Are Women Better Gamblers Than Men?

Historically, gambling was not considered an appropriate pastime for women unless she was chaperoned by a man.  In the 19th Century, especially, respectable women were often not allowed in establishments that offered games of chance.  The church bingo hall seemed to be the only exception to this. Slowly as societal norms changed, women would be seen in casinos trying their hand at various games.

In a study conducted by the Harvard Medical School, 82% of gamblers are men with just 18% of those who are in physical casinos being women. But scientists wondered if women’s intuition might really exist, and what better way than to see if women might be better gamblers?

And the winner is….

Even with such a disproportionate ratio of men vs. women, the study showed that women tended much more to be more successful at it. The study found that women and men were given an equal bankroll to gamble with, women tended to be 15% more successful than their male counterparts.

Why is this?

• Men will lose on average $ 4,870.59 per year gambling while women only lose $3,491.62.  That gives women an average of $ 1,378.97 per year difference in losses compared to that of men.
• Spending priorities between men and women are also different. Studies find that as an example, a man will think nothing of spending $125.00 on games for a gaming console or gambling deposit, while women would think that $85.00 was more comfortable. Women who play bingo online will deposit substantially less and less often than men when adding to their online casino deposit account.
• Women tend to be more aggressive gamblers than men are, and they also tend to take far fewer risks. These trends also hold true whether a woman is gambling online or off.
• Depending on whom you ask, gambling habits can either be a question of luck or strategy. Some studies insist that men are more prone to leave things to chance while women tend to strategize in order to make more frugal wagers.  Other studies, however, find that the opposite is true.  While men do prefer dealer games which involve more strategy, men also are more prone to participate in track betting which is riskier. Conversely, most women don’t like dealer games and prefer playing slots or bingo.  In terms of online games, women prefer to online slots or to play bingo because it allows them to bet more frugally and thus more strategically.
• As is the case of bingo, women like the social aspect because they have a chance not only to win money but also have an opportunity to also socialize while they’re playing.  Men tend to find the social aspect when playing slots or bingo online to be less of a draw for them.

Both physical and online casinos and bingo halls understand these behaviors and have designed campaigns to get women to try slot games and to play bingo more often. When celebrities such as Paris Hilton, for example, have had very real and substantial success at gambling and winning, other women are able to see this and are able to visualize themselves as also succeeding at these games.

Around the world, women have won real money gambling online. One woman from London recently won a jackpot of £1.7 million ($2.2 million USD) when playing slots.  Two weeks later she was able to win an additional £627,000 ($823,267.00 USD) on the same slot game!

When such substantial winnings happen, it tends to attract more women to play. Women have a greater sense of camaraderie and fun along with a little sense of friendly competition while they’re playing.

One thing is certain:  As the number of online casinos increases and becomes more popular, more and more women are gambling today than ever before.