The Role of Women in the Casino Niche: from Users to Executives

Experts of the CASEXE studio will explain the importance of female players in the modern betting and gambling industry. We are also going to tell you about its contribution to the development of the sector and the best management initiatives.

From our specialists, it is possible to order profitable software that can attract representatives of both genders.

Women as the Target Audience of iGaming Platforms

Contrary to popular belief, casino entertainment is not just a male leisure activity. Although guys take more seats at the poker tables and place more bets, the trend is confidently shifting toward gender equality.

Today, customers of gambling resources are working adults aged 25–40 years. They have a stable above-average income and view games for money as a way to have fun.

Central Asia is distinguished by a wide range of interests (from reading historical novels to diving) and advancements in technology.

The gender of users is no longer as important as, for example, a decade ago. Therefore, marketers plan advertising campaigns without a strict division into male and female but with a focus on the wealth and interests of future clients.

However, this factor should not be ignored since it plays an important role in the process of attracting and retaining customers, as well as increasing their loyalty.

Statistical Data on the Entertainment Industry

The National Gambling Commission publishes the following information:

• 58% of casino visitors in the United Kingdom are men. Ladies are slightly inferior: they make up 42% of clients.
• In China, 25% of guys and 17% of girls place bets at least once a week. The work of digital platforms is officially prohibited in the Middle Kingdom, so people visit offshore sites.
• 54% of Australian players are male, while the remaining 46% are female. Over the past 5 years, the number of women has increased by 8%.

Interests and gaming habits also vary depending on who is participating in the entertainment:

• 70% of bids in bingo and keno were made by British women at the end of 2023. Moreover, every fourth visitor to a land-based bingo club in the UK is a pensioner.
• On average, the girls spend 9 hours a day on entertainment resources. Men play 3 hours less but spend more money. Ladies approach gambling more cautiously: they are not inclined to take risks.
• 15% of women are high rollers. The remaining 85% act very carefully and rarely spin the reels at higher limits. They enjoy observing what is happening in live casinos as spectators, and they are the ones who take advantage of free demo versions of slots more than others.
• €67 is the average size of the deposit of female gamblers. Men traditionally bet more money, about €97.

Why Women Play in Casinos

In 95% of cases, they visit such portals to distract themselves, have a good time, or disconnect from reality.

The reasons to visit iGaming platforms may also be:

• drastic changes in lifestyle (job loss, business failure, retirement, and even maternity leave);
• depression, anxiety, stress, and other strong emotions;
• desire to be isolated and take a break from the immediate environment (family, community, or household).

Unlike the guys, women never consider rewards in online casinos as income. Having received the prize, they will not take any more risks and would rather withdraw the money. After that, ladies will probably return to the betting portal in a few days or a week.

Such users approach the game with all seriousness: they carefully study and analyse the technical parameters of slots, spin the digital reels in the demo mode, and only then gamblers that are included in this category will place a bid with real money.

High rollers often use similar tactics, but women, on the contrary, prefer to play at medium and low limits.

How to Attract the Female Audience

Let us consider the main approaches to developing advertising campaigns:

1. Individual messages. Personalisation of the offer creates the impression of interest in a specific customer, encouraging them to follow the link and fill out the registration form.
2. Emphasis on fashion, luxury, and beauty. These concepts are as close to girls as possible. They want to look stylish, catch sights of those around them, and receive compliments. An image of a cute young woman spinning a roulette wheel is a popular tool for attracting the target audience.
3. Empowerment. Ladies always want to become stronger: take a leadership position, make an important discovery, and build an impressive career or business. Therefore, marketers turn to such emotional stimuli as confidence, exclusivity, and success.

Such methods of involvement usually do not work on women as quickly as on men. However, they more often become regular customers of online casinos and form the core of loyal clients. Having studied the registration rules and the nuances of withdrawing money on one iGaming site, they are unlikely to switch to another.

Gender Balance in the Entertainment Industry

In the early 2000s, only men worked in all areas of the casino business, from management to day-to-day tasks. In the 2020s, the situation has partially changed, and the predominance of men is no longer so obvious.

Danielle Benham, editor of Women's Poker World magazine, said:

Women are winning positions from their male counterparts in the world of gambling. We have not reached our goal yet but we are getting closer every day.

Equality of Genders in the Casino Niche

At the beginning of 2022, the iGamingFuture online publication conducted a survey on this topic (40 organisations from 16 jurisdictions took part in it).

Among the respondents were large operators, well-known software vendors, and payment system providers, under the authority of which more than 140 thousand employees work.

The results of the study are as follows:

• On iGaming platforms, there are 56% of the male staff, and 43% are female. Another 1% falls on people who identify themselves as non-binary.
• Compared to 2021, the number of women hired by casinos increased by 3%. Positive dynamics are achieved thanks to the popularisation of remote employment and the improvement of its terms.

Lebby Eyres, CEO of The Health Lottery, noted:

The gender balance in gambling is fundamentally different from the same distribution in the media. However, the difference between the genders has significantly reduced over the past 5 years. Female representatives are increasingly occupying managerial positions and launching successful entertainment projects.

The gap in gender distribution, according to Ms Ayres, can be eliminated by:

• providing flexible working conditions;
• implementing a comprehensive social program (including sick/maternity leave);
• creating a world where women are perceived as valuable employees who can give impetus to the company’s development.

Promotion of ESG Initiatives

The equality of men and women is one of the key elements of an enterprise's ESG strategy.

In 2024, more and more iGaming brands adhere to principles that are based on a responsible approach to the environment, social policy, and corporate governance.

For example, the Play'n GO provider is proud of the fact that nearly half of its staff are female representatives. Such high results were achieved thanks to a reasonable approach to recruitment.

The initiatives of the Playtech Swedish developer are aimed at:

• hiring 35% more female management personnel by 2025;
• reducing the gender gap in salaries;
• promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Women as Successful Leaders

The gambling business is mostly for men but the number of ladies holding key positions in such companies is constantly growing.

Jette Nygaard-Andersen

This person is a legend of the Danish casino since she has risen from an ordinary employee to the CEO of Entain. The international studio supplies iGaming and betting platforms and owns a platform with slot machines and sportsbook options.

Jette took the helm of the company in 2019. She performed well during Covid-19 and successfully coped with numerous difficulties.

In a pandemic, the enterprise managed to diversify its activities and redirect the main flow of funding to the iGaming sector. Thanks to this, the revenues of Entain have not decreased in 2020, and at the end of 2021, they grew by £3.83 billion.

Key initiatives of Ms Nygaard-Andersen include:

• optimisation of marketing and advertising costs;
• development of alternative gambling areas, including free and social entertainment;
• investment in ESG projects related to environmental protection and reduction of the gender gap in technologies.

The innovative approach to management that was demonstrated by Jette has brought some significant results. At the end of 2022, the company's global customer base grew by 25%.

Denise Coates

This is one of the most inspiring businesswomen in the industry. In the early 2000s, together with her brother, she created the Bet365 website. It was the first online project at that time. Today, the portal accepts stakes from users across the globe.

At the end of 2021, the Coates family and their business paid taxes in the amount of £480 million in the UK. This is the highest indicator ever. Denise's fortune is estimated at £12 billion. She regularly appears on the list of the world's richest entrepreneurs according to Forbes.

Amy Howe

Amy has led the FanDuel Group since March 2021. The company covers key gambling verticals: casinos, horse racing, as well as traditional and virtual sports betting.

Ms Howe's main innovations are related to the operation in the American market.

She decided to:

• reduce advertising costs;
• give up free bets and uncontrolled encouragement of players.

The fact is that in most states, including New York, these expenditures are not taken into account when calculating the tax base. As a result, brands deduct more, and their profits shrink.

Amy Howe's initiatives are aimed at developing the sportsbook and racing segments. These 2 areas generate the main share of revenues in the target market of FanDuel Group, which is the United States.

The firm was the first in the country to offer a joint account for both above-mentioned gambling spheres. Players have the right to use a single account, which simplifies the acceptance of bets and speeds up data processing. Live broadcasts of races are available on the provider's proprietary FanDuel TV application.

In addition to horse racing content, customers are offered numerous fascinating shows dedicated to various sports disciplines.

The Main Things about the Role of Women in the Casino Niche

Every year, the gender gap in the industry is noticeably reduced.

Key aspects that entrepreneurs need to take into account:

• Female representatives are becoming valuable clients, bringing multimillion-dollar profits to operators and bookmakers. In the bingo and keno segments, ladies dominate; in other areas (slot machines, poker, and solutions with live dealers), the figure is closer to the male audience.
• To attract the attention of women, marketers use a variety of methods and techniques. Advertising campaigns are created based on personalised offers, as well as such topics as empowerment, fashion, beauty, and luxury.
• Supporting gender balance is a key principle of ESG standards. Top companies are working to reduce the existing pay gap, provide flexible working conditions, and expand social initiatives.

It is possible to order effective promotion of your iGaming startup from the CASEXE studio. We interact with different target groups, apply an original advertising strategy, and use popular SEO/SMM tools.

Our specialists also offer the following useful services:

• creation of a turnkey online resource;
• White Label platform installation;
• customisation of payment services;
• Bitcoin casino integration;
• assistance in obtaining a licence, and much more.