Global Gaming Women announces 10 Women Rising in Gaming

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2025/07/10: Nominations open for the 2025 Class of 10 Women Rising in Gaming 2025/05/16: Women seek to level the field when it comes to sports betting, SBC Summit Americas panel says 2025/03/19: Abelson Sports to supply betting lines on the National Women’s Soccer League 2025/09/17: CDC Gaming announces revamped Day Zero Party at G2E

The Backstory

How a four-year initiative to spotlight rising women in gaming became a bellwether for industry change

From open nominations to the main stage at G2E

The latest class of 10 Women Rising in Gaming did not appear overnight. It followed a measured process that widened the aperture on who gets recognized and why. In late spring, CDC Gaming opened nominations for the fourth annual cohort, setting July 25 as the deadline and encouraging entries from every corner of the business — from online sportsbooks and igaming suppliers to law firms and agencies. The call for submissions detailed criteria that emphasized measurable impact, leadership and resilience, not titles alone. The framing mattered because it signaled a shift in how influence is defined in a sector often dominated by revenue milestones and market access deals. Read the full criteria and context in CDC Gaming’s nominations announcement.

Recognition now also comes with a platform. CDC Gaming recast its annual pre-G2E industry gathering as the Day Zero Party and moved it to the Strip, positioning the event as a higher-profile stage to honor the incoming class. The rebrand underscores how the awards have become a tentpole for the company’s events strategy and a draw for executives converging on Las Vegas for the show. Details on the venue, timing and the intent behind the refresh are in CDC Gaming’s Day Zero Party announcement.

This year’s class reflects that arc. The honorees span operations, marketing and communications, with profiles that cut across commercial and tribal properties, suppliers and platform companies. Global Gaming Women and CDC Gaming positioned the list as a showcase of career paths that often unfold outside the spotlight, capturing the mix of hands-on execution and strategic leadership that moves the business. The full rundown is in our coverage of Global Gaming Women’s 10 Women Rising, which highlights executives from major operators and suppliers alongside leaders driving change inside people operations and marketing.

A recognition program shaped by industry dynamics

The awards land amid a broader recalibration of the sector’s economics and narratives. Suppliers continue to push for incremental growth and operational discipline. Light & Wonder, for instance, posted its 16th straight quarter of rising revenue, fueled by gains in table products and systems and tempered by a dip at social gaming arm SciPlay. The company framed its results around efficiency and cash generation, themes that have come to define investor expectations. See the performance breakdown in our Light & Wonder report.

At the same time, the fastest-growing stories often involve audiences and markets historically underserved by sportsbooks and media. Women’s sports are central to that shift. Operators and data providers are expanding markets that make women’s competitions more bettable and broadcast partners are paying for inventory that once struggled for airtime. A concrete example: data specialist Abelson Sports moved to supply complete goalscorer pricing for the National Women’s Soccer League, citing rising handle and interest from major U.S. books. The move follows a record-setting Women’s World Cup and a new NWSL media rights package worth $240 million. More on the data buildout is in our coverage of Abelson’s NWSL expansion.

These currents help explain why a program spotlighting emerging women leaders resonates. It is less a side story than a leading indicator of where growth and innovation are heading — toward products, content and communities that meet new demand and diversify the customer base.

The demand signal from women fans — and what’s missing

Industry leaders acknowledge that the commercial opportunity tied to women’s sports and female bettors remains underdeveloped. At SBC Summit Americas, panelists argued that sportsbooks have lagged in tailored campaigns and product parity, even as engagement rises. WNBA officials pointed to comparable betting rates among female and male fans where wagering is legal, challenging persistent myths about demand. The panel also flagged the role of robust, real-time data in enabling deeper markets like microbetting that keep users engaged. The discussion and takeaways are summarized in our report on the SBC panel.

The throughline to this year’s honorees is clear. Many are building the infrastructure — from communications and people operations to marketing strategy and data partnerships — that closes these gaps. Elevating their work does more than recognize individual achievement. It spotlights the functions that convert latent interest into lasting revenue and retention.

Why the stakes are rising

As G2E approaches, the awards double as a temperature check on the industry’s priorities. Honoring the 10 Women Rising in front of operators, suppliers and investors puts a commercial lens on inclusion that is both practical and overdue. It aligns with the sector’s broader push for sustainable growth by focusing on leadership that can navigate complexity, open markets and build teams able to execute across cycles.

The program’s evolution — from an open, criteria-driven nomination process to a marquee recognition at a reimagined Day Zero Party — suggests it is becoming part of the industry’s annual rhythm. That matters because visibility begets resources. The more the sector connects the dots between representation, product innovation and performance, the likelier it is to back initiatives that turn momentum into measurable gains. For the honorees, the platform offers access and leverage at a moment when the market is rewarding those who can translate shifting consumer behavior into durable business.