Over the last few years, computer use has jumped 309%.  Many of these users are females.  Women are doing more shopping online, and they are also engaging in research and recreational activities.  It was just a matter of time before savvy marketers honed in on the female population, and focused their advertising with the mindset of getting the business of the female consumer.

It has always been a matter of fact that bingo is mostly played by women.  You can see it in land-based bingo halls, and it has been apparent in the online bingo sites.  Bingo, according to the digital advertising agency TBG, remains the top female gaming interest on the World Wide Web.  However, the online gambling industry is breaking away from its long standing patterns of advertising, and is focusing on female gamblers, who constitute 43% of the online gambling population.

It has long been regarded that men gamble for the thrill of winning and beating their opponents, while women gamble more for social reasons and to escape from the day-to-day drudgery.  Advertising researchers describe these women online today as middle-to high earners who utilize the services of the Internet for shopping and entertainment purposes.  With the right type of advertising and attractive sites, there is a substantial untapped audience that awaits the online gambling industry.

One of the reasons for the rapid rise in female clientele on the online gambling sites is the interest in poker created by the European Ladies Championship (LC).  According to Robert Allen, the online marketing manager of Ladbrokes, the number of females playing online has grown 300% over the past year, and women now account for as much as 18% of the poker base of players.  Allen believes that the vast majority of these female players are participating in online gambling because of the new targeted advertising towards women or because of an introduction to online gambling by way of their husbands or friends.

Victoria Cohen, a TV personality who was a winner of the 2006 EPT London event, believes that, for a female consumer, the online gambling industry has definite advantages over land-based casinos.  Don’t forget, it was a young woman, poker champ, Annette Obrestad, who started her online poker career before transitioning to live tournament play.   Victoria feels that the online game of poker is much more attractive because women can play the game at home without any threat of physical vulnerability, and there are no dress, timetable, travelling or childcare issues.

Most experts believe if that advertising of online gambling features more female faces, then more women will feel comfortable playing online casino games as well as poker.