career growth.

The main search options include:

1. Direct action through recruiters. Most often, this is cooperation with agencies that are looking for specialists. Bet365 and Flutter Entertainment, for example, actively lure professionals from Revolut and Wise, offering the best bonuses and hybrid work.
2. Competitions and hackathons. Many firms organise coding challenges to identify the best engineers. Entain often uses this format. The international provider searches for talented ML experts.
3. Search through closed IT communities. Developers can be active participants in Stack/Telegram groups, Discord communities, and Reddit. Here, they are looking for various candidates, including the CEO.
4. Referrals. In large gambling companies, it is possible to receive bonuses for recommendations. Thus, Kindred Group offers a reward that can reach $10,000.
5. Direct offers to the best specialists. Many vendors look for opportunities through LinkedIn with a 20–50% salary bump.

Key Challenges in the Competition for IT Talent

Let us consider the difficulties casino companies face:

1. Ethical issue. Many engineers do not want to work in the iGaming sphere because of its wrong image. This problem can be solved through the transparency of financial transactions, the implementation of ESG initiatives, and adherence to the principles of responsible attitude toward the placement of bets.
2. Competition for AI and blockchain specialists. Many sectors of the economy, including FinTech and BigTech, need high-level programmers. Gambling enterprises are trying to poach experts by offering them big salaries and a diverse technology stack.
3. Strict regulation. Programmers can be discouraged by regulatory requirements in the form of licences, KYC, and AML policies.

The Main Things About IT Specialists in the Entertainment Niche

The industry can compete with FinTech and BigTec using such tools as high salaries, technologies, career opportunities, and flexibility.

Key aspects that entrepreneurs should take into account:

• Popular search options include direct hunting through recruiters and hackathons. Referral programs and the appeal to closed IT communities give excellent results.
• Despite strict regulation and high competition, the iGaming sector remains attractive to IT talent. Engineers can work with AI, big data, and blockchain in a dynamic environment.

The Online Casino Market studio is your reliable business partner in the entertainment market.

We offer the following useful solutions:

• turnkey platforms;
• White Label projects;
• sportsbook software;
• program components for poker rooms.

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