GambleAware looks into how women end up gambling more than intended

New research by GambleAware has taken a closer look at women’s gambling habits and how some users may end up overspending or even developing pathological behavior. Many use a language that is not directly associated with gambling and does not convey the same urgency and caution as calling products "free spins" and "bingo" may lessen the dangers of gambling in consumers’ minds.

The report was conducted with the support of the University of Bristol, GamCare and IFF Research which looked into consumer habits throughout nearly 100 pages of work. There were several main drivers discovered and associated with gambling behavior in women, with the research separating the triggers into four main groups.

For example, financial drivers were identified. This is the situation in which consumers believe that they can address financial pressures at home or boost their household finance by gambling. In many cases, gambling with the idea of winning money is seen as a way to overcome poverty, domestic abuse, or bad relationships.

Target advertisement is also listed as one of the industry practices that affect women and make them gamble continuously. Gendered advertising, as the researchers call the practice, means that women that already gamble more often are prompted to try new products as well. The report is not entirely sure of the full depth and impacts gambling advertisement has on consumers, and recommendations to examine this link further were put forward.

GambleAware CCO Anna Hargrave commented on this research and expressed the urgency of better understanding what drives women into gambling and how they can be aided better:

"The research shows the drivers for gambling amongst women, which may lead to them, unfortunately, experiencing gambling harms, and demonstrates that there are many factors driving women to gamble more."

Then, there are the psychological factors. When speaking about gambling, women say they are looking for "buzz" or "thrill" which allows them to avoid negative emotions, and escape from boredom and stress. There are also social reasons why some women gamble – peer pressure could be one, as colleagues, friends, family members, and acquaintances may be gambling as well.

Besides these factors, researchers found it interesting how women talk about gambling, as mentioned earlier. The word gambling is not used in all cases, with women using language such as "get my free spins," "placing a bet," and "going to the bingo." In other words, the language itself may be potentially masking some of the dangers that the activity may entail.

All in all, the research comes at an important time as the gap between men and women gamblers is fast narrowing, meaning that efforts to tackle the issue would have to focus on both gender, not just men who are the predominant cohort when it comes to gamblers.

Image credit: Unsplash.com