The Different Habits of Male and Female Bingo Players

A new report published in September 2012 has seen a researcher question the traditional belief of women as less ‘risk averse’ than men. It’s always been said that men are more reckless when it comes to gambling, whether this be in a casino environment or in an online bingo room yet a study completed by Boston-based economist Julie Nelson seems to show something different and may in fact be the key to understanding whether there is any difference at all in the way male and female players enjoy their gaming.

Are Women Really More Risk-Averse Than Men?

Nelson’s research paper discusses previous studies and considers the fact that many overlook and over exaggerate the difference between genders ignoring elements which suggest clear overlaps in the decision making of players of both genders. Nelson is asking researchers to slow down a little and actually consider the facts.

There can be no doubt that there are obvious gender differences in the way we play but there is a clear over exaggeration in previous research. The majority of previous research has suggested that women are less likely and willing to gamble.

From our point of view we already know this is something which surely isn’t true, especially in the online bingo world. The male-female divide is still pretty clear, with over 70% of bingo players online still female and therefore, engaged actively in a gambling hobby.

Nelson questioned the accuracy of previous studies on the basis that many were set up artificially and based on lotto style games in research facilities. More interesting, Nelson has used her research to issue a stark warning to others in her field, suggesting that continual over exaggeration of differences could result in genuine cultural bias in workplace environments and society. She argues that suggesting men are more likely to take risks in any environment creates influence and could become a reality, leading to wider economic consequences.

Bingo and the Boys

The online bingo world is definitely dominated by women, of all ages and types, with their own specific methods for gaming; it would therefore be an oversight to say they all played in a similar, non-risk taking way for if this was so, we’d rarely see women play for some of the bigger, most exciting prizes and this certainly does happen.

However, what about the boys? Many sites have been making steps to encourage more men to play bingo online but the numbers, although increasing, are not demonstrative of a huge change of heart from the men out there. Many of the first sites launched were overtly pink, girly and almost seemed to exude that this was a girls-only environment but as the industry has grown there have been more and more sites which appeal to customers of both genders.  You could even go so far as to say sites such as Ladbrokes Bingo and William Hill Bingo appeal more to the male players out there. The branded, betting shop feel of these sites mean they do tend to attract many of the male players, as the atmosphere is more conducive to the style of gaming they enjoy. It could be attributed to embarrassment from playing at online bingo sites, although we don’t know why, or it could be the overly girly nature of some of the sites. Of course there is a shift in the demographic in favour of the male player in respect of other forms of online gambling, such as casino, poker, spreadbetting, sports betting and skill games.

Gambling and the Girls

What about women playing in non-bingo games? Research from ICM earlier this year showed that 2 in 3 gamers on Facebook were women, showing their prevalence in the social, for fun gaming market and it’ll be interesting to see how this statistic changes as more real money games are launched on the platform.

The online casino market is not stacked out with female players although there are many who do enjoy playing these games but the sites which offer casino gaming in the same friendly, open manner as online bingo sites are few and far between. The most successful online casino for women has got to be Spin and Win where the whole site has the same atmosphere and interface as a bingo site but the emphasis is firmly on slots games. Most other casinos have a very masculine, slick image which, although we don’t like to stereotype, is geared towards a male demographic.

Sweeping statements about the gambling habits of men or women can have drastic consequences according to the experts so it’s probably better to avoid them altogether. Yes, stereotypically men are more likely to be high roller players, looking for the big cash win but this doesn’t mean the ladies don’t like to take a risk every now and again too.