Female slots designers making their mark despite being few in number

Many women work in gaming, with 48% of the industry made up of females according to the American Gaming Association. However, few of these women hold prominent positions in the area of slots design. The few that do, such as Kelsey Foster, Sydney Iturraran, and Kelly Trask, tend to do very well when given the opportunity.

Trask and Foster are among the mere 9% of women who design real money online slots and social casino games for a living, according to a recent profile of these women slot designers by CDC Gaming's Rege Behe. This stat highlights a shocking gap between females designing games and the 48% working throughout the entirety of gaming. 

However, performance doesn't seem to be the reasoning behind the disparity. Foster has spent 25 years in gaming, moving her way up to Vice President of Game Design at Light & Wonder, one of the world's top designers of casino games online.

A mathematician, Foster originally worked for Fidelity Investments before transitioning to the gaming world. The challenge of combining game design with mathematics was an attractive proposition to her.

Trask became a game designer in her 20s, citing reverse-age discrimination as being another obstacle to success besides gender. Coworkers frequently called her "kid" while she battled to earn recognition for her successful ideas.

Trask overcame these hurdles and is now SciPlay's Slots Development & Strategy Leader. A division of Light & Wonder, SciPlay concentrates on free-to-play slots for social casinos versus real money games like online baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.

She has worked up the ladder by taking a detailed approach to casino game design. Trask meticulously pours over everything from player behavior to mechanics before beginning work on a new project.

Sydney Iturraran is also among the small percentage of women who develop games. After feeling like she didn't always get a fair chance in interviews, Iturraran landed a job with American Gaming Systems (AGS).

Now an industry veteran, she feels that her perspective as a female brings a different angle to designing games. Iturraran believes that women can provide a softer edge and less intensity when creating new casino slots.

Of course, the goal above all is to deliver games that casino goers want to play. Iturraran does this by combining player psychology with the ability to solve complex mathematical models. Her strategy is a big reason why she's been successful in an industry where few women have even broken the entry barrier.

Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET.

Jeremy Olson