Employment opportunities for women in the Philippine gaming industry have increased amid the continued boom in the Philippine gaming industry, especially as more international companies invest in the country.

These views were expressed by panellists during an International Women's Day event hosted by Aristocrat Gaming in the Philippine capital Manila on Friday. This is the first gathering of its kind in Asia for gaming technology suppliers.

Cheryl Tiglao, director of slots at Hann Casino Resort at Clark, noted that as international investment expands, "opportunities for women to work in the industry increase as well." The resort is promoted by Hann Resorts.

“Men and women should have equal opportunities and greater trust in women's abilities in this process," Ms. Tiglao added.

Katrina Mae De Jesus, head of business development and resort marketing at Universal Hotels & Resorts and promoter of NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, also agreed that women now have more career opportunities in the industry, especially considering the “iGaming scene in the country." development of".

"It's a new thing and there are more opportunities for women," including in leadership and technical positions, she added.

"So it's great to see that there are technical roles - often led by men - that are now open to women," she added. "The work environment should be gender-neutral ... you just have to continue to create opportunities for people to shine."

Vina Claudette Oca reminded viewers that the Philippines ranks high in global gender equality rankings. She is the assistant vice president for gaming licensing and development at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the country's industry regulator.

The Philippines ranks 16th in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index Ranking compiled by the World Economic Forum. This is an annual index designed to measure the current status and evolution of gender equality globally.

Still, progress on gender equality in the Philippines has been “pretty slow and minimal for many years," Ms. Oka noted.

“But we can always overcome these challenges one by one, starting in our own communities, offices and departments," she added.

The three panelists agreed that more events promoting gender equality should be "championed" in order to empower women, not just in the gaming industry but in other fields as well.

“Activities or programs like this help raise awareness of the subject and thereby support progress," Ms Tiglao said.

Aristocrat Gaming's conference aims to "celebrate the achievements of women in gaming" and promote discussions on "how organizations can benefit from investments in diversity, equity and inclusion."

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Asia Pacific senior communications manager Daniela Vivaldo-Barbara said that as a global organization, the company needed to ensure "the expectations of all employees are met".

"To do this, we are currently narrowing it down to three key areas: increasing the representation of women; driving an inclusive culture; and expanding our diversity focus beyond gender," she said.

Ms. Vivaldo-Barbara added: “For each focus area, we have strategic goals, actions and initiatives designed to help us accelerate progress in these areas."

In particular, the gaming provider has developed a 12-month career development program called Ready to Rise "for aristocratic women and their allies" that gives participants access to career-enhancing learning and development opportunities.

Additionally, Aristocrat is committed to Australian industry superannuation fund HESTRA's '40:40 Vision' initiative, which calls on all ASX 300 companies to set gender composition targets for their executive leadership teams.

Ms. Vivaldo-Barbara noted: “By 2023, we have not only reached this target, we have exceeded it."