“The industry has matured and it has become more serious and more professional and that’s all fantastic.”

Speaking to CasinoBeats’ Editor, Craig Davies, as part of the latest episode in the Pathways series, Sarah Blackburn, Director at GameOn, reminisced on her journey prior to joining the igaming industry and the early days of GameOn. 

On her experience, Blackburn noted: “I feel like I’ve grown up with the industry. I started young when it was young and we’ve matured together. Going back to the heavy days when I first joined, you know, it was brilliant fun and the parties were wild and it was awesome.

“It just seemed to be a bit more carefree and a bit more relaxed, but that’s what it was at the time. The industry has matured and it has become more serious and more professional and that’s all fantastic and as it should.”

Talking about her first foray into the sector, Blackburn revealed that she first started at Evolution Gaming before deciding the company “was going nowhere”, a notion she stated she might “bitterly regret”. 

“I moved to London and I started working for a company called Evolution Gaming,” GameOn’s Director added. “At the time, they were working out of the broom cupboard on Wigmore Street in London. 

“There were about four or five of us and it was at such early stages. I was going out to Riga to show the live game studios to operators who couldn’t quite get their head around this live casino but thought there was something in it

“I was helping with marketing, but I was also helping with licence applications and there was no guarantee that they were even going to be able to pay us each month because it was early days. 

“So I quickly decided that this company was going nowhere and decided to get out of it, which now, in hindsight, I might bitterly regret because I could have worked for shares. 

“I left and I put my CV out and Rob Dowling and Bruce Gamble approached me and asked me if I’d be interested in setting up a PR agency because they saw a gap in the market. So I put a business plan together and through multiple conversations GameOn was born.”

Blackburn also reflected on her first ever job as a cabin crew member, her experiences in marketing and the early days of GameOn.