When one thinks about gambling, whether it be in a flashy casino or on their favorite webpage online, images of masculinity often come to mind. Pictures of scantily clad women dominate gambling web pages and even the shows and entertainment in casinos leans towards the sexy side with young, attractive females wearing seductive attire. The reason for this is rather simple – for most of history, gambling was absolutely dominated by men. By dominated, we are talking in the range of 95% of all gambling was done by males.
These numbers have begun to change rapidly over the past decade – many thanks to the explosion of online gambling, which gives women a more comfortable place to wager their bets. Women have typically been shy or even afraid of setting foot in casinos, but online gambling has opened the door for the most timid of women to play casino games. It is now reported that 50% of all women gamble in one form or another – even if it’s just buying a lottery ticket. Numbers for the ladies continue to rise, while men are actually gambling less in some parts of the world.
Women finding their gambling homes online
Being a gambling woman isn’t always easy, with most websites still targeting their advertising and imagery towards the masculine eye. Good news for the ladies, however, is that online casinos like 888ladies which are designed sole for women are really starting to flourish. Some sites even drop humorous references to their manly counterparts with erotic photos of men throughout their pages.
Playing their own games
Statistics have shown that even though there are more women gambling, there is still a gender divide in who plays what casino games. Women are much more likely to play slot machines, while men will lean towards table games like poker or blackjack. The theory behind this is that men, with their egos, search out the so called “skill” games.
These numbers really only lend themselves to an actual physical casino – when taken online, the numbers across the board for various games are much closer to 50-50 split across both genders. Even over the past few years, my fantasy sports leagues which have been dominated by my guys friends have now been adding more and more ladies each year. Girls, now more than ever, want a piece of the gambling action and to have their turn bringing in the winnings.
Breaking through to the top
Even though it is has been a man’s game, women are now finding success gambling – bringing in some huge jackpots. Online forums have popped up allowing women to brag about their accomplishments and even compare their takes with the men’s leaderboards. It is safe to say that women are comfortable gambling and realize that they can get just as luck as any man.
The ugly side of gambling
Strangely enough, with the influx of women gamblers there has been a similar explosion in the amount of women with gambling addictions. From 2011 to 2012, one addiction hotline had calls from females rise an astounding 44%. The problem is new for hotlines in the UK, and many women don’t know where to turn for help with their problem. Gambling addictions are serious, and can even lead people to suicide – which means that society needs to be ready to accept and embrace these women who have recently turned to gambling and help get them back to their feet once again.
Googling “women and gambling” doesn’t lead to the results that one may expect. Instead of a list of casinos and events targeted at women, the results are dominated by pages like Women Helping Women and informational articles designed to help women get back in control of their life.
The author is Harry Snell sports betting expert from the UK, owner of an authoritative free bet website. This guest post was written exclusively for Shawnee Rivers at Damesofchance.com.