January 20, 2025 3 min read

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Sports Betting Grows in Popularity Among Australian Women

Ph.D. candidate Irving firmly believes that smartphones could potentially bring an end to the gender divide in sports betting

Statistics have shown that gambling tends to be a pastime favored by men. While some verticals, such as bingo and lottery, have found a growing appeal among women, gaming and sports betting in particular have largely remained male hobbies.

New trends, however, suggest that this is now changing as more and more women seem to be drawn to betting.

Australia’s Betting Sector Is Still Dominated by Men

According to a new study compiled by the University of Queensland, betting is steadily growing in popularity among Australian women. While studies from the Australian Gambling Research Center have previously found that approximately 90% of the regular bettors are men, the latest data shows that this gap is slowly being closed.

Ph.D. candidate Rohann Irving from the university’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences pointed out that betting has previously been primarily offered in pubs and TAB venues, which tend to attract male audiences.

Irving postulated that this gender divide is rooted in history and can be traced to Australia’s colonial gambling practices. He pointed out that this period saw men in charge of the money, which restricted women’s ability to play. To top it all off, the first betting legislation from 1906 prohibited bookmakers from taking bets from women.

Irving emphasized that women were allowed at racetracks but were treated more like objects of decoration than visitors.

Mobile Betting Has Made Betting Accessible to Female Players

However, the digitalization of betting has now made gambling as a whole far more accessible to women, Irving pointed out. This shift has attracted more women and, in return, operators have enhanced their product lineups with bets designed to appeal to female audiences. These additions have included bets on Taylor Swift’s performance at the Grammy’s and wagers on reality shows, such as Love Island.

Irving firmly believes that smartphones could potentially bring an end to the gendered nature of sports betting. As women gain convenient access to betting, they no longer have to deal with visiting predominantly male spaces or being stigmatized.

However, this newfound freedom also carries certain risks as women are now at greater risk of gambling-related harm, Irving said. He added that the quick shift in companies’ business models and their aggressive targeting of female clients should be treated with scrutiny.

Queensland Deferred The Star Gold Coast’s License Suspension

In other Queensland-related news, the government decided to defer The Star Gold Coast’s license suspension by a few months, providing the casino company with a breather amid a difficult period for the company. The license was set to be suspended on December 20 but the government decided to push that date back to March 31.

More recently, the company’s share price experienced a slump after the company reported a staggering decline in cash.

Journalist

Although Fiona doesn't have a long-spanning background within the gambling industry, she is an incredibly skilled journalist who has built a strong interest in the constantly growing iGaming network. The team at Gambling News is glad to have her on our roster to help deliver the best stories as soon as they hit. Aside from writing, she loves to dabble in online casino games such as slots and roulette, both for her own enjoyment and also as research to better improve her understanding of the industry.

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