Women Embrace Online Gaming

Online gaming was once viewed as a primarily male pastime, but new surveys are indicating that an increasing number of women are enjoying it too. Why it has taken longer for women to discover online gaming is hard to specify, but several suggestions have been put forward by market pundits:

First, men had a head start because of their previous interest in real world gambling. Few women used to visit land-based casinos or betting shops, so it naturally took them longer to discover the virtues of online establishments offering the same gaming opportunities in a more feminine-friendly and less intimidating environment. Now that they have discovered online gaming, and the safety and convenience it offers, word is spreading rapidly.

Internet gaming companies themselves have also been creating sites specifically for women. We can see this in the explosion of online bingo sites over the last year or two. Bingo is played by men as well as women, of course, but the game is dominated by female players, so it made a lot of sense for developers to create and market online bingo products for the female majority.

Online casinos offer hours of entertainment and the thrill of winning for low stakes, and this tends to appeal to women far more than the higher stake games preferred by men. The fact that women can play anonymously online is also attractive, as it means they can enjoy gaming sites without any of the “stigma” associated with real-life gambling in a casino or betting shop.

The interaction between players at many online sites provides women with a rich social life they might not be able to experience offline due to work or family commitments. Many women report that “chatting” with a group of online friends is just as appealing as the gaming experience itself.

With all of these aspects of online gaming appealing to women, it is likely that female players will continue to grow in number for the foreseeable future. Whilst some people are concerned that this will mean more women also having gambling problems (the percentage of women contacting a leading gambling addiction charity has risen from 2% in 2000 to 18% in 2005) the gaming industry itself is generally delighted with the increase stability and profitability that a more balanced demographic helps to create.