In 2025, a new professional network called LGBTQ in Gaming launched to give queer professionals in the iGaming industry a space to connect, share resources and push for better workplace policies. The group was founded by Brooke Thomas, who modeled it on African-Americans in Gaming, an organisation that has been building similar support for Black professionals in the sector. Already backed by the American Gaming Association and with more than 330 members on LinkedIn, the group held its first webinar titled “How to Support LGBTQ Employees” and is planning an in-person networking event at G2E (Global Gaming Expo) 2025 in Las Vegas later this year.
The move comes as the global iGaming industry, worth tens of billions of pounds, continues to grow rapidly in the UK and beyond. Yet for many LGBTQ employees, the culture inside casino operators, software suppliers and affiliate networks can feel isolating. A 2023 study by the trade body Gambling Compliance found that fewer than 15% of major industry employers in Europe had published any form of LGBTQ inclusion policy. Without formal support, queer workers have often relied on informal alliances. LGBTQ in Gaming aims to turn those ad‑hoc networks into something structured and visible. That effort sits squarely within a broader push for diversity and inclusion in iGaming, where companies are starting to measure their own progress against external benchmarks.
Building a blueprint from an existing model
Thomas, who works in corporate communications for a US‑based gaming firm, said she noticed that the challenges faced by Black professionals in iGaming were receiving organised attention through African-Americans in Gaming, but no equivalent existed for the LGBTQ community. “We have the same conversations about code‑switching in meetings, about whether it’s safe to mention a partner, about who sits on the senior team,” she told a trade publication in March. “I wanted to take a proven structure and apply it to queer people.” The launch was also noticed by established queer gaming professionals network groups such as Gay Gaming Professionals and the IGDA LGBTQ SIG, which have operated in the video game space for years and offered Thomas informal advice on governance and event planning.
The group’s first webinar, held in April 2025, focused on practical steps managers can take: using correct pronouns in company communications, reviewing dress‑code policies to remove gender‑specific requirements, and ensuring health benefits cover gender‑affirming care. More than 200 people registered for the session. The upcoming G2E event, scheduled for October, will be the group’s first in‑person gathering and is expected to draw several dozen attendees from across the United States and Europe, including a handful from UK‑based companies. For those who cannot travel, the group is already planning a second webinar on transgender inclusion in customer‑facing roles, a topic that rarely surfaces at mainstream industry conferences.
Why inclusive workplaces matter for players too
The push for professional inclusion is not happening in a vacuum. For queer players, finding an online casino or gaming platform that feels genuinely welcoming—rather than just tolerant—remains hit‑or‑miss. A 2024 survey by community site Gayming Magazine reported that 62% of LGBTQ respondents said they had encountered homophobic language in the chat rooms or comment sections of mainstream gambling sites. The same survey found that players were more likely to spend time and money on platforms that visibly marketed to queer audiences, not just during Pride Month but year‑round. That commercial pressure is slowly registering with operators, and it explains why LGBTQ friendly online casinos are no longer a niche curiosity but a genuine market segment.
As queer professionals advocate for inclusivity, platforms like ManekiSpin are also recognising the value of welcoming spaces, and when players explore their options, the ManekiSpin bonus provides a tangible way to experience a community‑oriented approach. The casino has built its brand around a Japanese‑themed aesthetic and a reputation for responsive customer support, and its promotional offers are increasingly aimed at players who want more than just a slots lobby—they want a site where they don’t have to hide who they are. This kind of targeted incentive matters because it signals that the operator has thought about who its audience actually is. It also points to a wider shift: LGBTQ representation in gambling is becoming a talking point in boardrooms, not just in employee resource groups.
A shift in how iGaming markets itself
The broader trend toward niche marketing in iGaming has accelerated since the UK Gambling Commission tightened rules around mass‑market advertising. Operators can no longer rely on blanket TV spots or generic banners. Instead, they are segmenting audiences by interest, identity and play style. LGBTQ ‑friendly bonuses, tournaments hosted by queer streamers, and partnerships with organisations like Stonewall or Pride in Sport are becoming more common. For smaller platforms, this is a way to differentiate from the big high‑street brands. For queer players, it means more places where they can play without bracing for a slur or a dismissive welcome. The conversation about safe space queer gamblers can rely on has moved from fan forums into corporate strategy documents.
Some larger suppliers are watching closely. Kindred Group and Evolution Gaming have both published diversity statements that mention sexual orientation, while Relax Gaming and Pragmatic Play have sponsored internal LGBTQ networking groups for staff in Malta and Gibraltar. None of these companies have formally endorsed LGBTQ in Gaming yet, but several of their employees attended the April webinar. A spokesperson for one supplier, who asked not to be named, said the session was useful because it gave concrete examples of policy changes rather than abstract promises.
The industry has a long way to go. The LGBTQ in Gaming group itself remains small compared to the scale of the iGaming workforce, and its founders are open about the fact that many queer employees still stay closeted at work for fear of damaging their careers. But the existence of a formal network changes the dynamic: it gives people a reason to reach out, a place to ask questions, and a public count of membership that makes the community harder to ignore. The group is also exploring a partnership with an international gambling regulator to publish a simple guide on inclusive workplace language, which would give smaller operators a low‑cost starting point.
What happens when a collective of queer professionals, a growing roster of inclusive platforms, and a player base that demands better all converge? The next G2E event, the next survey, the next set of workplace policy changes will begin to give an answer. For now, the signal is clear: the iGaming industry is no longer a place where LGBTQ people have to wait for permission to belong. The group has already started planning a follow‑up session for G2E focused on pronoun usage in customer support chat, a small detail that speaks to the level of granular thinking the network wants to bring. Whoever shows up in Las Vegas in October, the conversation will not stop there.
