daniel chigunweWho is a better person to interview than Edward Howarth, the lead writer for DashTickets, when it comes to landing a job in the gambling industry? The Hamilton native has been making a living in gambling ever since graduating from the University of Waikato in 2006, and has been on both sides – those that accept bets and those that place bets.
This is why we turn to mr. Howarth to tell anyone who’s interested in doing the same now, and we’ll focus on New Zealand specifically as the upcoming regulation is about to go live in 2026 and it will change things greatly, though Edward’s advice will ring true for just about any market in the world.
Thank you for joining us, Edward. Could you first tell us a bit about your present position and your past experience?
Thank you for inviting me. I am the lead writer for DashTickets, I think the best gambling magazine in New Zealand right now, and I make it my business to do thorough and truthful casino reviews that are brutally honest. I’m also involved with the upcoming regulatory regime as I comment on what’s going on and try to make my voice heard. I talk to a lot of players and a lot of industry professionals.
I graduated from the University of Waikato in 2006, I got a degree in Social Sciences, and I focused on Māori and Indigenous Studies. You see where this is going. I’m into human behaviour, I’ve done my research in deprived communities, and this converges well with my interest in gambling. Why do people gamble, in the first place?
Well, why do they gamble?
The thrill of the chase. That’s the basis. Then you can start talking about money, financial gains, desire to win back the money you lost, illusion of control of the outcome of the game, the desire to beat the game, special treatment by the casinos, escape from worries… There’s a lot of factors at play but at the very basis it’s the innate human desire to play a game and win. Money augments it.
Thank you for that interesting explanation. Now, how to land a job in the gambling industry? How did you land yours?
Back when I graduated, online gaming was just emerging as a viable career opportunity. I’d say the casinos were extra eager to find someone and the pool of people that could do the job was a very small one. I was involved in the online community at the time, so that’s where the company representatives went to find fresh blood. I got tapped on the shoulder, and accepted the opportunity.
What was your job?
I’d prefer not to discuss the exact role, but let’s just say that I got exposed to a ton of data regarding player activity. Whether you want it or not, you quickly start to recognize patterns of behaviour, especially if you’re into human behaviour like I am.
What were some patterns you recognized?
It can’t go unnoticed that losing players make progressively larger deposits in an effort to win the money back. It’s sad to see. Instead of quitting an activity that is obviously burning a hole in his pocket, a human will decide to deposit some more. Another pattern I’ve noticed is that winners never quit either – they think that, if they already won so easily, hey can surely win some more. So they reinvest their profits and they lose. These two behaviour patterns are probably why they say the house always wins!
I suspect the gambling scene is more refined now and there are actual job roles to apply to?
Oh, you’d be surprised. There are job titles for just about everything. Head of game development, Product manager, Game economy designer, Traffic manager, Monetization manager, Media buyer, Blockchain strategy lead, Player support specialist.
Add to that all the common managerial roles, all the tech and IT roles, finance roles, SEO and content production roles. However, the thing that’s specific about gambling is a niche of jobs that pertain to the actual activity of gambling. Player interaction, how they place bets, how to gamify them, how to optimise the conversions. The gambling industry is just so vast in scope of jobs you can do.
What would be the first step for someone who wants to work in the gambling industry?
I’d say, narrow it down. Find a career path you’re comfortable with, of the many that are available, then find some job roles that you’re interested in. Finally, adapt your resume and possibly your mindset to fill the demands of that job role. Also, decide if you want to work remotely – this is definitely an industry that allows it – or if you’re willing to relocate. Malta is the hub.
Any examples of career paths to take?
I can think of a few. One example would be SEO and content production. Everyone needs content right now, it’s your bread and butter, you need to produce content or die. To this you can add some AI content automation; experts in that are greatly needed. So that’s one career path for you. Focus on writing words that matter.
Then, if you’re a business-oriented people’s person, you can focus on making deals. Or, get a managerial role and make everyone else work faster and better. There are also a lot of job roles for social media, so if you’re good at creating a hype and a following, you can definitely make it in this industry.
What do the employers want?
Credentials, just like everyone else. Credentials and simplicity. No one likes complex people. No one likes special people. Simply show that you can get the job done cleanly, in line with the company’s requirements and their way of doing things, keep quiet and deliver. Don’t create problems for anyone, don’t make a mess.
How to show that in your resume?
Keep it clean and straight to the point. Most people think your resume is a place for you to brag and go on and on about who you are, but it isn’t. The way you approach writing your resume is telling the recruiters everything they need to know about you. Keep it simple. Less is more. If a person wrote a clean resume, no fluff, then chances are, it will be a clean worker who does things without making a mess.
Would you contact the company directly, wait for the job role to be posted, be active in the community like you were? What is the correct choice here?
Companies have plenty of experience right now, they evolved, so any job role will get posted online. If there’s a brand you really really want to work for, you can contact them directly, but you always have a better chance of connecting if you see the job ad so the cards are revealed to you, so to speak, you know who you have to be to fill the role.
I’d do a quick Google search to find places where gambling jobs are advertised, and then I would carefully read almost every ad with an open mind. This right here is your education. After a few weeks you’ll know what these companies want. Then, start applying, and keep applying until you land an interview. Don’t ruin the interview, and you got a job.
Don’t ruin the interview! I love that.
Yes, well, so many people try too hard. Like I said, companies like stable, clear-thinking people who don’t make a mess and who aren’t too emotional. Just don’t ruin the interview.
Thank you for your advice, Edward.
It was my pleasure. I hope this helps someone to get started in the gambling industry. You know, even in this day and age, people still don’t believe you can make money online or work online. You most certainly can. Gambling industry is probably the biggest one where you can do so.
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