YouGov Suggests Tailored Gambling Approach to Women

A survey of gambling habits in the UK showed some differences between male and female online gamblers that, if investigated further, may become useful for marketing strategies aimed at improving engagement with women.

Disparity between Men and Women

YouGov released some insights of a study named “What draws British women to online betting and what deters them?” pointing out similarities and differences between the attitude of men and women to online gambling.

The findings of the online gambling research should be considered on the background of a considerable divide between male and female online gamblers, as only an estimated 24% of women had participated in gambling for the past 12 months, compared to 33% of British men who had taken part in gambling activities for the same period.

Starting with the similarities, YouGov revealed 36% of men and women participate in gambling seeking the fun of it, with around 20% diving into fantasies about how they win, and another 15% aiming to win big.

Relative similarities can also be found between male and female groups of respondents who could not outline a particular reason for gambling, 48% of men and 46% of women.

Motivational Differences

Unlike men, women do not bet to enhance the experience on what they are betting like men do with sports, as only 7% of female respondents confirmed this as enough motivation to bet. While 6% of men bet to demonstrate their skills, only 1% of women are bothered to do that.

Women are more prone to general gambling beliefs and attitudes, as 45% of female respondents believe online gambling should not be allowed, while only 39% of men stated the same. Of those women who had not participated in gambling activities for the past year, 19% responded that the idea to gamble simply had not occurred to them. YouGov did not go further by asking these respondents whether they would have gambled if otherwise.

According to YouGov’ survey, women are less likely to talk with friends and family about gambling, as only 12% of respondents indicated they would discuss the topic in their close circles, whereas 20% of men would speak about it.

The online market research and data analytics organization concluded its findings could be used in well-crafted marketing strategies by gambling operators targeting female gamblers “to achieve gender parity in the online gambling space,” yet failed to identify distinct trends in women gambling behavior.

The survey findings do not conclusively prove the need for online gambling operators to tailor their approach to boost engagement levels for women, besides identifying a group of female respondents who might have been prompted into participation.