“I’m Excited About the Future” - IGT Chief Technology Officer & URI Grad Barber Joins LIVE

“I’m Excited About the Future” - IGT Chief Technology Officer & URI Grad Barber Joins LIVE

IGT Chief Technology Officer Rachel Barber joined GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle LIVE from the IGT Player Experience Lab in the downtown office, where she spoke to her path from graduating from URI with a degree in computer science — and how she rose through the ranks to become CTO. 

“We’ve combined the lottery technology team with the gaming technology team, and I’m overseeing both teams at this time,” said Barber. “I have a very keen awareness of just how complicated it is what we do.”

“I feel like it’s part of my job to remind people just how complicated it is what we do — we have so many very talented experts here at IGT, particularly I have to say in the technology organization, and sometimes I get worried we make it look a little too easy. I try and remind people if anybody could be doing it, then everyone would be doing it.,” said Barber.

Barber spoke to the investments that IGT makes in research and development — both from a financial — and personal — standpoint. 

“So we spend well over $250 million dollars in R&D annually, and that translates to thousands of projects that are going on at any time. One thing people don’t realize is just how much work goes into making sure — particularly in the gaming space — the work that’s required to comply with the different regulations within each jurisdiction,” said Barber. “It’s a very highly regulated industry and they spend a lot of time planning and making sure these products are ready for market.”

“We also spend a lot of time and energy working with player focus groups — we want to make sure that are products not only are compliant and reliable and secure for the lottery and gaming operator, we also want to make sure we’re building products that players for sure are going to enjoy playing — and are going to spend their money playing,” said Barber. 

“I’m excited about the future — and especially for more opportunities for more young women to go into computer science here at IGT,” said Barber.  “The lottery and gaming industries are a very complicated business and a very exciting business  and we’re happy to be here in Rhode Island  — and I think I speak for a lot of the employees when I say that we’re hopeful the future of IGT will continue to have a strong presence here in Rhode Island.”

This is part of an ongoing sponsored content partnership between IGT and GoLocal.