Just a couple of decades ago, the social gambling structure was completely different compared to what we are seeing today. In the past, gambling was primarily seen as men’s activity. Today, women have a much bigger share, mostly thanks to the online casino industry.
According to some estimations, the gambling industry is worth more than 7 billion pounds in the UK, and women’s contribution is actually much bigger than you would think. In the past, gambling was reserved for activities that are mostly practiced by men. Of course, sports betting is the first thing that comes to mind, as well as all those betting shops where it was a real miracle to see a woman. The same thing was with the casino, where men have always been in a huge majority.
At the time, it was a rare thing to see a woman in such houses and the only gambling activities that were practiced were things like lottery and bingo. Things started to change with the appearance of the internet and all those gambling websites that came with it.
Online casinos have broken this social barrier and that’s the main reason why women take such a big share in statistics. While brick and mortar casinos are still predominately men’s places, things are completely different on the internet. There, women are pretty much on par with men. According to some estimations, around 70 percent of women gamble on the internet, via apps and websites. Just 30% of them prefer brick and mortar facilities.
So, you are probably wondering who are all those women that gamble online. The latest studies have shown that there are no rules here and that pretty much all age groups practice online gambling. Moreover, the same studies have shown that young women play a pretty big role in contribution.
Another big change that came with the internet and online gambling websites is the way women gamble. As you may presume, they don’t prefer bingo and lottery anymore. Dog and horse races aren’t particularly popular either. These days, most women prefer online casinos and Casinomartini provides the best experience for that with all the games that come with it. You may presume, slot games are the most popular, as 35% of women gamblers predominately play slot games. Still, other casino games, including roulette and poker, are popular among women as well.
As the number of women that gamble is growing, another thing is growing as well. Of course, we are talking about addiction. Some studies have shown that women are far more vulnerable than men when it comes to gambling and that chances of getting addicted are much bigger. According to those studies, every third woman has a big chance to become a problem gambler, while the number of potential men problem gamblers goes around 15 percent.
The reason for such statistics is unknown and we doubt that the potential reason could be a lack of rationality, as women are generally more reasonable than men. Some believe that the main reason could be an escape from reality, from difficult thoughts and feelings etc. After all, several women have admitted that they gamble to forget about their job, kids and all other troubles that life brings with it.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that many organizations that help problem gamblers focus on women. According to them, women find it much harder to admit their addiction compared to men. While 90 percent of men gamblers who feel addicted contact the helpline, only 41 percent of women do the same.
