Online Gambling escapes from the shadows

March 11, 2005

Online Casino Slotland.com (www.slotland.com) reports a shift in gambling habits among its users. The slot specialist casino has found that its users have gone from heavy evening and nighttime use to gaming during the daylight hours of mid-afternoon.

Slotland.com attributes the shift in gaming habits to the increased penetration of broadband in private residences and the increased number of WI-FI (wireless internet) hotspots. “Better high speed internet access means that people have better home access to the net. Five years ago, businesses had broadband connections, but homes were still on dial-up. By taking away the barrier of dialing-in, and removing the speed restrictions associated with dial-up connections, daytime home users are becoming the bulk of our business,” said Hannah Morante, spokesperson for Slotland.com.

The shift in gambling during daylight hours may be psychological. As gaming figuratively “comes out of the darkness” gamblers begin playing in the light. In other words, as gambling continues to shed the shameful association with the 1920s underground crap game, the public accepts gambling as a normal, mainstream activity.

However, according to Professor Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling Studies in the Psychology Department at Nottingham Trent University, the trend is not a recent shift but one which began more than 10 years ago.

“Ever since the introduction of the lottery, gambling has become de-masculinized and has gone from sin to vice to socially acceptable behavior. That has lead to more opportunities to gamble, which includes mobile gambling, television gambling and of course internet gambling. Increased access to gambling means that more people have access to gamble during the times of the day that are convenient to them. Many women, especially housewives, happen to find it convenient to gamble during the daytime,” said Griffiths.

Research confirms a gender shift in online gamblers, with women making up 55% of the online gaming market. But Morante says that her site has always been female dominated. “Our site focuses on slot machines. The female audience is typically slot players, so we have always enjoyed a user base heavily biased toward women.”