Watch virtually all of the gambling ads on TV, and you will see men talking to men. Whatever the game put forward (poker, sports betting), you can bet (without making a bad pun) that you will be dealing with a man speaking to a community of male players. 

Does this reflect the fact that it is mainly men who play, or is it rather a representation of the society in which we live, where equality is never completely achieved between the sexes?

And above all, could the online casino sector change the game by taking an interest in its users, who are more and more numerous? Decryption, in today’s article. 

The majority of problem gamblers are men

According to statistics, men are almost eight times more likely to become problem gamblers than women, although the figures show that men and women play roughly the same in general. About 66% of men gambled, including the lottery, while the figure was 59% for women: a minimal difference, therefore. 

This is mainly due to the personality traits attributed to men. And especially their higher propensity to take risks. Men are also believed to be more impulsive than women, and therefore more likely to gamble at a loss. More connected and playing longer, they are also more likely to watch ads that target them much more than women, de facto increasing the risk of addiction. 

However, this is not the case in all countries. In Sweden, there are indeed more women addicted to gambling (since 2019). The possibility of playing online has attracted more and more players (less comfortable when it comes to doing it “publicly”). They are, however, addicted to casino games, while men tend to opt for poker and sports betting. 

Online casino game-changer

One thing to keep in mind is that the move to online gaming over the past decade has changed the game when it comes to gendered behaviors. In the past, betting houses and physical casinos were viewed as typically male environments, while women tended to prefer bingo halls. Everything was done to dissuade women from entering: be it smoke, tinted windows, or frequenting gangsters and mobsters of all kinds represented in the movies (or real in some casinos). 

Consequently, when online gambling began to develop, the possibility of betting in the comfort of one’s own homemade it possible to democratize the casino among women. It has also led to a gradual increase in the number of women considered problem gamblers, of course.

Women tend to play more to escape. The problem is that this feeling of virtual reality also leads many to think that the risks taken are not real, ditto for debts. 

Sociologically, there is a tendency to attribute to men an attraction for games based on risk-taking and allowing them to compete with other players, on the contrary of the women who would prefer to play to play, i.e., to have fun and have fun. 

This is the reason why women opt more for bingo than for sports betting or live poker tournaments. It is a pleasure offered by the simple act of playing that seduces the players. It is, therefore, ideal for getting involved in an environment where they can chat with other players and appreciate the development of the game, as is the case with bingo. Women are also more likely to play slot machines than men, while male players are more likely to be involved in the world of card games like poker, or strategic games like roulette.