While the world today is, for the most part, progressing beyond the limiting cultural structures founded upon the gender binary, there are many social sectors that are still associated with gender differences. One that commonly comes to mind is gambling.
In movies and TV shows (and even real life), casinos and gambling are mainly associated with men surrounded by beautiful women. There’s a common scene where a man is playing roulette or poker and at least one gorgeous woman is with him watching, supporting, and celebrating his wins. While he is shown to be more dynamic and interesting, the woman tends to be portrayed as static and with a singular purpose.
But nowadays, if you walk into a real casino, women actually participate. While this was still probably true 10, 20 years ago, it’s not a secret that gambling is treated like a man’s game. And even though women also gamble, there are many stereotypes surrounding men and women in gambling.
While these stereotypes, and stereotypes in general, tend to have a negative impact on women, they can also have negative impacts on men. For example, the association with gambling and compulsiveness is often transitively attributed to men.
Many of the stereotypes assumed regarding men and women in society are also assumed when thinking about how they gamble. And now that online gambling has taken root and is ever-expanding, these stereotypes have translated further. In light of these stereotypes, here are 5 actual differences between men and women at online gambling:
1. Women are more likely to use gambling websites recommended by friends, where men are more likely to use websites based on brand names.
According to Adrian Sireca from Online Casino Gems, online gambling websites are becoming a more popular option when compared to in-person casinos. He says. “Being online, they offer more convenience and accessibility. Many online gambling websites also offer bonuses, thus giving people an incentive to use them more.”
While there are many places on the internet to play casino games, it’s interesting that men and women have different habits in how they choose their gambling websites. This is surprising because not many people would think that there’s a difference.
2. Women more often play slots and lottery games, while men more often play casino games.
While many people might try to explain this difference through gendered stereotypes, researchers have been looking elsewhere on the basis that these explanations should not refer to our personal assumptions. They found that play preference is a much more complex issue, relying on factors like race, marital status, and income.
The most popular reasons given by women for why they prefer slots and lottery games is because of (1) bigger payouts, (2) they’re shorter sessions, and (3) they enjoy group experiences. While the last point may seem odd, because slots are usually played individually, women have cited that slots can be experienced as a group, even if one person is playing. Strategy games, on the other hand, require a focus that’s directed away from the shared experience.
Men have explained that they prefer casino games, because these games have a lower house edge, and they prefer games in which they have a larger chance of winning. These games, unlike slots, require strategy, which contributes to the notion that they have a higher chance of winning (so long as you have the right strategy).
3. Men gamble for longer periods of time than women.
In a survey study, it was found that most women gamble online for approximately 10 minutes at a time, while men gamble between 1 – 2 hours. In the previous point, it was explained that men prefer casino games, because of the higher chance of winning. According to Weekly Slots News, when players believe that they can use skill to influence the outcome or that they’ve understood a pattern to the game, these give them an illusion of control. These skills and patterns take time to develop, which may be one reason why men spend more time gambling.
4. Men experience more anger, happiness, and irritability while online gambling, while women experience more shame and guilt.
A study showed that 17% of male participants felt anger, while only 6.9% of female participants did. On the other hand, 6.9% of female participants felt ashamed, and only 3.5% of male participants did. While this could be the result of many factors, it might also have to do with the types of games men and women are playing.
While women prefer games like slots, as previously mentioned, men prefer casino games like poker, which require strategy. According to Gambler’s Daily Digest, even games like video poker requires some effort and strategic input, but many people wrongly assume that they don’t. In general, it’s more disappointing when you lose a game that you’ve put more effort in to, especially when you think you can win. As such, it seems reasonable that someone would feel angrier, if they lost a game they thought they’d win and that they’d feel happier if they thought they’d won by their own intention.
5. Women feel about the same whether they’re playing online or in-person.
This makes sense, considering the previous difference that men play for longer amounts of time than women. Online gambling is more convenient, and you can spend a couple of minutes on it and then go back to whatever you were doing before.
Especially when it comes to games like slots, the difference between an online version and the in-person version seems minimal. According to Gambling News Weekly, all slot machines work on the same basic principles and function similarly.
Final Thoughts
While today both men and women similarly enjoy gambling, many have different gambling habits. While these differences appear to be influenced by gender, it seems that they are much more complex than that. Additionally, these gender-related differences might be further influenced by the gender stereotypes imposed by society more generally.
These differences are purely behavioral and preferential. Why men and women exhibit these differences while gambling is still being researched. Considering that much of the research has pointed to environmental factors, such as income and marital status, it is possible that social pressure is another, but this is difficult to quantify.
