Gambling entertainment has always been considered an exclusively male activity, and almost from the very first mention of gambling for money. But in today’s world, gender barriers are becoming thinner and thinner. Gambling entertainment is already attracting people regardless of their gender. In the last century, the lady in the casino was only a spectacular “addition” of a man. But today everything has changed dramatically, and not only in gambling.
- Sex ratio
- Motivation for gambling (reasons)
- Age of players
- Gambling expenditures
- Gambling preferences
- Gambling time
- Reactions to wins and losses
- Addiction and gender
- Changes in gambling behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Conclusion
Gender ratio
Studies of different countries, conducted in the last 5 years, prove that among modern casino visitors almost half of them are women. And this gender division is decreasing every year, though not in all states. This is further confirmed by the results of studies conducted in the last 10 years:
- In New Zealand, 80.3% of women and 80.4% of men visited gambling establishments in 2019.
- A study in New South Wales (NSW) in 2017 found that 64% of the weaker sex resorted to gambling at least once that year, compared to 66% of guys.
- In Sweden, according to Int J Environ Res Public Health statistics from June 2020, 49% of women and 51% of men regularly visit casinos.
- The 2018 UK Online Gender Audit in the Gambling and Casinos category showed that the number of girls gambling is 22.45% and 77.55% of men. The study involved 2.3 million people.
- In Finland, more than 80% of all respondents in the study Nordisk Alkohol Nark at least once tried gambling. And the stronger sex does it more often than the weaker sex: 56.6% vs. 43.7%.
- According to Abacus Data from 01.06.2020, of all respondents 27% of respondents indicated the male gender, 18% – female.
- But in Switzerland, according to a study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts from February 2, 2021, 22.7% of girls and 77.3% of guys regularly play in casinos.
As you can see, the “feminization” of gambling is in full swing, and gradually the proportion of representatives of the stronger and weaker sex in the total mass of customers of establishments is equalized.
Motivation of gambling (reasons)
One of the most interesting gender differences is the reason for starting to play in casinos and arcades.
American motivation
According to a July 31, 2019 study by scientists from Georgetown University and the University of Massachusetts, men “go” to gambling for emotion and money.
What are your favorite types of games where you had the biggest winnings in 2021?
- Scratch.
- Bingo.
- Lottery.
- Video slots.
- Sports betting.
- Poker.
View results
But with girls, the situation is completely different. They tend to start gambling in a state of depression and anxiety. According to American scientists, the reasons for female involvement in gambling entertainment are:
- Lifestyle changes such as retirement, loss of a relative or divorce.
- Abuse in the circle of loved ones or family addiction.
- A desire to get rid of stress and distract from problems.
Emotions for the beautiful half of mankind go to the second plan.
Motivation in Finnish
And in Finland it is the opposite. According to scientists, among the most common motivating factors for gambling on the part of women stands out and thirst for profit.
British motivation
In March 2017, in a localized British survey, players chose the reasons why they came to gambling. The results had virtually no gender differences.
| Reason | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Earnings | 54,90% | 56,60% |
| Thrills | 25,70% | 20,70% |
| Possibility of winning the jackpot | 54,40% | 51,80% |
| Boredom | 22,50% | 19,40% |
From this we can see that the genders’ interests in casinos are about the same. Men more often perceive gambling as entertainment.
Age of players
According to the British platform Live Roulette, among more than a thousand gambling sites analyzed over the past five years, the average age of users was:
- Male-33 years old.
- Women – 29 years old.
Similar data was shown by a study from the portal newzoo, conducted in 2017. It involved respondents from 13 countries, and the overall gender split was 70% men and 30% women.
Spending on gambling
Since men choose excitement and emotion as the reason for gambling, they spend much more. Although there are some exceptions. What research has been done in this direction:
- According to a survey published by 888, in Britain, 51.8% of women and 35.9% of men spend 1-10 pounds a week in casinos. From 11 to 20 goes from 19% and 25.4% of the weaker and stronger sexes respectively. When spending increases, the picture is similar.
- Adhere to the same opinion and the authors of the study Independent, according to the results of which the likelihood of gambling in men is 2 times higher, so they are more often subject to stressful emotions and a tendency to unjustified risk and high spending. Women, on the other hand, are less “explosive” and are not ready to bet big.
- Finland has one of the highest per capita gambling expenditures in Europe. Men tend to favor different types of entertainment more often and spend more money on them than women. The study was conducted in 2018, and the weekly spending of the stronger sex on gambling was 39% higher than that of girls. Over the course of a year, the difference was 22%.
- According to the UK-based Live Roulette platform, men spend around $5000 in casinos during their lifetime, while ladies spend just over $3600. The main reason for this is the different average deposit value. For women it is about $91, while for men it is almost $130.
Spending amounts are more gender influenced than age and motivation. And this is the first major divide between the sexes.
Gaming preferences
Research has shown that there is a slight difference in the degree of loyalty each gender shows to their favorite sites:
- 35% of women play on one site, 31%- on several.
- 29% of men choose a specific casino, 33%- from 2 or more operators.
Now about genre preferences. Men usually choose sports betting. Then come poker, slots, card and table games. Women are more likely to buy lottery tickets, the second place in popularity are machines, and then – everything else.
The stronger sex prefers entertainment in which you can show your skills, and ladies bet on luck
The stronger sex prefers entertainment in which you can show your skills, and ladies bet on luck.
A survey on this topic was conducted at Nordisk Alkohol Nark in 2019. In the survey it was necessary to note the favorite types of games. What came out in the end.
| Women | Men |
|---|---|
| Scratch (80%) | Sports betting (72%) |
| Bingo (62%) | Poker (45%) |
| Lotteries (72%) | Slots (37%) |
| Slot machines (12%) |
A 2020 paper by psychiatrists at Lund University in Sweden also confirms that women are more likely to play bingo and lotteries, but significantly less likely to be into sports betting.
Time to gamble
According to UK-based platform Live Roulette, the only metric by which women outperform men in terms of gambling is time spent gambling. Interesting:
- Women spend 21 months in casinos in their lifetime.
- Men spend 14.
This can be explained by the “slower” formats of entertainment, which the weaker sex prefers.
Reaction to wins and losses
Women react to victories more emotionally – they laugh and cry. Men, on the other hand, show aggression. A 2017 joint research paper from the University of Adelaide, the Australian Gambling Research Center (AGRC) and Swinburne University of Technology in Australia confirms this.
When women experience a significant loss, they are more likely to cry, sigh and grieve. Men, on the other hand, have a habit of hitting the table, the machine, and berating the dealer
When women experience a significant loss, they are more likely to cry, sigh, and grieve. Men have a habit of hitting the table, the machine, and cursing the dealer.
What is interesting – aggression is also manifested at a large win, but not physically, but emotionally. After winning a man begins to bet more. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to cash out their winnings in case of success.
Addiction and gender
According to the British Gambling Commission’s 2019 report, around 30% of women and 36% of men who participated in the survey had entered a casino in the last four weeks.
According to Marina Smith, head of the addiction charity Marina Smith, there has been a significant increase in ludomania among the weaker sex in recent years.
“On the one hand, gambling is a male hobby. But addiction more often affects women. The main reasons are shame and reluctance to seek professional help” – explains Smith
“On the one hand, gambling is a male hobby. But addiction more often affects women. The main reasons are shame and reluctance to seek professional help,” explains Smith.
The problem is confirmed by a study of psychiatrists at Lund University in Sweden, conducted in June 2020. Experts suggest that the situation with female addiction has worsened online casinos. They were embarrassed to go to land-based establishments, and now they only need to open a website to play.
Changes in gambling behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the lives of everyone, including gambling enthusiasts. Concerns about the over-popularization of online gambling were repeatedly raised in many countries. And some governments even imposed various restrictions in 2020, such as:
- Limit on casino advertising in Spain.
- A restriction on deposits in Belgium and Sweden.
- A complete ban on online casinos in Latvia.
But has it affected players, and are there gender differences? A survey by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland dated February 18, 2021 revealed some interesting numbers. The survey was conducted among a focus group of land-based casino visitors.
According to a survey from Abacus published on 01.06.2020, 22% of respondents played online before the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time:
- Men accounted for 60%.
- Women were 40%.
During the isolation, 57% of Canadians surveyed visited websites. In the total mass of men, the share of players amounted to 61%, women – 52%. These figures become an extra confirmation of the boom in the popularity of gambling sites during the pandemic.
Conclusion
There is a difference between men and women in casinos, but as the audience of players grows, it becomes less and less tangible. Gradually equalize costs, time spent on the sites, directly motivation. The share of the weaker sex in gambling is also growing thanks to the Internet. And the only huge difference is observed only in the behavior when winning and losing, as well as in the preferred types of entertainment.
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