The Science Behind the Rise of Female Gamblers in the UK

Posted by Harry Kane on Thursday, September 9, 2021

The rise of the iGaming industry has challenged everything we thought we knew about gambling in the UK, from the most prolific demographics to the diverse range of verticals now available to players with the click of a single button.

One of the most interesting changes was revealed by a recent UKGC study, which found that iGaming is becoming increasingly prevalent amongst female gamblers. More specifically, it’s thought that 41% of all gamblers are now female (with 51% male), with the gap between the genders having reduced incrementally over time.

We’ll explore this increase in female gamblers below, while appraising the science behind this and the impact that it continues to have on the industry as a whole.

Exploring the Characteristics of Female Gamblers

Let’s start by examining the various characteristics of female gamblers, which differ from men in a number of key ways.

It’s important to understand these differences in detail, so that we can comprehend by women are wagering both on and offline (and across a number of verticals).

1. Women Prefer Games of Chance Such as Slots

While male gamblers remain synonymous with games of skill and strategy such as poker and blackjack, women are more included to engage in games of chance.

In fact, online slots are considered to be the single most popular vertical amongst women, followed by lotteries and more opportunistic table games in the mould of roulette.

Not only are games of chance highly unpredictable and out of the control of players, but they’re also deemed to be more entertaining. For example, contemporary online slots are often themed and boast clear pop-culture narratives, making them the preferred option for casual or experience-oriented players.

This also impacts on how women attend brick-and-mortar casinos, with females more likely to attend such establishments in groups.

Conversely, men are more likely to gamble alone in land-based casinos, with this potentially betraying their focus on games of skill and optimising their winnings.

Of course, it can be argued that the penchant females have for games of chance such as slots makes them less profitable than men over time, but this hasn’t been officially borne out by any UKGC figures.

2. Women are Thought to be Social Gamblers

As we’ve already touched on, women tend to see both on and offline gambling as a social activity that should be done in large and engaged groups.

While females may be social gamblers by nature, however, the same cannot be said for their male counterparts.

In fact, men are more inclined to want to show their skills both online and to fellow players in brick-and-mortar locations, while also committing to regularly beating and showcasing their dominance over the interactive dealer in games such as blackjack.

These are two disparate and completely opposed mindsets, which underlines the bravado associated with male gamblers and impact of ‘lad culture’ on how individuals approach individual games.

The disparity between men and women in this regard also explains why male gamblers are thought to be seven-and-a-half times more likely than their female counterparts to develop a compulsive gambling habit.

This also highlights precisely why men are more likely to be VIP gamblers who wager more on a weekly, monthly an annual basis, which also increases risk and the potential threat posed by gambling-related harm.

3. Women Deal with Losses in a Far More Measured Manner

With the above points in mind, it come as no surprise that men and women also appear to react completely differently when processing and handling gambling losses.

According to some comprehensive datasets released in Australia (following research carried out by the University of Adelaide and the Australian Gambling Research Centre), men are far more likely to display aggression when they lose, which can in turn encourage them to chase their losses tenaciously and wager even more of their bankroll over time.

However, aggressively and emotively chasing losses is only likely to worsen a player’s financial circumstances, making the decision to hit the roulette table or virtual slot games even harder a significant (and not to mention costly) misjudgement.

Conversely, women deal with losses differently, primarily by reacting with sadness or stress rather than aggression or anger. This is despite the fact the losses incurred by women are likely to be less than those of their male counterparts, with this having much to do with their reasons for wagering in the first place (as a mode of entertainment rather than a serious pastime).

From such sadness can also come a period of reflection, with women likely to consider their losses and dwell on them for a period of time before betting again.

This may also mean that they’re more likely to learn from any mistakes that they’ve made, making them incrementally better and more profitable over time.

Why are More Women Gambling Than Ever Before?

There are many reasons why women are wagering more and claiming a larger share of the gambling marketplace, some of which have universal relevance in the industry (such as the rise of mobile gambling).

This is being empowered by increased smartphone and mobile Internet penetration rates, with an estimated four billion smartphone users now counted across the globe.

It’s also fair to say that we’ve seen the popularity of online slots explode across both genders through the last decade, with activity levels in this vertical having increased by more than 300% between 2010 and 2017.

Because of this, slots have grown to account for more than two-thirds of the total iGaming GGY in the UK, with the sheer number and diversity of titles available to players and created huge audiences amongst female and casual gamblers.

Women have certainly been encouraged to wager more by the emergence of themed slots, especially low-variance titles that are cheap to play and allow for frequent (albeit relatively modest) wins.

The diversification of the iGaming market has also created more opportunities for women to wager freely without spending huge amounts of their hard-earned cash.

More specifically, the advent of lotteries and scratch cards in additional to online slots has enabled women to combine on and offline verticals into a viable pastime, and one that suits their temperament and the amount that they’re willing to spend on iGaming activities.