AI: A necessary skill for iGaming candidates

The iGaming sector has always been fast-moving, but the next wave of transformation is already here in AI-driven talent. Across product, marketing, operations, and compliance, companies are increasingly prioritising candidates who understand how to use AI tools responsibly and strategically.

While few roles today explicitly require “AI expertise”, hiring trends show a clear direction: AI literacy will become a non-negotiable skill in the next two to three years.

Why iGaming companies are suddenly prioritising AI skills

From our work with clients across Malta, Cyprus, the UAE and wider Europe, CMC Consulting is seeing a major shift. Organisations aren’t necessarily looking for “AI specialists” - they’re looking for people who can apply AI in their day-to-day roles to make their team faster, smarter and more efficient.

Here’s what’s driving this change:

1. Personalisation is everything

Player expectations are higher than ever. Operators want AI-enabled teams who can:

• Build personalised player journeys
• Leverage predictive analytics to reduce churn
• Optimise bonus spend and segmentation
• Improve real-time decision making
  
  

Marketing and CRM teams with AI knowledge are becoming invaluable.

2. Compliance and risk require smarter tools

As regulation gets tighter, operators are increasing investment in AI-based systems to support:

• Player verification
• AML and fraud detection
• Safer gambling monitoring

Candidates who understand how to work with these systems - not just click buttons - are already standing out.

3. Content is scaling faster than teams

With multiple markets, languages, and regulatory differences, content output has exploded. AI is helping:

• Localisation teams
• Affiliates
• Casino managers
• Copywriting and SEO teams

Companies are now looking for candidates who know how to use AI tools ethically to speed up content production while protecting quality.

4. Product teams need AI awareness, not coding

Product managers, analysts and UX specialists don’t need to be machine learning engineers - but they do need to understand:

• What AI can and cannot do
• How to brief AI-powered features
• How to integrate AI into optimisation and testing
• How to evaluate AI-driven insights

A product professional with AI literacy is becoming a first-choice hire.

Which AI skills will matter most in iGaming?

Based on current hiring conversations, these are the top capabilities companies increasingly value:

• AI-assisted data analysis- Knowing how to analyse player data via AI tools to produce insights faster.

• Workflow automation- Building small automations for CRM, reporting, or operational tasks.

• AI-driven content creation (within compliance guidelines)- Understanding how to create compliant, on-brand content using AI.

• Prompt engineering for internal tools - Using precise prompts to get reliable outputs from AI-powered systems.

• Responsible use of AI

This is a very crucial one - companies want staff who understand:

• Data privacy
• Bias awareness
• Limitations of AI
• Human oversight
  
  

• Understanding AI in product features- Being able to collaborate with data and development teams on AI-supported journeys.

How candidates can improve and stand out

Even without a technical background, candidates in iGaming can start building valuable AI literacy:

• Learn the basics of prompt engineering
• Understand how AI impacts retention, acquisition and product design
• Explore automated workflows for emails, segmentation and reporting
• Get comfortable with AI content tools and how to ethically use them
• Develop an understanding of AI-powered risk and safer gambling systems

This, of course, does not replace core skills, but it massively elevates them.

The bottom line: AI won’t replace roles, but it will redefine them

Companies are not looking to replace staff with AI. They’re looking for people who can work better because of AI.

The candidates who treat AI as a strategic tool - rather than a threat - will be the ones securing the most competitive roles and fastest promotions.

The iGaming landscape is evolving quickly. Over the next few years, AI capability will shift from a “nice to have” to a core expectation. Candidates who start building these skills now will be in the strongest position as the industry continues to scale, regulate, and innovate.