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Catie Di Stefano, who has 14 plus years experience working in the online gambling sector, claims bullying and in-fighting within the sector is getting out of control.
She made the comment via her LinkedIn page and a number of her followers tended to agree.
Is it just me, or has our industry become more hostile towards certain individuals in the last few months?
It’s so much noise on LinkedIn and I’m honestly just exhausted opening up the app these days trying to cut through that noise - but lately I’ve also been seeing so many personal attacks in our industry and it puts me off.
Sometimes, it’s flat-out adult bullying I’ve seen.
I used to love LinkedIn because of the connections. Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn was REAL people with insightful opinions, sharing their experiences and passions.
Don’t get me wrong, we should be able to call out or discuss different opinions as I strongly believe it’s good to challenge each other…
But personal attacks are not ok.
Challenge companies, regulations, data and methods etc - but don’t attack someone personally for how they look, their private life or because they work for a specific company.
The gambling industry is small - but not that small. Honestly, there is enough for all of us without bringing others down.
Please let 2026 be the year where we move towards more transparency in kindness, and not with the goal of burning down all our competitors.
Rant over/
Catie
"Unfortunately the igaming industry is becoming more of a popularity contest rather than real focus on innovation," wrote Casino Operations Specialist Lyon Xuereb.
Helen Walton observed "The drive to chase attention and clicks can overwhelm people's longer-term thinking. And it's all too easy to read or write too fast and ignore nuance. I've seen it... and if I've seen it, I've probably been guilty of it too. Change always starts with being accountable for our own actions and words."
Another industry veteran, Brandie E. Black, noted the immaturity that has reared its ugly head over the last year.
"Great post, Catie, I absolutely agree! It's sad to watch - as Helen says, just baiting for clicks and attention. I am typically direct and open with my opinions but I wouldn't want to cross that line. Not sure if you've seen the immaturity in some of the industry WhatsApp groups... Now that is prob the most shocking I've seen yet. Thanks for making this post and I hope people give certain behaviours a second thought."
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
