Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Gambling Studies
Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies 1/2014

01-03-2014 | Original Paper

An Empirical Study of Gender Differences in Online Gambling

Authors: Abby McCormack, Gillian W. Shorter, Mark D. Griffiths

Published in: Journal of Gambling Studies | Issue 1/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Gambling has typically been considered a predominately male activity. However, recent prevalence surveys have shown greater numbers of females are now gambling. Much of the gambling literature suggests online gamblers are more likely to be male, and that problem gamblers are more likely to be male. Males and females are also likely to be gambling for different reasons and have a preference for different gambling activities. Little is known about the pattern of play among female online gamblers. The aim of this survey was to develop a better profile of female online gamblers and to examine any gender differences between males and females in terms of how and why they gamble online, their frequency of online gambling, patterns of play, as well as attitudes to online gambling. The survey was posted on 32 international online gambling websites and was completed by 975 online gamblers (including 175 female online gamblers). Chi-square tests of association were conducted to examine the association between gender and a range of variables. The results showed that females had been gambling online for a shorter duration of time than males, had much shorter online gambling sessions, different motivations for gambling online (i.e., to practice for free, to spend less money and out of boredom), and experienced online gambling differently to males, with increased feelings of guilt and shame for gambling online. This suggests there is still a stigma around gambling particularly evident among females in this study. The findings indicate that clinicians and treatment providers need to be aware of these potential gender differences in online gambling to develop appropriately tailored interventions.
Literature
Abbott, M., Volberg, R., & Ronnberg, S. (2004). Comparing the New Zealand and Swedish national surveys of gambling and problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20, 237–258.PubMedCrossRef
Anderson, G., & Brown, R. (1984). Real and laboratory gambling, sensation-seeking and arousal. British Journal of Psychology, 75, 401–410.PubMedCrossRef
Baumeister, R., Vohs, K., & Funder, D. (2007). Psychology as the science of self-reports and finger movements: Whatever happened to actual behaviour? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 396–403.CrossRef
Blaszczynski, A., McConaghy, N., & Frankova, A. (1990). Boredom proneness in pathological gambling. Psychological Reports, 67, 35–42.PubMedCrossRef
Blaszczynski, A., Wilson, A., & McConaghy, N. (1986). Sensation seeking and pathological gambling. British Journal of Addiction, 81, 113–117.PubMedCrossRef
Bonnaire, C., Lejoyeux, M., & Dardennes, R. (2004). Sensation seeking in a French population of pathological gamblers: Comparison with regular and non-gamblers. Psychological Reports, 94, 1361–1371.PubMed
Brown, R. (1986). Arousal and sensation-seeking components in the general explanation of gambling and gambling addictions. International Journal of the Addictions, 21, 1001–1016.PubMed
Brown, S., & Coventry, L. (1997). Queen of hearts: The needs of women with gambling problems. Melbourne: Financial and Consumer Rights Council.
Corney, R., & Davis, J. (2010). The attractions and risks of internet gambling for women: A qualitative study. Journal of Gambling Issues, 24, 121–139.CrossRef
Ferris, J., & Wynne, H. (2001). The Canadian problem gambling index: Final report. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.
Grant, J., & Kim, S. (2002). Gender differences in pathological gamblers seeking medication treatment. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 43, 56–62.PubMedCrossRef
Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Technological trends and the psychosocial impact on gambling. Casino and Gaming International, 7(1), 77–80.
Griffiths, M., & Barnes, A. (2008). Internet gambling: An online empirical study among student gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 6, 194–204.CrossRef
Griffiths, M., Wardle, J., Orford, J., Sproston, K., & Erens, B. (2009). Socio-demographic correlates of internet gambling: Findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 12, 199–202.PubMedCrossRef
Griffiths, M. D., & Whitty, M. W. (2010). Online behavioural tracking in Internet gambling research: Ethical and methodological issues. International Journal of Internet Research Ethics, 3, 104–117.
Hing, N., & Breen, H. (2001). Profiling lady luck? An empirical study of gambling and problem gambling amongst female club members. Journal of Gambling Studies, 17, 47–67.PubMedCrossRef
Holtgraves, T. (2009). Evaluating the problem gambling severity index. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25, 105–120.PubMedCrossRef
Jacobs, D. (1986). A general theory of addictions: A new theoretical model. Journal of Gambling Studies, 2, 15–31.CrossRef
King, D. L., Delfabbro, P. H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2010). The convergence of gambling and digital media: Implications for gambling in young people. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26, 175–187.PubMedCrossRef
LaBrie, R., Kaplan, S., LaPlante, D., Nelson, S., & Shaffer, H. (2008). Inside the virtual casino: A prospective longitudinal study of internet casino gambling. European Journal of Public Health, 18, 410–416.PubMedCrossRef
LaBrie, R., LaPlante, D., Nelson, S., Schumann, A., & Shaffer, H. (2007). Assessing the playing field: A prospective longitudinal study of Internet sports gambling behaviour. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 231–243.PubMedCrossRef
Ladd, G., & Petry, N. (2002). Gender differences among pathological gamblers seeking treatment. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 10, 302–309.PubMedCrossRef
LaPlante, D., Nelson, S., LaBrie, R., & Shaffer, H. (2006). Men and women playing games: Gender and the gambling preferences of Iowa gambling treatment program participants. Journal of Gambling Studies, 22, 65–80.PubMedCrossRef
Lesieur, H., & Blume, S. (1987). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.PubMed
Lloyd, J., Doll, H., Hawton, K., Dutton, W., Geddes, J., Goodwin, G., et al. (2010). Internet gamblers: A latent class analysis of their behaviours and health experiences. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26, 387–399.PubMedCrossRef
McBride, J., & Derevensky, J. (2009). Internet gambling behaviour in a sample of online gamblers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 7, 149–167.CrossRef
McCormack, A., & Griffiths, M. (2012). Motivating and inhibiting factors in online gambling behaviour: A grounded theory study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10, 39–53.CrossRef
Mercer, K., & Eastwood, J. (2010). Is boredom associated with problem gambling behaviour? It depends on what you mean by ‘boredom’. International Gambling Studies, 10, 91–104.CrossRef
Nixon, G., Solowoniuk, J., Hagen, B., & Williams, J. (2005). “Double trouble”: The lived experience of problem and pathological gambling in later life. Journal of Gambling Issues, 14. doi:10.​4309/​jgi.​2005.​14.​10.
Nower, L., & Blaszczynski, A. (2006). Impulsivity and pathological gambling: A descriptive model. International Gambling Studies, 6, 61–75.CrossRef
Orford, J., Griffiths, M., Wardle, H., Sproston, K., & Erens, B. (2009). Negative public attitudes towards gambling: findings from the 2007 British gambling prevalence survey using a new attitude scale. International Gambling Studies, 9, 39–54.CrossRef
Petry, N., Stinson, F., & Grant, B. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: Results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 564–574.PubMedCrossRef
Phillips, J. G., Ogeil, R. P., & Blaszczynski, A. (2011). Electronic interests and behaviours associated with gambling problems. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction,. doi:10.​1007/​s11469-011-9356-2.
Potenza, M., Steinberg, M., McLaughlin, S., Wu, R., Rounsaville, B., & O’Malley, S. (2001). Gender-related differences in the characteristics of problem gamblers using a gambling helpline. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1500–1505.PubMedCrossRef
Rockloff, M., & Dyer, V. (2007). An experiment on the social facilitation of gambling behaviour. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 1–12.PubMedCrossRef
Stewart, D. (2006). An analysis of internet gambling and its policy implications. American Gaming Association. 10th Anniversary White paper series.
Taber, J., McCormick, R., & Ramirez, L. (1987). The prevalence and impact of major life stressors among pathological gamblers. International Journal of the Addictions, 22, 44–48.
Tavares, H., Zilberman, M., Beites, F., & Gentil, V. (2001). Gender differences in gambling progression. Journal of Gambling Studies, 17, 151–159.PubMedCrossRef
Turner, N., Zangeneh, M., & Littman-Sharp, N. (2006). The experience of gambling and its role in problem gambling. International Gambling Studies, 6, 237–266.CrossRef
Vitaro, F., Arseneault, L., & Tremblay, R. (1997). Dispositional predictors of problem gambling in male adolescents. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 12.
Volberg, R., Abbott, M., Ronnberg, S., & Munck, I. (2001). Prevalence and risks of pathological gambling in Sweden. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 104, 250–256.PubMedCrossRef
Volberg, R., Gupta, R., Griffiths, M. D., Olason, D., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2010). An international perspective on youth gambling prevalence studies. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 22, 3–38.PubMed
Wardle, H., Moody, A., Griffiths, M. D., Orford, J., & Volberg, R. (2011a). Defining the online gambler and patterns of behaviour integration: Evidence from the British gambling prevalence survey 2010. International Gambling Studies, 11, 339–356.CrossRef
Wardle, H., Moody, A., Spence, S., Orford, J., Volber, R., Jotangia, D., et al. (2011b). British gambling prevalence survey, 2010. London: HMSO.
Wardle, H., Sproston, K., Orford, J., Erens, B., Griffiths, M., Constantine, R., et al. (2007). British gambling prevalence survey 2007. London: HMSO.
Wenzel, H., & Dahl, A. (2008). Female pathological gamblers: A critical review of the clinical findings. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 7, 190–202.CrossRef
Wood, R., Griffiths, M., & Parke, J. (2007a). Acquisition, development and maintenance of online poker playing in a student sample. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10, 354–361.PubMedCrossRef
Wood, R., & Williams, R. (2009). Internet gambling: Prevalence, patterns, problems and policy options. Final Report prepared for the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre. Guelph, ON, Canada. January 5, 2009.
Wood, R., Williams, R., & Lawton, P. (2007b). Why do internet gamblers prefer online versus land-based venues? Some preliminary findings and implications. Journal of Gambling Issues, 20, 235–252.
Wynne, H. (2003). Introducing the Canadian problem gambling index. Edmonton, AB: Wynne Resources.
Zuckerman, M. (1983). Biological basis of sensation seeking, impulsivity and anxiety. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Metadata
Title
An Empirical Study of Gender Differences in Online Gambling
Authors
Abby McCormack
Gillian W. Shorter
Mark D. Griffiths
Publication date
01-03-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Gambling Studies / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3602
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-012-9341-x

Other articles of this Issue 1/2014

Journal of Gambling Studies 1/2014 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Are Psychology University Student Gamblers Representative of Non-university Students and General Gamblers? A Comparative Analysis

Original Paper

Low Self-Control and Co-occurrence of Gambling with Substance Use and Delinquency Among Chinese Adolescents

Original Paper

Impaired Metacognitive Capacities in Individuals with Problem Gambling

Original Paper

Gambling Increases Self-Control Strength in Problem Gamblers

Original Paper

Losing More by Losing It: Poker Experience, Sensitivity to Losses and Tilting Severity

Original Paper

Pathological Gambling, Co-occurring Disorders, Clinical Presentation, and Treatment Outcomes at a University-Based Counseling Clinic