Rebecca McAdam Willetts knows a thing or two about connecting with players and entrepreneurs in online gaming. With QueenBHive, she’s intent on helping to steer the industry into the future.
A veteran of the poker scene and a former leader at Flutter and PokerStars, Willetts now runs her own B2B public relations and marketing firm QueenBHive, which she unveiled in September 2024.
The company’s goal is to help brands connect meaningfully with their customer base to build lasting relationships, while lifting up female entrepreneurs and leaders in gaming and beyond.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own business, to grow it on my own,” Willetts tells SBC Americas. “But any communications or content role is always so around-the-clock that those dreams are hard to reach when you’re full-time. Finally, the time was right.
“It’s lovely to be a free operator and to be able to bring brands together to do interesting things. Experiential-based community activity is at the core of what we do.”
No competition, just collaboration
As a CEO, Willetts is carrying forward lessons she learned from her time with Flutter and The Stars Group. Her experiences of working internally on various policies taught her plenty about what to do and what not to do.
By the time she was ready to strike out on her own, she knew what was important to her.
“I was a minority, especially as a leader and at the poker table,” she explains. “I used my time to educate internally and consider how women are represented and how we engage female customers. I’m very passionate about it and, ultimately, I apply that to everything I do at QueenBHive.
“It’s all about building relationships and connections and being transparent, fostering trust. The more diverse voices you have and the more inclusive you are, the more successful you’ll be.”
QueenBHive does everything from branding and design to partnerships,and even live poker events. The company doesn’t only work with gaming brands but, considering Willetts’ background, that is certainly a big piece of the puzzle. She says the support she has received from the industry is “really overwhelming”.
Her long-term goal is for the company to focus exclusively on supporting women-owned enterprises. Already, she is being selective when it comes to clients, recognizing that it is a two-way street.
“I didn’t realize so many people would come to us looking to partner,” she reflects. “You have to think about what you can offer your partner, but also what they can offer you … As a female entrepreneur, you find that a lot of women and women-run brands come to you looking for help and support. There’s no competition here, it’s all collaboration.”
Time to get with the times
To support its mission, QueenBHive is working on several projects. One, a workshop in Malta in May in partnership with The Garage, will focus on helping women turn their business ideas into action and will involve the firm’s new collaborator, Defy the Odds. QueenBHive is also digging into research to get female sports lovers’ and gamers’ opinions on current products and marketing so that Willetts can better advise her clients.
Meanwhile, Willetts continues to keep her ear to the ground to ensure that QueenBHive stays ahead of the curve and helps shape what’s next in gaming.
Part of that is the representation piece. While she has seen some change in female representation in gaming in some aspects, Willetts acknowledges that there’s a long way to go, particularly for casino. “I feel like a lot of the things I see are dated and I’m not quite sure who they’re speaking to anymore,” she says. “Well, we know who they’re talking to, but they’re not the only people in the room.”
QueenBHive’s journey is also about anticipating what’s coming around the corner.
Willetts says industry stakeholders, whether operators or marketers, need to ensure they are harnessing the power of AI and emerging technology to help them connect with the people they want to connect with.
“I’ve learned that it’s sometimes overlooked that data is the key to everything. You should be using it and listening to your customers, really listening, and that will make sure that what you’re doing actually resonates and that it’s not just what you think will resonate.
“You can do all the marketing in the world, but if the user journey isn’t good or the customer support isn’t good, what are you doing? I think target audience is an old term now; it’s communities and social gaming.”
Unlocking a gaming brand’s full potential, she says, will hinge on tapping into that community buzz. As Willetts sees it, social-driven rewards, targeted engagement, gamification and personalized experiences are vital, and can be big difference-makers for brands in a crowded gaming market.
“I think brands are realizing the power of community and having bespoke plans rather than like a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy,” she concludes. “The rewards, the personalization, I see some smaller businesses doing it better. It’s a really interesting dynamic that should keep bigger brands on their toes.”
