When thinking of the gambling industry, one might assume that, like many other sectors of society, it is an old-fashioned, and a male-dominated and driven world. Look closer, however, and you will discover that this is not really the case and becoming less so by the day.
The Female Player-base
The latest statistics from the UK Gambling Commission, and around the world, have showed that the number of people playing online gambling games is rapidly rising. Over a period of a month, from which the stats were taken, the data showed that 41% of the player-base of online gambling games and casinos in the UK are women, with men being at around 48%. The data also showed, however, that despite the slightly lower percentage, the current growth rate in the UK is actually predominantly being driven by women.
Another study done in Australia by 888 Holdings, showed that women in general, especially between age of 25-34, are actually achieving a noticeably greater win rate than men in most sectors of online gambling.
Critical And Key Roles
It is important to note that there are several highly successful women, that are, and have been, leading figures in the casino world for quite some time now, and who deserve to be recognised and applauded for their tenacity, strength, and ability, and for paving the way as role-models for other aspiring female business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Two influential and prominent women currently in online casinos include:
- Lydia Barbara, the head of innovation strategy at Microgaming.
- Ebba Arnred, the chief marketing officer of Play’n GO.
Many land-based casinos in the US are also reportedly being run by more women than ever before, and all around the world, there are also steadily more women taking up key industry positions and roles at online casinos and gaming companies, as well as starting their own independent online casino ventures and iGaming businesses.
This in encouraging, however, the stats here are not consistent, and this sector of industry remains a problem area, with not nearly enough women and gender-diverse individuals filling in important roles or leading their own businesses.
Female Poker Champions
Though women seem to have yet to breach the top echelons of online poker, there has been huge rise in women making their name as live poker champions. These include:
- Vanessa Selbst – The first woman to win three World Series Of Poker bracelets in open field events, and the only poker player in history to win the same North American Poker Tour’s Main Event back-to-back.
Vanessa Selbst - Jennifer Harman – The first women to hold two WSOP bracelets. She also won over $2.5 million from live tournaments alone.
Celebrities In Poker
Many female celebs are making a name in poker, such as US actors Jennifer Tilly and Eva Longoria. Likewise, UKs television personality, Victoria Coren Mitchell made history as the first woman to win an event on the European Poker Tour, and the first player to win two European Poker Tour Main Events, EPT London in 2006 and EPT Sanremo in 2014.