May 16, 2019
Demand for talent in the US sports betting and gaming market has rocketed since 2018’s PASPA repeal. Candidates with technical and data skillsets, though, are topping the “most wanted” lists in 2019.
Even as established operators and suppliers arrive from overseas, the enormous new US market requires a fresh approach to software and app development to stay competitive. The US’s unique sports profile, multiple regions, multiple sports leagues, and broad mix of customers ensures that ‘porting in’ solutions from overseas has serious limitations.
Fresh technical talent, and substantial resources, will be required in the coming months and years if operators and suppliers are to harness the massive US market opportunity.
Here’s our talent market update for US sports betting and gaming tech:
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Among the many ‘high demand’ specialisms within US online sports betting, technical expertise - and particularly those with strong data handling credentials - undoubtedly tops the list. Those areas are red hot.
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With a 3.8% nationwide unemployment rate, this makes sports betting, and gaming, a difficult market within a difficult market. Yet with an influx of new businesses and investment, ever more roles are falling into the ‘absolutely critical’ category.
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High level leadership talent - including those key initial ‘on the ground’ individuals needed to kick-start new market entry - are still highly sought-after, though now some of the early movers are ready to expand teams at the operational level.
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Pre-PASPA, data related roles in the US tended to focus on CRM and data segmentation. Now, the importance of data has increased their remit substantially, intersecting far more with revenue-generating activity.
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Data science is the driving force behind this shift. Knowledge of key data science technologies like R, Python and SQL, as well as strong knowledge of fundamental principles, is a highly prized skillset.
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Universities and internships are now utilizing these technologies in their undergrad, masters, and internships to better prepare themselves for these Data Science, Data Analyst, and other data driven roles companies are looking for.
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Social, casual and real-money clients are all hiring aggressively in tech and data. User Acquisition has become far more lucrative for many social and casual operators. This has added extra demand for marketing and acquisition professionals, particularly those with proven credentials in data-focused and analytical digital marketing practice. This spans multiple channels including mobile (iOS / Android), web, social and broader campaigns.
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Early market movers in sportsbook are significantly expanding their operations to include in-play sports, trading teams and predictive analytics. Passion for, and experience of, the sports betting industry - alongside a specific hard skill set - are the key qualifications for these exciting roles.
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US citizens or green card holders remain the primary candidates for roles. Due to significant visa restrictions (which are even providing issues for current holders), few employers are looking beyond this candidate pool, though many would absolutely consider repatriating citizens who are living abroad.
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95% of roles we see are hiring on a permanent basis. The limited contract roles tend to be in high level management and are contingent on consideration of permanent continuation. Remote working, or 4-day weeks, are becoming a much-requested perk.
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With seven (7) states having legal, state-regulated, sports betting industries (Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island), the excitement around building out tech, data, and operations in the U.S. continues.
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We’ve hired for roles nationally with specific emphasis in Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Michigan. There has also been an uptick in opportunities within Canada and Costa Rica.