- Summits
- News
- Foundation
- Training & Advisory
- Poker Tour
- SiGMA Play
- SiGMA Play
- SiGMA Play
- About
On March 7, 2024, at a gaming event in Rio de Janeiro, The Association of Women in the Gaming Industry (AMIG) was established. Today, it already has 725 associated women from Brazil, Portugal, and many other countries interested in the growing and increasingly regulated Brazilian gaming industry. Full implementation of regulations in Brazil is expected by January 2025. AMIG, in Portuguese, is similar to the word friend.
Three of the association’s six founders talked to SiGMA News about their work, which includes events, networking, workshops, and helping women succeed in this sector. Teresa Caeiro, from Portugal, and Brazilians Barbara Teles and Ana Helena Pamplona said they felt united by a desire to create a safe space for women and freely exchange knowledge and experiences.
“We thought it would be nice to have some support, a space where women could feel welcome, where we could encourage each other and do more things together,” said Caeiro.
Around 90 percent of the women are Brazilian or Portuguese, and the other 10 percent are from other countries in Europe and the Americas because of the language barrier, Portuguese, according to Caeiro. AMIG use social media and their website to connect women. “We have a WhatsApp group and exchange around 200 messages daily with questions about the industry,” she said.
One of the association’s pillars is education. “We want to provide the opportunity for women to learn more from this field, advance in their career, and do it all in a safe space. They can ask all the questions they want; there is no judgement, there are no stupid questions. Everyone there is comfortable,” explained Caeiro.
AMIG offers online workshops on various topics related to the gaming industry. For example, they invited representatives from the Secretary of Prizes and Bets (SPA) from the Ministry of Finance to discuss regulations. “C-level and heads of different company sectors make this a very educational and healthy environment,” Caeiro shared. A talent agent in the association also sends job offers and talks about the market, giving tips to grow in their careers.
Pamplona also mentioned women’s participation in gaming events and panels. “Unfortunately, the events in our industry still have predominantly male speakers. We help to appoint women, so there is always at least one woman in each panel,” she said, adding, “I think this feeling of belonging is very important.”
“The association’s role is to bring this topic into the conversation, reflect, and bring change. And for that, we also need men on our side. We believe change should be accomplished by all of us. Until a little while ago, the women weren’t even part of the conversation in the leadership positions in our industry, and I think this is evolving,” said Caeiro.
Pamplona emphasised, “That is what we want. Equality. We start with one woman speaking in panels, then maybe two or three, and then panels with more women than men. Not as an imposition, but as a logical consequence of women growing in their careers.”
Women now have more opportunities, according to Pamplona. They are excelling in their careers and increasingly deserve a greater voice. “It is a meritocracy matter; it will be a natural change from all the work women are building,” she said.
They are perfecting themselves in their professions and deserve more and more of a place at the table. “It is a meritocracy matter; it will be a natural change from all the work women are building,” she said.
AMIG also receives sexual harassment complaints from women in the gaming industry. “We try to help as much as we can with counselling and trying to tell them what alternatives they have to make complaints within their companies. Sometimes, when we are in that position, we don’t know exactly how to act. AMIG has an important role there, too. We are a helping hand for all situations, good and bad. We celebrate the victories and cry the sorrows together,” shared Caeiro.
According to Barbara Teles, professional qualification is the biggest challenge for women in the gaming industry. “The industry is still professionalising in Brazil, so it is a challenge for women to be ahead of the game, too, which is why we offer workshops,” Teles said.
Another challenge Teles mentioned is the recognition of women’s importance in the industry. “This has been a year of significant advances in that area, but we still have a long way to go, and I believe AMIG will play an essential role in it,” she said.
For those interested in joining AMIG, the association is free, and you just need to complete a form on their website.
Join the biggest iGaming Community in the world with SiGMA’s Top 10 news countdown. Subscribe HERE for weekly updates from the world’s iGaming authority and exclusive subscriber-only offers.