Why Women Gamble

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the many differences between male and female gamblers. It points out that more women gravitate to less competitive games where there is a larger element of luck such as bingo, casino slots, or video poker machines. It discusses how gambling problems have long been explored by psychologists as impulse control disorders characterized by an inability to resist impulses to gamble. Yet, gender differences among gambling preferences indicate that areas other than psychology, such as a sociological point of view, would prove helpful in explaining the gambling habits of women. This paper explores these social issues and describes implications for the need to incorporate social factors in the treatment of female gambling addicts. The findings indicate that women warrant both psychological and social considerations in their recovery process.

From the Paper:

"The male problem gambler usually has an outgoing, talkative, and gregarious personality. He often seems self-assured and in control. In sharp contrast, the female problem gambler is more often withdrawn, socially isolated, and suffering from extreme feelings of guilt, shame, and low self-worth. As a devastating consequence, women progress through the gambling continuum more rapidly than men. A man may gamble for years or decades before experiencing negative consequences directly related to gambling. But, a woman may have gambled for only a short time, perhaps just a few months and yet have already reached the desperation stage."

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