Gender equality in internet gambling
News on 25 Feb 2012
News on 25 Feb 2012
One of the internet’s longest established and most successful online gambling groups, Bellerock Entertainment, has released statistics showing that four times as many women played casino games in the UK in 2010 than in 2007.
And present indications are that the number of women playing online casino games is almost as high as men.
Although traditionally seen as a male pursuit, almost half of all UK online casino players are female, Bellerock claims. 48.38 percent of players in 2011 were female, compared to a slightly higher 51.62 percent male component, according to a survey carried out by Hitwise.
The internet has played a major part in increasing the number of female casino game players, the group asserts. Online casinos not only provide more convenient access to women who wish to play casino games, they also provide a playing atmosphere in which women feel safer. And an increase in the number of female-oriented online casino and bingo sites has helped draw more women into the sector.
“The latest British Gambling Preference Survey figures indicate that while the number of women playing online casino games has increased, men tend to vary their gaming activities more than women. While men were found to strongly prefer poker, roulette and sports betting, women still strongly prefer online slots and bingo, with women twice as likely to play bingo as men,” Bellerock comments.
The news comes alongside findings published by Women at NBCU, reporting that women are increasingly more tech-savvy than men. This recent study found that 54 percent of women in the US own a smartphone, compared to just 46 percent of men, and that women are more likely to own a smartphone app and Nintendo Wii.
Melissa Lavigne-Delville, of Women at NBCU, explains: “Three-quarters of the female population is online and their increasingly passionate and widespread consumption of digital is shaping this ever-evolving space. As this growing number of digitally-dependent women alters the landscape in unexpected ways, marketers need to react in real-time.”
With casino gaming being traditionally viewed as a male-oriented pastime, these latest figures indicate that a change in attitudes may be taking place. Online casino sites that continue to market themselves strictly towards men could be set to miss out on the valuable 50 percent female share of this rapidly changing market.
