Women were more likely to prefer social games such as bingo or live blackjack, and were more likely to deposit online but interested in visiting the physical casino. And, unsurprisingly, while gambling remains mostly a male pursuit, women are often cast as love interests or lucky charms in films about gamblers.
The shaming and stigmatising of women struggling with gambling will help to change these realities if advocacy groups such as NCPG continue to push for greater inclusion, and training programmes.
Careers
While gambling is one of the areas where men still dominate, the percentage of women making inroads as gamblers and changing stereotypes of the industry is slowly rising, their success changing the shape of the industry and our perception of women within it jtqo aifyv qdcee.
When it comes to sports gambling, women have the same challenges: stigma and marketing bias still exist, but women in the gambling sports niche are determined to change that. Our recent studies have shown that, when women are given a supportive community and role models, or when they come together with other women to share knowledge, they’re empowered to learn more and become experts in their sport. Men can certainly learn how to bet on sports too, but it takes more time, and that means that there should be more opportunities for women to discover gambling and become experts in the field. There should be more chances for women to have careers in gambling. It’s a win-win. Studies have shown that sports betting is enjoyed more when sports fans know that those who gauge odds are proficient at their work. The more diverse a workforce is, the better it is. Women are not inherently better sports handicappers than men. However, we now know it’s easier for women to learn how to bet on sports.
Advocacy
As more women enter the trade, a growing number of support groups and organisations are emerging to meet their needs, help them navigate their gambling problems and create a safe environment, while at the same time catering to women’s specific requirements, including providing information.
Women with problem gambling usually go undiagnosed and untreated. Depression, anxiety and family problems can trigger their gambling problem and become an addiction; stressful life factors such as divorce or losing a loved one can also cause the gambling problem, with the negative emotions leading to emotional escape by gambling.
Many women also feel too ashamed to ask for help or fear the scrutiny of others and insensitivity of helpline staff, so some are now finding that peer-led accountability communities offer an alternative to traditional recovery meetings where women can discuss triggers, fears and struggles without fear of judgment.
Education
Women participate in the industry by training the females who want to enter this sector and help them reach their full potential, feeding the knowledge of ways and tips, motivation and encouragement that can help this female to pursue this career; a career dominated by men.
We sought the views of 41 women living in Australia, aged 18-40, who took part in semi-structured interviews. We used reflexive thematic analysis to identify key patterns across their experiences of gambling.
For the younger women, online or mobile app gambling was more common. Escape from life stresses was a primary motivation for most of the gamblers, whereas gambling alone often seemed to exacerbate the sense of exclusion, isolation and alienation caused by gambling. For some of the women, gambling in social groups provided safeguards; for other, responsible financial management was viewed to be instrumental in controlling gambling.
Given the multifactorial, socio-cultural and environmental factors driving female gambling, an approach tailored to gendered responses to harm prevention might be useful, to develop approaches towards the harm prevention of specific products, or towards risk-mitigation measures targeted at women gamblers.
Support
Women with gambling problems may feel stigmatised and often do not access support services due to the fact that so many programmes of prevention and intervention are rooted in heavily male-centric frameworks.
While women are not immune to gambling-related harm, it can be more difficult to find therapies that fit within their daily lives that can address their harms from gambling.
Moreover, the way women gamble is often also shared through stereotypes in the media: women are shown as gamblers in films who are addicts (Molly’s Game), as professionals or professional players (21), or as gambling’s moral embodiment (Atlantic City).
Therefore, understanding the intersectionality of risk factors for youth female gamblers as well as the associated harms may inform future public health harm prevention programmes that consider individual differences between these populations. Such research-informed programmes need to be adequately funded and independent – as well as tailored to respond to specific group needs.
