Does Gender Influence The Way We Gamble?

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Tuesday, December 13th, 2016 | Written by Adam Brown

In the 17th century, it was considered shocking for a woman to place a wager, and high society ladies in France who were exposed as gamblers were disgraced and fined for daring to dabble with cards. Today, women are free to frequent casinos as often as men, but are there differences in how men and women gamble online?

This was the topic studied in a recent report conducted by the State of New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE), and here are some key facts on its findings as to how a person’s gender can influence gambling.

Women 40% of Online Casino Traffic

The NJDGE study found that women comprised more than half of the top 10% of all active online casino gamblers, and that 40 percent of all online casino gamblers were women overall. Online poker was one area where women didn’t seem to take to the tables as often, however, with the ladies making up only 10 percent of all online poker players pool.

Mostly Aged 25 to 52

The report found that most female online gamblers were between the ages of 25 and 52. Specifically, women aged 25 to 34 made up the largest section of the overall player pool, with the average female players being 41 years old. By contrast, the average age of male internet gamblers is 38.29.

UK versus USA

Women make up 40 percent of the gambling population in the US, while in the UK, 49 percent of all gamblers are women.

Different Gambling Preferences

Numerous studies have found that women and men have different preferences when it comes to online gambling. Sports betting, for instance, is largely dominated by men, and males still tend to dominate online poker. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to log onto mobile devices to play online casino games like slots. Bingo is also a favorite among women both online and offline.

iGambling an Equalizer

While there are differences in the kinds of games that men and women play online, the Internet has been an equalizer in the world of gambling. Today, women and men can go online and play anonymously, and so there is no worry about shyness, or being spotted gambling or making the ‘wrong moves’ at the slot machine or blackjack tables. In other words, online gambling websites are less of an intimidating arena than their brick and mortar counterparts. Furthermore, mobile devices have made it easier than ever for both sexes to play their favorite games, as now you are able to bet via your tablet or smartphone anytime, anywhere.

Other Study Findings

Expanding our exploration of the topic to other studies, it has been suggested that women have 9% more luck than men when playing casino games. This may partly be explained by a tendency for the ladies to make fewer huge wagers than men, preferring instead to receive an average win on their bets.

Enjoyment is also a key difference in the two genders’ approach to gambling, with men having a strong desire to profit from their gambling experiences, while for women enjoying playing the games is considered of greater importance.

Websites Targeting the Ladies

Women are clearly an important part of the online gambling market, and online operators are well aware of the potential revenues they can help generate for their companies. Technavio recently revealed that the number of women gambling online is growing and has become one of the biggest trends that the industry is focused upon.

As a result, online operators are actively trying to attract female players to their sites by introducing new interactive games that appeal to the ladies. Sites are also changing their skins and graphics, removing images of scantily-clad ladies, motorcycles and cars and replacing them with more professional, gender-neutral images.

There are even online casinos that cater primarily to women, such as 888 Ladies, Pink Casino and Cameo Casino. We can expect to see this trend continuing as online operators work harder to vie for new players. It should be noted that while women are taking to the virtual casinos in record numbers, ladies have yet to really infiltrate the business side of online gambling. In fact, there are currently just a few women working to shape the industry, such as Ruth Parasol of PartyGaming and Denise Coates of Bet365.