For a long time, it was widely believed that only men were really interested in gambling. But over the course of recent years, the number of women getting involved in gambling has risen.
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In fact, one piece of research from Sweden suggested that the country now has more women who have an addiction to gambling than men - which was then later claimed to be the first study where this has been shown to be the case.
Now, a lot of women like to gamble and most of them are not at risk of developing an addiction, though there are certainly some risks that have to be taken into account.
Studies have found that women and men prefer different types of gambling. While men might stick to sports betting and poker, women have been found to prefer bingo and online slots.
So why is it that women seem to be so interested in playing slot games at online casinos?
Slots are now marketed towards women
It is clear from the way online casinos handle their marketing that they are increasingly targeting women, trying to get them to sign up and gamble on their sites.
Colors and pretty pictures are the mainstay of today's video slots which you can see on free slots pioneer, DogSlots.com.
One study has even found that women are more than three times as likely to gamble using online slot games as men, so it is clear this shift in marketing is having quite a profound impact.
While the data surrounding women with a gambling addiction remains quite limited, in the UK at least it is clear more females than ever before are seeking help for their problem.
According to data that has been collected by GamCare - the operator of the UK's national gambling helpline - 2,303 women sought help in 2014 to 2015 and this figure is now over 4,000
While gambling was previously the preserve of men - betting shops were inevitably dominated by males - the rise of the internet has opened up a lot more gambling opportunities for women. It is now possible to find hundreds of online casinos accessible via mobile phones within seconds.
Breakeven, which is a UK charity supporting gambling addicts, has claimed that more women could be battling gambling addiction than any of the data shows. Speaking to the Guardian earlier this year, the charity's Ian Semel said: "There’s such a stigma for women gamblers. Society has very clear gender roles for women and expectations that they’ll be the caregivers."
What is it about slots that appeals to women?
As previously mentioned, many new slot games are designed to appeal to women, from the way they work to the bright lights and flashing colors that are used in their design.
Slots may also be based on TV series and movies that are popular with women, with Sex and the City among the high-profile examples of female-targeted slots based on television.
Online slots are often compared to video games, with the addiction that can develop similarly as well. It can be hard to walk away from a slot game that seems certain to pay out soon.
Slots appear to be particularly addictive for women as they give out regular wins, which makes players feel like a jackpot is going to be just around the corner. But the fact of the matter is that the house almost always wins.
Losing £50,000 on slots in a day
Indeed, one woman who developed a gambling addiction told the Daily Mail last year that she once lost more than £50,000 over the course of 24 hours playing online slot games.
"They have algorithms where if you're spending a lot they make you a VIP, or send you a bonus email and they use that to their advantage," she said.
With celebrities being increasingly used to advertise gambling products such as online slots, more and more women might start to develop a fascination with this type of gambling.
Many believe women gamble as a form of escapism, hinting they are using games like slots as a distraction technique, whereas men are believed to be chasing that life-changing win.
Research has shown some people who play slots can enter a form of trance-like state in which they block out the outside world while continuing to spin the reels again and again.
For some women, the fascination of online slot games could prove to be very dangerous.
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