Online Poker Increasingly Popular Among Women

The fact that there are more and more women participating in online poker action is no secret – however, according to a problem gambling specialist in the UK, Liz Karter, online poker is observed by many professional women as an efficient stress reliever, and this growing trend, in her opinion, may have different – even negative – implications. Namely, in her recently published book on the subject, Karter reveals that a wide cross-section of society is represented among the women she treats, who often come from backgrounds where they have suffered domestic abuse or damaging relationships, and whose three-quarters majority comprises single parents or those living alone. Now, according to her, the big bloom in online gambling advertising following the 2005 Gambling Act, has had a negative effect on patient recovery. She claims that "Historically, women have been more inclined to be machine players, like the traditional slots. I'm now seeing a crossover to online gambling which is a particular problem because accessibility is so easy via smartphones or tablets." This claim was supported by Gamcare stats which show that half of all women callers to its helplines had problems with internet gambling compared to a third of men. This represents a huge 44 per cent increase compared to the 2011 figures.