Gambling has traditionally gotten viewed as a male-orientated activity, and with good reason. Pre the 20th century, men dominantly held most of a household’s income, which fostered a male-dominated gambling culture that still persists today. According to a 2013 study examining gender differences in gambling engagement, men partake in betting behavior almost twice as more as women. That particularly holds for categories like sports betting, which have almost always been exclusively male-ruled.
However, once the interactive gaming sphere debuted in the mid-1990s, a slow shift in gambling demographics began. Since anyone can play live casino games online, that has opened the door to new players pools that would have never walked into a gambling establishment to test their luck on chance-based products. While indulging in betting practices is still far more common in adolescent males than females, the UK Gambling Commission now reports that general gambling addiction risk rates for men and women have become almost equal.
Technology Has Created a More Diverse Customer Group
In the past, most brick-and-mortar gaming floor patrons were individuals over forty. In truth, they still are. What has changed is the overall gambling participation rates in younger age groups.
Given that new generations have grown up with home video game consoles being an integral part of their childhoods, they find classic casino gaming picks boring. Their chance-based nature allows for little interactivity. Therefore, they get perceived as dull.
The interactive gaming sector has sought to remedy this situation by creating unique gambling products that break the old-school 3×3 slots and table game molds. They have done so by designing reel-spinning titles with complicated bonus rounds that may feature a skill element and by introducing streaming presenter games. The latter is something that many women find appealing, as they are reminiscent of TV game shows.
A decade ago, these choices were not globally available due to tech limitations, but that is a thing of the past. Now, anyone with a smartphone and high-speed internet can enjoy them.
Women Spend More Money Gambling
While, as a whole, women do not gamble more than men, when it comes to an average deposit amount, they place more funds in their gaming balances than men. Optimove, a privately-held customer data platform, published interesting research a few years back that states that women make more deposits per year than men, and the total value of their deposited sums is also greater. Though interestingly, concerning single deposit amounts, men place larger ones, €54.76 to the female average of €38.74.
Why have women become higher internet gaming spenders recently? Some speculate that the following three reasons may have something to do with it:
Anonymity
Undoubtedly, gambling is still a taboo activity in many parts of the world. Betting frequently on games often gets seen as immature and financially irresponsible behavior, particularly when women do it, as they have a reputation as a more caregiving and orderly gender. Interactive gaming allows them to engage in this hobby secretly, away from prying eyes. Letting them not get judged for how they choose to spend their cash.
Convenience
Online casinos permit anyone to gamble at any time from anywhere. There are no working hours on these sites. Luck testing is always a click away. Women do not have to go through the struggles of getting dolled up to play on these platforms as they do when visiting land-based locales. They do not get hassled at virtual gaming establishments, allowing them to play in peace.
Bingo
It is no secret that females favor lottery-style gambling more than men, with bingo acting as their preferred selection. While in most regions of the globe, this game falls under charitable gambling regulation, that is not so for the digital sector when bingo products get widely distributed to gaming apps. These feature slots-like payouts and graphics, permitting gamblers to play them at speeds inconceivable for bingo hall draws.
Women Play More on Mobile
Another noteworthy stat originating from the previously cited Optimove study is that women tend to bet more via their mobile phones than the opposite sex, 59% to 52%. That solidifies the claim the convenience aspect of interactive gaming impacts females slightly extra, as it is somewhat more essential to them that this pastime is easily accessible.
What the iGaming Industry’s Most Prominent Markets Tell Us About Women’s Gambling Habits
They state that there is, without argument, a steady increase in female gamblers worldwide. That has led to more data about what women want out of the internet gaming experience. As mentioned, they gravitate towards lottery-oriented choices, including streaming presenter games like those from providers like Pragmatic Play Live, Playtech, and Evolution. They avoid gambling on sports and horse racing and partake in betting endeavors chiefly as a means to escape loneliness and boredom. It is also common for them to utilize this hobby as a coping mechanism to reduce stress and anxiety.
Men, on the other hand, mainly gamble to obtain monetary rewards.
The Future for Female Gamers
With an incoming spike in female problem gambling statistics, government bodies and charitable institutions must seek to implement new strategies that address the normalizing of seeking help regarding gambling-related harm for women.
Multiple polls show that females are more resistant to talking about their betting issues than men, as they feel embarrassed to admit that they have fallen prey to this impulse control disorder since it is uncharacteristic of their gender. That is why it is paramount that women get more informed on this topic. New technologies have removed much of the stigma associated with attending physical gaming venues, and growing equality demands have normalized gambling for women, which has hurt those unable to control their urges.
Summing Up
More women are gambling than ever, thanks to the rise of casino sites. But measures must get taken to curb rising addiction rates. Lottery games on the internet are females’ top pick, and most like to relax with this pastime on their phones from home.
