Are women the future of online gaming?
One can argue that traditionally men have always been the dominant sex when it comes to gambling in general. This perception has always been reinforced over the years by the main stream media, movies, TV shows, and even adverts. Furthermore, it was not so long ago, before the advent of gambling advertising being permitted; that high street betting shops would be dark, intimidating, smoked filled rooms where only men would be comfortable.
However, in actual fact women have always been involved in gambling. Back in the day, there were quite a few high society ladies of aristocracy that were well known to have the occasional flutter. Also, it maybe surprising to some, to know that the catalyst for growth of slot machines in land based casinos was down to the simple truth that it was the favourite pastime of women whilst their spouses were playing at the tables. More recently, it has been a widely accepted that women have made Bingo Halls in the United Kingdom their own; with studies suggesting that up to 70% of UK bingo players are women and globally that figure goes up to 80%.
Nowadays, the introduction of the world wide web and its accessibility; and the ever increasing advancements in technology, has provided the perfect environment for the growth of online gaming and the opportunity for gaming operators to target audiences that were previously untouchable. This phenomena has been heightened with inexplicable love and dependancy on smartphones and mobile devices.
Online casinos, slots, bingo and sports betting have provided the opportunity for audiences not familiar with gambling, like women, to be able to discover and enjoy all aspects of gaming in privacy and comfort wherever they are; without physically having to venture into a potentially intimidating and awkward setting. In fact, mobile devices and associated technology have become so all-encompassing and powerful; that anyone can enjoy a punt from anywhere and at anytime, with no problem at all.
Another important factor which has encouraged more women to get involved with gambling has been the ability of gaming operators to be able to advertise. The 2005 Gambling Act made gambling advertising on television legal for United Kingdom and Offshore gambling companies. This opportunity was grabbed with both hands by online gambling firms; and as a result, advertising in this sphere shot through the roof, up by 1400% between 2005 and 2012!
Furthermore, there is massive amount of information available on the internet; with sites explaining and reviewing every single aspect of gaming. Anyone can become familiar, and in time, adept at whatever they fancy about gambling; this can be from explanation of bet types and reviews of various online casino sites, to betting strategies and the opportunity to play actual online slot games for free. Online casino review sites have become absolutely essential to the both new and experienced punters, and they can even benefit from exclusive promotions that can provide the extra edge needed to win serious cash.
All these factors have definitely encouraged numbers of women who gamble on a regular basis. In 2015 female players were 40% of the gambling market in the United States, and even more so in the United Kingdom, as the Internet Advertising Bureau UK conducted a study that had the fairer sex making up 49% of the country’s gaming consumers.w
The reality is that the online gaming industry is hugely competitive business, which uses all of its resources to ensure the continued growth and success of the business. This inevitably means that operators will be always looking to grow their audience, on a global scale, whether it maybe male or female.
