The last week has seen a volley of criticism aimed at the organisers of the Miss Gaming BEGE beauty contest on social media. To get to the heart of the issue, CasinoBeats talked to the event organiser and the contest’s most outspoken critic
THE Miss Gaming BEGE beauty contest has been an integral part of the Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Expo since 2012. Now in its seventh year and with its own microsite, Miss Gaming will kick off the annual trade show on November 21.
In the organiser’s words, the contestants, “all chosen by leading casino chains and gaming companies” will “parade in three rounds and promote the company’s brand”.
There’s also an online vote for the ‘audience favourite’ (at the time of publication, Dana Ruseva – Miss Casino Game Innovation, had a substantial lead with more than 500 votes), while the “most beautiful lady in the industry” will be named from a top three as selected by representatives from the fields of media, fashion and lifestyle.
It is fair to say that the notion of a beauty contest – and one in a sector that, by its own admission, faces a number of gender equality challenges – is not everyone’s cup of tea.
In the last week or so, there have been numerous calls for the Balkan expo to reconsider the beauty contest. Some of the European gaming industry’s leading influencers took to LinkedIn to offer less than complimentary views on the Miss Gaming phenomena.
Helen Walton, founder of Gamevy and chief commercial officer at Gluck Games, posted: “Plenty of people defending this elsewhere and getting cross with female executives who choose to highlight or object to it.”
Paul McNea, director of igaming at Persado, asked: “When did we go back to 1979??” while Tom Galanis, of TAG Media, went with the somewhat blunt but undeniably unambiguous: “Holy f*ck”.
Kelly Kehn, founder of the All-in Diversity Project, preferred sarcasm, asking if women were “allowed to vote” in the contest, before adding: “I am shocked that a company like Novomatic, who actively promotes equality on their website, would support this [through sponsor Admiral].”
Sarah Blackburn, director at industry marketing agency GameOn, posted: “In an era where both men and women are striving for equality for all, and also putting a stop to the exploitation of women within the workplace, someone in the gaming industry believes that this event is appropriate. Shame on you.”
Comments supporting Blackburn’s post came from employees at SG Digital, Playtech, Microgaming, Paddy Power Betfair, Tain and more.
Not all those commenting agreed. Dom Bradbury, founder of a website called Angry Britain, was a lone dissenter in this particular thread, essentially urging those outraged to lighten up and consider the bigger picture.
Bradbury suggested that there were far more pressing matters facing the gambling sector than a beauty contest, citing the fines handed down to operators for failing to protect vulnerable customers.
“We believe our culture is a good example that feminism and femininity can coexist without propagating gender inequality,” – EVENT ORGANISER
CasinoBeats this week talked to the organisers of Miss Gaming BEGE and outspoken critic Helen Walton, of Gamevy/Gluck.
THE ORGANISER
In an emailed statement, the event organiser acknowledged that these types of contests can divide opinion. “Beauty pageants, whether for men or women, can certainly be perceived under a negative lens,” said the organiser. “The truth of the matter, however, is that Eastern European culture does not define a woman’s worth by her looks. We believe that our culture is a good example that feminism and femininity can coexist without propagating gender inequality and being mutually exclusive.
“In fact, Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, are traditionally known for offering equal professional and societal opportunities to both genders. Even historically, women in Eastern Europe comprised a greater relative percentage of the professional workforce than many Western regions. In today’s Eastern Europe, many high-level executive, managerial and political positions are held by respected and admired female leaders.
“At the same time, traditionally the sense of beauty, body and spiritual health, elegance and fashion, is also culturally appreciated equally by both men and women and also promoted in business circles. Some fashion collections are launched exclusively for business women.
“There are plenty of examples where beauty pageants reinforce gender stereotypes but we exist in a reality where women in our society are free to be women and embrace their womanhood in every sense. Professional and societal equality, paired with the appreciation of what it means to be a woman, set a stage where cultural values overcome the negative artefacts of traditional beauty pageants.”
“We intend to continue THAT EVOLUTION this year and beyond by reinforcing the female role within our industry,” – EVENT ORGAnISER
Given the views being expressed by some industry figures, does the organiser intend to continue with the pageant – at BEGE 2018 and beyond? “Miss Gaming was conceived by a third party at its onset as a business-oriented format in partnership with regional operators in the gaming industry.
“Over the years, the format of the event has evolved into one focusing on the importance and contribution of women in the gaming sector. Year after year women become involved and part of this industry in variety of roles and positions, including mid- and high-level management positions. We intend to continue that evolution this year and beyond by reinforcing the female role within our industry while also offering a stage for those same women to take pride in themselves. There are many women in high management positions in the gaming sector, who pride themselves for being not only successful professionals, but also being fashionable women.
“The Balkan Entertainment Gaming Expo will continue to host the annual nominations for Miss Gaming while closely listening to feedback from industry influencers, and most importantly, the participants. Feedback that will, inevitably, continue to evolve the format of the event.”
THE CRITIC
Among the most outspoken against the Miss Gaming event was Helen Walton, of Gamevy/Gluck. CasinoBeats talked to Walton about the matter.
“Does the gambling industry have an image problem?” mused Walton. “I think the answer to that is unquestionably ‘yes’. People continue to lack trust in the games, to question our morality as an industry as a whole and to associate us with unfair practice, potentially even with crime and with poor social outcomes.
“Given that, what image do we want to portray of ourselves? I think that for most people ‘beauty contests’ – especially with women in revealing outfits – is dated and slightly sleazy. So I believe that this adds to a negative overall image of gambling, which is unhelpful.
“Few people would deny that this is an overwhelmingly white and male industry. And with a diversity problem, it becomes especially strange to use a promotion that objectifies women and asks us to rate them on their looks.
“What message are we giving to young women in the industry? Are we suggesting that we value them for their brains, their talent and their hard work?” – HELEN WALTON
“What message are we giving to young women in the industry? Are we suggesting that we value them for their brains, their talent and their hard work? Or are we suggesting that the primary value we place on women is their looks?
“I think the latter is more true – and that this contributes to an industry that appears to be unwelcoming at best and exclusive at worst.”
There is no suggestion these models have been coerced, there is evidently no nudity and, in any case, it is an adult-only environment. Those asserting this is justification for staging the beauty contest are missing the point, says Walton.
“Last year many of the models were in bikinis and there was a pole dancer,” she says. “This year the models are wearing clothing, but the poses – and outfits – are deliberately sexualised. We are being asked to judge these women on their looks and the main promo event is for male casino buyers to have their photos taken with beautiful young women.
“To take it to an extreme – I have no issue with entirely legal strip clubs and the individual choices of women or men to work within them. That doesn’t mean I think they are an acceptable business venue or promotional activity for an industry as a whole to be associated with.
“This is not a prudish reaction. If a particular brand – say Playboy slots – wishes to advertise its features with Playboy models, then that’s fine and appropriate because they are promoting a deliberately sexual brand clearly aimed at straight men.
“But if you think a beauty contest is the best way to advertise an entire industry, then I think you are excluding women as equal employees and as consumers as well.
“Infuriatingly, I don’t even think it’s a deliberate desire to exclude women, I think it’s merely lazy and thoughtless.”
So what about beauty contests, per se? “Do I think a beauty contest is the worst thing ever? No, of course not,” continues Walton. “But I think it’s worth pointing out to an industry that seems to be asking itself why it has a diversity issue and a reputation issue, that this is absolutely symptomatic of those problems.
“I find it disappointing that BEGE believes this is the best way to promote the casinos, the companies and the event. I find there to be a strange cognitive dissonance between a sincere desire to support the Women in Gaming initiative with a Lean-In circle, and the beauty parade.”
At ICE and elsewhere, it is a common refrain to suggest that the industry is unreasonable to expect the same levels of marketing sophistication from companies in certain regions. Walton’s having none of it, calling the view “patronising”.
“If you’re a global company you can’t argue cultural relativism over moral standards,” – HELEN WALTON
“What are they saying? ‘Oh those backwards Eastern Europeans, we should give them outdated design and old technology as well as outdated marketing and promo concepts’? Or are they saying that standards that apply in the UK shouldn’t hold true in Eastern Europe? Do those same companies feel they can relax their fraud and corruption policies elsewhere as well?
“If they do – fine – but they should expect to be criticised and to find that others in the UK doubt their sincerity over claims relating to CSR, diversity and responsible gambling. If you’re a global company you can’t argue cultural relativism over moral standards.”
And what about the casino brands that are partners to the Miss Gaming element of the Balkan Expo in particular? Does Walton think companies’ reputations could be harmed by their association with the event?
“Yes. If your CEO stands up and says ‘We take diversity seriously and we have strong internal systems to recruit, retain and promote women’ and then the company’s actions show the opposite to be true… don’t expect to have any of your other fine words to be taken seriously,” says Walton.
“It’s like saying that ‘we are committed to responsible gambling’ – while ignoring age verification checks.”
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