Working in the iGaming sector in Armenia is somewhat of a “We don’t talk about Fight Club” situation. Many who work in the industry prefer not to disclose their occupation, while others are hesitant to apply for open positions at iGaming companies, leaving an entire network of HR personnel scratching their heads and getting frustrated by not finding suitable candidates. The reason behind all of this is a rather skewed judgment in Armenia which proclaims that “gambling in all forms is bad and destroys lives” while condemning those who work in the industry, irrespective of their position.
Fully aware of the unfavorable public perception of all things related to gambling and iGaming, I had set my mind to never apply for a job at a company which fell into this category, no matter what. But here’s the thing: I never knew exactly why I was so reluctant. I had a negative attitude toward an entire sector that, at the time, I knew nothing about. I had set foot in a casino only once, losing 90% of my money on a single slot machine before stepping out of the building after what was an admittedly boring and unrewarding experience.
“Hello, this is Ani from Technamin…”
In March 2022, I was planning on leaving Armenia permanently. I was frustrated by the working environment I was in and I could not find a suitable position elsewhere. Disdained and in total vitriol, I began to plan my move back to my country of origin. On a fateful mid-March day (I know, that sounds way too dramatic), I received a phone call from an unknown number. “Hello, this is Ani from Technamin.” “Hi…Ani…how can I help you?” “We’re looking for a content writer and I’ve been trying to reach you for a long time. Would you like to come in for an interview?” I turned toward my mother and mouthed the words “job offer,” to which she nodded as a sign of “go for it.” And go for it I did. Considering the introductory paragraph to this blog, you can imagine my “Uh…” face when I found out that Technamin was in fact an iGaming company. Motivational piano music suddenly screeches to a stop.
There I was, sitting in an office with the founder and CEO, as well as the head of the HR department, discussing the working conditions of a company that belonged to an industry which was on my no-no list. The offer was a great one and would allow me to remain in Armenia, do what I love, and finally get the chance to really turn my life around. “But…” said a voice in my head, “this is an iGaming company. Should I? Really?” “Yes!” said another, more sensible voice. I took some time to think things through, and after many hours of soul searching, I accepted the offer. Yes, it was an industry I was reluctant to step into. Yes, it was a risk. A gamble, if puns may be intended, both for myself and my future employer who was about to hire someone with zero industry experience. But it paid off. I hit the jackpot, if you will allow me another pun. At the beginning stages, however, it wasn’t easy. A question kept buzzing in my head when I first joined Technamin:
What rabbit hole did I get myself into?
The analogy isn’t that far off. After all, didn’t both the Queen of Hearts and the King of Hearts appear in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland? iGaming was, for me at least, a wonderland in its truest sense. Everything was new, and I spent the better part of my three-month probation solely on researching the industry, the products it offers, and how the entire concoction works. The penny finally dropped and I got a clearer picture of what online gaming is and that it’s not just limited to “a website where people bet.”
You know that scene in The Matrix where they load Neo with a martial arts program and he delivers the famous “I know kung-fu!” one-liner? Working at Technamin at the beginning stages was a similar experience for me, except I said “I don’t know kung-fu” because I had a hard time digesting the constant flow of information. In fact, I often feared that I wouldn’t make it past my probationary period. But thanks to the constant encouragement of the management, as well as the support I got from my colleagues, I soldiered on and over the course of a few months, I learned the ropes and I’m now fascinated by an industry that I used to hate.
What’s so good about iGaming?
Listen, I’m not here to convince anyone to work in the online gaming industry. I’m writing this blog for content writers who are interested in the sector but are hesitant to join due to the social implications it may bring. What I will try to do now is give you some insight I’ve gained over the past two years, which will hopefully help you in your decision-making process.
When we say “iGaming company,” it can refer to multiple things.
An iGaming Operator: An operator is a website where gamblers can create accounts, deposit money, and bet on various games and sports events. If you join an iGaming provider as a writer, be prepared to write B2C content. That is, catchy content which grabs the attention of gamblers and attracts them to bet on your company’s gambling website. Of course, the website will go through certain marketing and SEO processes, and you’ll create content for these as well.
An iGaming Provider: An iGaming provider is a company that I work for. We help iGaming operators set up their gambling websites with the resources we have at our disposal. This includes a platform to build online casinos or sportsbooks on, and a myriad other solutions such as support, branding, and marketing. Providers are the Swiss-Army knives of iGaming. As an iGaming writer, a large portion of your job will involve creating B2B content for your business in the form of blogs, website texts, external and internal articles, social media content, and so on. If your operator partners require content, your company will likely have a bigger team of writers who will each work on separate projects per partner.
An iGaming Vendor: Vendors are companies that offer casino games, slots, sports feeds and similar products which providers can integrate into their platform and offer operators. Operators can also integrate them if they have their own platforms and enough capital. This is where perhaps most writers can feel more creative, because you’ll get to come up with narratives and fun stories to keep gamblers engaged with the games. Of course, vendors also need marketing content, so you’ll have to provide that as well. There’s simply no getting rid of marketing content, regardless of what type of iGaming company you end up with!
As a writer who works for an iGaming provider, I’ve had the unique chance to interact with all of the products and understand how they work. For example, an online casino to me is no longer simply a betting platform. It’s an intricate mix of gamification, segmentation, user engagement tools, mathematics and more. All of these open up to interesting learning experiences on their own. Same with sportsbooks, payment systems (crypto, anyone?) and everything else. It’s been an incredible journey learning so much about such a complex industry. You won’t be bored at an iGaming company, I can vouch for that.
Aaand then we have the elephant in the room:
But…gambling is…bad?
Gambling is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Armenia. That being said, the general consensus is: it’s bad, it’s evil, it’s all the bad adjectives in the English dictionary. In fact, this negative perception is so common in Armenia, it led to the government waging an all-out war against the industry and passing a law which banned all forms of advertising when it comes to gambling. If you own a gambling website in Armenia, you can only advertise on your website, in land-based casinos and other websites which offer online games that can be bet on. Before the bill passed, ads from betting websites like Totogaming, Vivaro and the Georgia-based Adjarabet were literally everywhere.
It’s easy to understand this negative mindset. After all, problem gambling does exist and it does pose a threat to gamblers. I personally know people who’ve had their entire lives destroyed overnight due to gambling addiction. This is where I had to do most of my soul searching before accepting Technamin’s offer. “Do I really want to contribute to an industry with such a negative reputation?” was a question I had to ask myself. Then I did what any sensible writer would do: I began to research. And through my somewhat superficial research, I found out about responsible gaming and safer gambling. This is one of the cornerstones of the iGaming industry and seeks to both prevent problem gambling and help problem gamblers overcome their addiction issues. It exhibits itself in a number of ways, including automated and manual limitation systems which lock the problem player out of their account within specific time-frames. Most iGaming providers also have teams who ensure that gambler information is safe, and that underage gamblers cannot access operator websites. There’s also quite a lot of licensing involved, but I won’t bore you with that…yet.
When I saw all of this, I realized that despite the insane amount of profit operators - and in turn, providers - make, they are taking decisive steps toward keeping gamblers safe. After all, gambling is something we’ve been doing since ancient times (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades divided the universe between themselves by…you guessed it, gambling!) and the activity is a form of entertainment, not income. At least, it should be that way. I can’t find statistics on a global scale, but in the US, a mere 1% of the entire adult gambler population suffers from problem gambling. The rest seem to be doing just fine. It’s all about moderation and self-restraint, along with the preventative measures taken by providers and operators. Also - and this might sound controversial - no limitations or consultations can help if the gambler does not recognize the problem within themselves and does not make an incentive to seek help. The same goes for any sort of addictive activity such as drinking and smoking. As far as I’m concerned, iGaming companies (at least legitimate ones like Technamin) are doing all they can to tackle problem gambling.
To write or not to write?
If you’re considering a career as a writer in an iGaming company, it all boils down to you and how you choose to perceive the industry. It’s one that’s vast and will throw curve balls your way, but if you’re up for the challenge, it can open up a lot of possibilities to explore. Are there people whose lives are ruined through gambling? Yes. But you won’t be ruining them. This is not a homicide scenario where you’ll be judged and jailed as an accessory to murder. It’s a profitable industry covering a wide spectrum of concepts and when it comes to writing, the sky’s the limit. If you have a chance to enter, I recommend going for it. You can always opt to leave if it’s not for you. This isn’t Hotel California, after all! Good luck with your writing career!
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