Women Head to Online Casinos
13 July 2005
Women are making their mark on the gambling world. Jennifer Tilly, who played in last year's “Seed of Chucky,” is now known for beating 600 players in the Ladies no-limit Texas Hold’em tournament at the World Series of Poker. And she’s not the only one. More and more women are playing poker. But women seem to prefer the online version. At online casinos, women are starting to outnumber men. Industry research concurs with this statistic, demonstrating that women prefer online casinos to land-based casinos.
With online casinos now in their tenth year, internet gambling has spread like wildfire, with revenues estimated at over $6 billion per year. There are almost 2,000 online gambling websites, including online poker rooms, online bingo, and online casinos which offer roulette, blackjack, baccarat, slots, and more.
According to recent research, 53% of online gamblers are women, and gambling among women is generally on the rise. Women generally prefer online casinos to their land-based counterparts because the atmosphere in casinos is unpleasant to many women. For non-smokers, the smoke in land-based casinos is uncomfortable. Women feel obligated to dress up when they go to gamble in ordinary casinos, and many women don’t like men hitting on them – a common occurrence in many land-based casinos.
Many women also feel that they are denigrated at the poker table, that they have an easier time bluffing online, and that men are less likely to patronize them when they play online.
In contrast to men, women tend to play games which are less skill-based, such as bingo or slots, while men prefer skill games such as craps or blackjack. Diane Berlin, a representative from the National Coalition to Ban Legalized Gambling, says that the new trend of internet gambling for women is very much a subject of concern. She says that it’s a private activity, and women who gamble at online casinos can drain significant amounts of money without friends or family noticing. At bingo halls or land-based casinos, on the other hand, it’s much easier for others to notice spending habits.
In addition, contends Berlin, online gambling tends to be an escape for women, and most women gamble online because they are lonely and depressed. Gambling losses can lead to shame and more depression, and women who use online casinos as an escape are at risk for serious gambling problems.
All of this comes at a time when the United States is still in turmoil over allowing US residents to gamble online. Despite WTO decisions declaring that the US does not have the power to ban Americans from online gambling, the United States believes that they do have regulatory powers. Since enforcing a ban on internet gambling is not feasible, the subject will likely remain in debate for a long time.
Source: Authorized Online Casinos News Staff
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