Women and gambling: Has the number of female gamblers increased?

The boundaries between hobbies for men and women are becoming increasingly blurred these days - and rightly so. Gambling is no longer a purely "men's sport". However, it is true that in recent decades it has mainly been men who have been seen in gambling halls. Why is that and has the number of women gambling actually increased? What could lead to such a change and what does it mean for the world of gambling? We will get to the bottom of these exciting questions in this article.

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Who gambles?

Let's put it this way: Until just 15 years ago, you would hardly have ever seen a woman gambling in a gambling hall. That was what was wanted - gambling was "something for the men". Casinos focused exclusively on a male target group. The proportion of women in the gambling industry was neglected in studies and statistics.

However, the tide has now turned. In 2020, for example, 34% of all slot machine players were women. Nowadays, the number of players in different countries is becoming more and more similar in terms of gender. However, this does not mean that fewer men are attracted to slot machines. As the proportion of women has increased, the overall number of players has also increased and the revenue that arcades generally make annually has more than doubled. So today it can rightly be said that both men and women enjoy gambling, and the proportion of women has increased considerably over the last 15 years.

Why is the proportion of women in the gambling industry increasing?

But how exactly did the increasing proportion of women who like to go to the casino come about? There is a decision behind this development, namely the decision of the arcade operators to want to expand their market. They realized that women were a completely untapped target group that would mean one thing for the operators: increasing player numbers and thus increasing profits. For this reason, many gaming halls have set themselves the goal of attracting as many ladies as possible into the industry.

To do this, it was essential for the gaming halls to undergo some fundamental changes. These were based on things and styles that were popular in women's culture at the time. For example, not only the previous non-alcoholic drinks were served, but also coffee specialties such as latte macchiatos. The interior design of many casinos was completely changed and the rooms renovated in a style that could also appeal to ladies. In addition, many newer games found their way into the range of renowned gaming halls, which had a little more to offer than their predecessors, particularly in terms of graphics, and in some cases were also more geared towards the presumed preferences of the female sex. The changes proved effective: more and more women were quickly drawn to the casinos and to the slot machines.

Gambling addiction among women: No problem?

You rarely hear of women suffering from gambling addiction. Most of the time, the media reports on male sufferers. This is by no means because fewer women are addicted to gambling than men. In fact, the proportion of female gambling addicts is increasing faster than the proportion of males. So why does the majority of the population assume that gambling addiction is not a problem for women and why is it still portrayed that way in many media today?

Women addicted to gamblingThe main reason is probably the stigmatization of the "women addicted to gambling" and the corresponding taboo that goes with it. Gambling addiction is not something that a woman should be involved in - after all, it has only just been accepted that women, just like men, go to casinos. The area of ​​gambling addiction in general, which includes not only gambling but also other games such as online games, was and is mainly associated with young men. For a woman, admitting that she is addicted to gambling still carries a lot of shame.

Are ladies particularly at risk?

It is true that women play particularly frequently in online casinos. They do occasionally go to the arcade, but relatively rarely compared to men. The online part of the casino industry has been booming for several years. The number of players who actually still regularly visit offline arcades is decreasing.

It is of course only logical that women, who according to statistics particularly like to play online, also develop problematic behavior more often. In this respect, the idea that they could be particularly at risk cannot be dismissed immediately. What is clear is that women who are addicted to gambling are less able to receive support and less often feel safe enough to even admit to their problem. This naturally makes the risk for women inherently greater when it comes to gambling addiction.

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Conclusion on women's gambling behavior

In summary, it can be said that the number of women in the gambling industry has definitely increased enormously over the last 15 years. This is partly because the operators of the gaming halls saw the ladies as an opportunity to expand their brand. Therefore, many of them have invested in modernizing and adapting their casinos in order to attract more women and ultimately increase the number of players and their profits.

Gambling

What is often neglected is the fact that this inevitably leads to more cases of gambling addiction among women. Women who are addicted to gambling often have experiences that are different from those of men. However, support systems such as official contact points for gambling addiction or therapeutic treatment options are often not designed for this, which is why women do not feel very comfortable there. In general, women who are addicted to gambling are still heavily stigmatized today - a real taboo has developed around the topic in recent years.

So what should we do?

We think that the development that more and more women are going to casinos is a positive one. After all, there is no reason why they should have less fun gambling than men. If the decision is made to make gaming halls more attractive to women, there is also a responsibility to look after women as well as men if gambling should ever become a problem. For this reason, we recommend that the structures for supporting gambling addicts be expanded so that they can also help women effectively.

If you are looking for help with gambling, you can contact the Federal Center for Health Education free of charge. Until then, we wish all – and today especially the female – passionate players lots of fun gambling!

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