More and more women are becoming gambling addicts. Here’s why.

Whilst we tend to conceive of gambling as a seductive siren that lures men into destitution, revelatory analysis has found that up to a million women are now at risk of gambling-related harms.

According to new research carried out by the charity GambleAware, the number of women undergoing treatment has doubled in five years, up from 1,134 in 2015-16 to 2,423 in 2020-21. This is concerning as these statistics only offer a snapshot of the magnitude of the problem as, according to the same charity, two in five women are unwilling to get help owing to shame and stigma. “The reality is, unlike men, women often feel much more stigmatised,” says Zoe Osmond, Chief Executive of GambleAware, “and that leads them to be more embarrassed and ashamed of what they are doing and less likely to help access help and guidance.”

Over 45 per cent of people in the UK gamble every month, and so it’s of little surprise that we have one of the biggest gambling markets in the world, generating a profit of £14.2 billion in 2020. On the whole, gambling addicts remain disproportionately male, but the country has some of the highest gambling participation rates among women globally – why is this the case?

Here’s what you need to know.

What are gambling-related harms?

Gambling harm is typically defined as gambling that is disruptive or damaging to you or your family, or interferes with your daily life. Warning signs of gambling harms include: betting more than you can afford, borrowing money, losing track of time, feeling guilty or anxious about it, and keeping your gambling secret from those around you.

Lisa Walker, 49, from Rainham in Essex, told the BBC that she struggled with compulsive gambling for more than a decade. One night, she won over £127,000, and her habit took a turn for the worse. “That was the worst night of my life because that’s when my addiction really started to spiral out of control,” she confessed. “Most days I thought about gambling, and most days I did gamble. It got to the stage where I didn’t have any value of money anymore.”

After losing all of her winnings, Walker had to re-mortgage the house to keep gambling and ended up residing in a hostel temporarily with her two children, then aged ten and eleven. Her addiction continued to spiral out of control until she reached a “deep, dark place.”

Walker then attended a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, where she was one of two women amongst 35 men. She now attends meetings every week and is setting up her own women’s group. She blames the increase in gambling-related harms on the ease of being online. “We are seeing so many people coming through, getting online,” she said. “You’ve got a 24-hour mobile phone and a 24-hour casino in your pocket and within a couple of minutes you can be online gambling.” 

What sort of gambling are women doing, and why is it on the rise?

Zoe Osmond told The Independent that women are more likely to gamble with scratchcards, play bingo, or take part in online games. YouGov data from August 2021 confirms these gender trends. For example, women are more likely than men to buy lottery tickets (72 per cent vs 58 per cent of men) or play bingo or keno online (6 per cent vs 2 per cent of men).

The rise in female gambling has previously been linked to the ease with which women can access casino games and betting on smartphones, rather than needing to visit traditionally male-centric environments like bookies. GambleAware found that visits to gaming websites, such as online bingo, tends to peak in the winter months, and typically there is a 29% rise in activity from December to March. Increases have also been attributed to lockdowns where many women were furloughed and took on more care responsibilities, culminating in a “perfect storm.”

“Women’s motivations for gambling are to escape the pressure of everyday life,” Osmond says. “Such as looking after kids, helping them with homework, managing finances and juggling work too. It’s a form of escapism.”

“I became a mum at a young age, and that’s when I found online gambling,” says Jemima, a former gambling addict. “I saw it as my ‘me’ time – time to close off from the world around me. I could do it anywhere – standing in the supermarket queue, waiting for my son to come out of school, I never switched off. […] Being women who gamble, we do sometimes face a unique stigma – especially in this day and age when you’re expected to do it all.”

Do gambling behaviours differ between men and women?

Liz Karter, a psychotherapist who specialises in gambling addiction in women, says: “Gambling behaviours manifest themselves differently in women than in men. For example, we know the easy availability of online gambling leads many women to games that appear innocent and socially acceptable.”

“The games seem safe and familiar, as they are so similar to the free-play digital games we are all now used to playing. In addition, the hopes of financial gains can prove a powerful motivator. While gambling doesn’t always lead to harm, it’s vital women are aware of early warning signs.”

Men are far more likely to take part in online sports betting (45 per cent v 23 per cent of women), poker (7 per cent v 1 per cent of women), and fantasy sports (4 per cent of men v virtually no women).  

“Men are more about the thrill, the adrenaline, and the hope for a big win, so they are chasing losses,” explains Osmond. “Gambling is still quite a gendered issue. Women may think their gambling is sage but they must be aware of the warning signs to stop it spiralling out of control.”

What is being done to tackle this?

This week, GambleAware has launched its first “harms prevention movement”, specifically targeting women aged 18-54. It’ll be the first campaign aimed at women to promote treatment and support for gambling harms. The campaign will also include materials for women already suffering from problem gambling, including how to spot the signs when help is needed, how to use gambling blocking tools, and where to seek professional guidance. 

In response to mounting calls for more awareness and action, the government is due to publish proposals to tighten up gambling regulation – from banning sports sponsorship and limiting online casino stakes – within the next two months.

Anyone concerned about their gambling, or that of a loved one, can also visit BeGambleAware.org for free, confidential advice and support, or the National Gambling Helpline is available on 0808 8020 133 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.