A study conducted by Concordia University showed a large number of women in the Quebec province started to gamble online during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. That said, men still outnumbered women in online gambling.
Sylvia Kairouz, a professor in Concordia’s department of sociology and anthropology, said a 2021 study of 4,500 Quebec residents saw both men and women gambling more.
“While gambling has generally been associated with men, women are not immune to addiction due to problematic habits,” Kairouz told CBC. “The first main result is that 15 percent of the population are gambling online compared to 2018 where we were at 5 percent. That’s a major increase.”
Kairouz said approximately 100 interviews were conducted with the participants, and there were distinct reasons for taking up the activity.
One reason was people said they liked to have fun or kill time, but others said they felt isolated and lonely.
Another factor was advertising. About 88 percent of the respondents said they saw or heard gambling advertising. Half of those people said they noticed an increase in ads. Another 20 percent admitted their gambling habits were influenced by advertising.
What men and women played were different, according to Kairouz.
The research points to women using gambling for relaxation and to escape reality. Men are more prone to look for more thrills when they gamble on such games as sports.
“Sports betting was something that was very marginal in Canada 10 years ago, and now we’re seeing a really significant increase,” Kairouz said.
“Women end up with games of chance, while men are more likely to play poker and table games,” Kairouz told CBC. “By making these choices and having these tastes, the risk is much greater for women.”
Anne Elizabeth Lapointe, executive director of the addictions treatment and prevention center Maison Jean Lapointe agreed, telling the CBC that women get a certain comforting feeling when gambling.
“They will often say to us: ‘we feel a bit hypnotized when we play. We take our minds off things and relax.’ That’s why scratchers — especially long scratchers — and slot machines, women like it a lot,” Lapointe said.
Women are also less likely to get help for possible problem gambling.
“Women often seek less help than men in terms of addiction. There is still a lot of stigma attached to them, even though they are clearly targeted by the industry, whether it’s alcohol or anything else,” said Lapointe. “What stops women is a lot of shame and guilt.”
Another round of questions will be asked from April to September and Kairouz hopes to have an even more complete picture regarding gambling in Quebec.
