Women can develop a gambling problem for several reasons. They may be bored or lonely, or they can feel the need to escape from reality. Life changes like children moving out, the death of a loved one, or financial pressures can also trigger excessive gambling behaviours.
Gambling operators have acknowledged that their male-centric marketing kubet strategies alienate a large pool of potential customers (women). This has led to a shift in approach, with some now adopting more inclusive and feminine themes.
Female gambling statistics
Although gambling is often considered a male activity, women are increasingly becoming victims of gambling-related harm. This is particularly true when it comes to online gambling. In recent years, the number of women seeking treatment for gambling-related problems has doubled. Despite this, few women are involved in gambling regulation or research. Additionally, self-help groups for problem gamblers are often male-dominated and may deter some women from attending.
Using a qualitative methodology, the research surveyed a convenience sample of 509 Australian women to ask them about their gambling participation, product preferences and perceptions of harms. The data were analysed using a series of analytical tools, including inductive and deductive coding. The resulting themes were linked to three axial categories, which coincided with three moments in the women’s accounts of their experiences of gambling-related harm. These findings have implications for understanding gender differences in gambling behaviour, and highlight the need to take a gendered approach to public health interventions.
Gambling gender gap
As gambling environments and products become increasingly accessible and normalised, women are engaging in higher rates of gambling involvement than ever before. This has contributed to a gender gap in gambling-related harm, with men three times more likely to engage in problem gambling than women.
Various risk factors have been associated with the increased prevalence of gambling among women, including impulsive coping and risk-taking. Research has found that both of these factors are significant predictors of gambling engagement and problems. However, it is important to note that they may not explain why some sub-groups of women are more at risk of gambling-related harm than others.
As a result, researchers have developed a framework for addressing gender gaps in gambling-related harm. This framework is based on strategies used successfully in tobacco control, and has been adapted to address the specific needs of women in gambling harm prevention. It outlines key considerations for future research, policy and practice.
Online gambling trends women
There is a growing trend in women’s participation in gambling online. This trend is likely due to the proliferation of iGaming products and their ability to fit into people’s busy lifestyles. However, few studies have investigated how gambling behaviours, product preferences and perceived harms vary among subgroups of women.
This is a problem because women have been shown to be at greater risk of experiencing problems with gambling. They are also more likely to seek help for such issues.
Research has also revealed that women are gambling more frequently and across a wider range of products than men. This is especially true for younger generations. These trends may indicate that women are shifting away from chance-based gambling products such as EGMs and into more skill-based gambling options, like sports betting and lottery games. In addition, they are more likely to gamble with friends than men. This is in line with the socialisation of gambling that is often seen in TV advertisements featuring sassy slots playing women.
Gambling addiction in women
While gambling is often viewed as a male-dominated activity, more women are now developing a gambling addiction and seeking help. This is especially true during stressful periods such as the pandemic, when many people turned to online games and apps to relieve stress. Researchers are trying to understand why this is happening and how it could be prevented.
One theory suggests that this trend is due to the ‘feminisation’ of gambling, which has made it more socially acceptable and less stigmatising for women. However, more research is needed to understand why gambling addiction affects different sub-groups of women. In particular, it is important to explore how they conceptualise the risk of gambling and how this differs between sub-groups. This will enable the development of harm prevention measures and policies that are more relevant to women. This approach has been successful in other areas such as tobacco control. It may also be useful in tackling gambling problems in young children and teenagers.
