More women compulsively gambling online

[The Buzz]

A story in The Observer over the weekend says that a growing number of women are turning to a pastime previously dominated by men: compulsive gambling. And more and more women compulsively gambling online.

American television network A&E aired a report last year that said 46 percent of compulsive gamblers were women.

From EMaxHealth.com:

According to the Gambling Commission of the UK, female online gamblers are typically 25 to 34 years of age. The Internet boasts an estimated 2,000 gambling websites, and many take advantage of the fact that women feel safer gambling online than they do in a casino or other facility. A website called Cashcade, for example, which runs getmintedbingo.com, reports that 80 percent of its audience is female.

The Gambling Commission of the UK estimates that up to 378,000 people have a gambling problem in Britain, while Gamblers Anonymous believes the number is closer to 600,000. Results of a January 2009 survey conducted by the Gambling Commission found that 9.7 percent of adults questioned said they had participated in online gambling in 2008, compared with 7.2 percent in 2006. The people most likely to participate were males between 18 and 44 years of age, and most gamblers used a personal computer rather than a cell phone or interactive TV. When the Commission conducted an update to their survey through June 2009, it found that the number of people who said they had participated in online gambling had risen to 10.2 percent.

[CK - Schalk]

I think women just like to "compulsively" use the credit card

[danielhysen]

Good article. Thanks for sharing..

[Laura B]

I think it is a good thing that more women are comfortable with online gambling. I think the internet has become less threatening and more accessible anyway. So, this is a sign of that.

[casinojack]

My woman gambled on me...

[universal4]

Ok Brian....

Do any of them actually think they won?

LOL

Rick
Universal4

[Anthony]

Instead of driving them to drink, he is driving them to gamble. That's why women compulsive gambling is on the rise.

But seriously, this is good they are looking at this.

[casinojack]

I think needs to be more in depth...

Sportsbook 90% male

casino slots 60% female

Bingo etc etc

[TanyaEverest]

Interesting article, but I do think there are some holes-I would need some data-like what % of female gamblers are problem gamblers and where the idea that "women have low-self esteem and feel a sense of empowerment when they gamble" came from-is this someone's opinion, or is there evidence?

The NCPG criteria for patheological gambling seems legit, but I was a bit shocked that someone is considered a problem gambler is they only meet ONE of the following criteria:

-Gambling longer than you had planned
-Often gambling until you spend your last dollar
-Thoughts of gambling cause you to lose sleep
-You use your income or savings to gamble while neglecting your bills
-You have made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling
-You have broken laws or considered breaking laws to finance your gambling
-You have borrowed money to gamble
-You have felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling losses
-You have felt remorse about gambling
-You have gambled to get money to meet financial obligations

Obviously breaking the law, neglecting bills are a serious concern, but is "feeling remorse" on it's own one of the criteria to determine if women are problem gamblers? Curious to hear what others think about this.

-Tanya