tombola Announces £2 Million Investment into Tech and Product Roles

The region's largest developer of online games, tombola, has a strong commitment to its people. tombola cares about making a difference in the world, ensuring its colleagues are the driving force behind it all.

With a £2 million investment in tech roles, the key focus is to upscale the organisation and increase the capacity for more talent, including entry-level and senior roles with in Technology and Product.

We sat down with James Beard, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at tombola, to discuss what this investment means for the region.

As a leading North East employer, tombola has over 850 members in the team and has already gained a reputation as a role model in the region.

Recognising the need for tech investment, tombola has huge plans and combined with their new-look Employer Brand, aims to create 50 new innovative roles.

A large driver behind this expansion is an investment into its people, ensuring they hire first and work towards their goals second – a practice many companies often neglect.

Over the past few years, tombola has experienced tremendous growth. Since its acquisition by Flutter Entertainment in 2021, a FTSE 100 and globally recognised gaming company, the organisation has witnessed a remarkable surge in its success and development.

Speaking with COO James Beard, who has worked at tombola for more than six years, he believes tombola’s biggest asset is its people.

At tombola, we believe that innovation thrives when a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and ideas collaborate. When someone enters the business, we don’t want them to feel stagnant or pigeonholed. In fact, we actively encourage colleagues to upskill and try different roles across the organisation.

A big part of this involves collaborative work, meaning you can shadow all areas of the business if you wish to do so. Because of this, we have seen a vast development in progression across the organisation, with many colleagues joining us as junior programmers and becoming senior developers in a couple of years.”

This commitment to making tombola an enjoyable place of work is reflected in its continuous staff surveys, which play a crucial part in paving the way for any changes or enhancements to its induction programme.

It’s clear that tombola cares about making the organisation a special place to work for.

With a long-term perspective in mind, their goal is to establish themselves as the preeminent brand in the bingo industry, ultimately aiming to become the world's leading bingo brand and setting the industry standard.

As one of the few game developers to build all products fully in-house, they are not far off from this goal.

Boasting a huge IT team, they pride themselves on delivering a high standard of services, ensuring they operate in a fully regulated industry. In James’ opinion, this is why many people feel proud to work for tombola.

From day one, colleagues are given creative reign. This means contributing to projects, challenging ways of thinking and helping us to constantly evolve, giving all colleagues a sense of purpose and belonging.

Some of our graduates that enter the organisation end up becoming our best developers. When you give people a chance, it’s remarkable to witness how much someone can achieve if you believe in them.

Because our colleagues understand we are invested in them, they feel a sense of belonging to work for us. This is a key principle for any organisation that is looking to upscale.

To enhance learning, colleagues can attend some of the world's best conferences and training courses, including AWS Re: Invent Las Vegas, ICE, GDC San Franciso and many more.

A significant part of tombola’s investment in new IT, tech and product roles centres around developing a fundamental understanding of “finding your bounce”.

This means providing a welcoming workplace that gives colleagues the freedom to learn, grow and evolve across the organisation. If a colleague wants to develop and grow in a different part of the business, then they are given the tools and support to do so.

This is reflected in tombola’s core values:

• Player first. Always – Creating long-term fun with the player community at the heart.
• Ahead of the game – Explore new ideas, embrace creativity and collaborate.
• Win together – Challenge each other to achieve more every day.
• Free to be me – A strong commitment to inclusion and wellbeing.

As a colleague at tombola, you can be confident knowing you’re joining a place where you feel included.

Whether you’re a graduate or senior developer, if you carry the motivation, determination, and passion to succeed, there will always be a place for you at tombola.

To stay up to date with the latest roles in tech in the North East, sign up to Tech Talent Engine today and create your free account. You’ll get the opportunity to join many remarkable organisations just like tombola.