While the ICE gaming conference attracts thousands of visitors in Barcelona on 20 to 22 January, dealers and shufflers employed in Georgia by exhibitor Evolution Gaming are in a desperate battle for fair pay and decent working conditions.
But instead of talking to workers, Evolution Gaming, is suing them.
UNI Global Union and its gaming affiliates around the world, including Servicios CC.OO and FeSMC UGT in Spain, are united in calling on the Swedish-owned online casino provider to stop ignoring workers in Georgia and start negotiating.
Evolution Georgia workers deserve a fair deal!
20 January 2025 joint statement – UNI Global Union with Servicios CC.OO and FeSMC UGT
Evolution workers deserve a fair deal!
As the ICE gaming conference gathers the industry’s biggest names in Barcelona this week, UNI Global Union and its gaming affiliates around the world, including Servicios CC.OO and FeSMC UGT in Spain, are urging exhibitor Evolution Gaming to stop ignoring workers in Georgia and meet them at the negotiating table.
Dealers and shufflers at the Swedish-owned online casino giant, which employs around half of its 15,000 workforce in Georgia, went on strike in July 2024 and are still fighting for safe and sanitary working conditions, a wage they can live off and the right to collectively bargain, among other demands.
Evolution Gaming must respect freedom of association and collective bargaining in all the countries where they operate, without exception. Instead, Evolution Gaming has chosen to escalate the situation by suing its own employees, further exacerbating the already challenging circumstances for workers in Georgia. This aggressive approach is not only unjust but also fails to address the root causes of the dispute – a refusal of basic rights and fair treatment at work.
The ongoing struggle of these workers shows Evolution Gaming’s lack of respect for workers’ rights and social dialogue. Workers are not the enemy – they are the foundation of the company’s success, and their wellbeing must be a priority.
Evolution’s profits have surged since establishing in Georgia in 2018. The company, whose multitude of big-name clients include BetFair, Paddy Power, Caesars and Grosvenor Casinos, has increased profits twelve-fold in the past five years.
The gaming industry is important for the economies of numerous countries, employing thousands of workers, and acting as a driver for other leisure and entertainment activities. Workers are key to the success of the industry and Evolution Gaming must respect workers’ rights, provide good working conditions and ensure workers are given the opportunity to collectively bargain for their future, in Georgia and beyond.
UNI’s Gaming sector brings together affiliates that represent workers in the casino, lottery, bingo, sports betting and other establishments in the gambling sector, including online operations.
