Women’s Gambling Linked To Poker Popularity

A number of years ago if someone were to take a look at the makeup of problem gamblers, the numbers would have broken down into an 80% men and 20% woman situation, which really wasn’t surprising, considering how men are typically more aggressive and bigger risk takers, and had more interest in sports and games of chance. A look at those numbers today might be a bit more surprising, as they are closer to 50% men and 50% women. Some experts want to lay the blame for the shift in dynamics at the feet of TV poker and its nearly fanatical fan base.Experts like Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, a nonprofit organization. It isn’t just the TV poker, it is the ease and anonymity that come with Internet poker and online casinos; it’s just that those industries in turn were pumped up by shows such as the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour.