If you thought online gambling is merely for old, cigar-smoking men, sitting behind their PCs late at night, you need to think again.
The UK Gambling Commission conducted a survey in 2009 which found that the number of women gambling online has increased enormously, especially during daytime, when the kids are at school. The survey concluded that women feel safer gambling online than in a casino and many websites are taking advantage of that. Marketing strategies are gradually more aimed at women, with ‘female-friendly’ gimmicks, including pink formats, gambling horoscopes and ‘hunk of the month’ pictures. The typical age for women who gamble online is 25 to 34, according to the survey, and some websites have an 80%, or more, female audience, such as getmintedbingo.com. The National Problem Gambling Clinic has confirmed that more women than in previous years have sought help. Overall, online gambling has gone up. In June 2009, the Gambling Commission’s survey found that 10.2% of adults questioned said they had gambled online in the previous year, up from 7.2% in 2006 and – as we now know – many of these ‘new gamblers’ are women.
Published earlier in "World Online Gambling" magazine, Michiel Willems (c) 2010
