Gaming Operations Academy is a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited learning center that has established itself as a renowned training and consultancy agency for both land-based and online gaming operators, offering courses for clients of every level, from novice to advanced. It has 16 coaches and over 700 client companies worldwide.
Its founder, CEO and Director of Studies Adam Roebuck has talked in an exclusive interview with iGaming developer and aggregator Slotegrator about the inception of GO-Academy, its mission, achievements to date, current offer and plans for the future. He also shared his views on the role of continuing education in the gaming industry and how companies can make the best of it to achieve quantifiable results.
Roebuck joined the gaming industry after he met Kate Chambers, who was at Clarion Gaming at the time, which led to his work with ICE and Totally Gaming Academy. “Once TGA was closed down, the key figures behind it decided to create the Gaming Operations Academy,” he tells Slotegrator.
GO-Academy creates live training courses for the industry, designed to be “more consultative and intimate, offering a deep dive into key areas of clients’ businesses. Our ultimate goal is to help drive sustainable growth for their companies,” he says. Due to covid, all of their courses are currently delivered via Zoom, but once the restrictions are lifted, they will offer a hybrid of online and in person — classroom-style — learning “if we are sure that we can offer a quality product.”
In 2021, GO-Academy added various course topics to its portfolio, including Anti-Money laundering in Gaming; Responsible Gaming Academy; Gamification in Gaming; Sportsbook Management, Tools, Trading & Promotions. “Our customers highlighted that the market needed more in-depth RG & AML training, so we decided to separate our combined RG & AML course and create two in depth training sessions – covering the points the market needs,” Roebuck explains. The company also began its thought leadership programs and started offering free sample workshops.
As for the trainers, the CEO says all of them are currently active within the industry on a day-to-day basis. Some are embedded within operators and others with vendors; most are consulting to both and even regulators worldwide. “Each of our trainers must have experience working on both the operator and vendor side,” he points out.
When asked by Slotegrator about the most effective approach to raise the bar in an Gaming company, Roebuck says that “leaders, not managers — leaders that are well trained and not scared to roll up their sleeves and have their whole teams trained to a minimum standard first is key. It’s like a Six Sigma production line focused on tweaking and improvement. A good approach would be basic training followed by tailored training focused on getting that next level improvement out of the team.”
GO-Academy also organizes live events across Europe and Latin America. “We are keeping an eye on Covid-related restrictions globally, and we will be collaborating with established events over the next year. The last thing the industry needs right now is yet another round of conferences and events to pop up,” he concludes, and for 2022 he promises “even better customer engagement and services, more topics, more trainers, more thought leadership partners, more free stuff, more content.”
Read the full Slotegrator’s interview with Adam Roebuck here.
