The vast majority of British gamblers are men and hence there is no surprise to note that the men also make up the majority when it comes to problem gamblers in the UK. GamCare recently released some interesting stats which show that there has been an increase in the number of women who are reporting problem gambling symptoms.
GamCare said that the national helpline they run registered just over 2,750 complaints from women during 2019 and 2020. This number went just over 3,000 during 2020 and 2021 and GamCare believes it’s the lockdown that has contributed to this increase.
Based on the total number of calls made to the helpline during April 20 to April 21, GamCare estimates that 23 percent of those calls were made by women. While it is a positive sign to see female gamblers reaching out to help, GamCare says they are concerned because they believe less than one percent of British women who are dealing with problem gambling symptoms call the national helpline.
The number of female gamblers in the UK increased during the extended lockdown that the UK went through. The lockdown restrictions slowly started to be removed during May 2021 and the UK went back to normal in July 2021.
However, there has been another wave of COVID-19 cases in the UK and around the world. As a result, the UK might be forced to impose restrictions once again and if things don’t improve, they will have to push forward with another lockdown. If the UK goes through another lockdown, the number of female problem gamblers is expected to increase.
What’s Pushing Women To Gamble?
Why are suddenly more British women gambling and reporting problems with gambling addiction? The most obvious answer is that women like men have been locked indoors during the lockdown and are turning to online casinos and betting sites for entertainment. However, when you go a little deeper, you see things a little more clearly.
A lot of British employees lost their jobs or had to reduce working hours during the lockdown. A vast percentage of these employees were female employees who were suddenly without income or had to deal with a salary cut. Many of them tried to engage in online gambling and betting activities to see if they can win some money on the side.
GamCare is calling for licensed operators to do more to protect both male and female gamblers in the UK.
