Online gambling is capturing the imagination of women, according to research out today which claims 30-40% of players in Britain are female.
This is compared with just 5% of women who gamble off-line, the research from comparison website uSwitch.com found.
In addition, Britons make up 80% of all online gamblers in Europe, with those aged 18 to 29 more likely to use the internet to gamble than any other age group.
This age group accounts for 14% of the 3,960,000 home internet users who admit to using the net for betting.
Jon Miller, director at uSwitch.com Communications said:
“As broadband services continue to improve and bring speed, convenience and instant access to consumers, internet users can choose to access gambling and gaming websites, along with everything else the internet has to offer, 24 hours a day.”
Despite concerns about the social risks related to people having easier access to the casino environment, the Gambling Bill scheduled to go through this year will seek to introduce tough regulatory rules for online gambling, to help prevent the misuse of gambling websites.
Mr Miller added: “With broadband access set to increase to 99.4% by summer 2005, the ever increasing number of off-line activities being converted to online media, will continue to grow.
“Broadband users should to look at what they use the internet for and find the best deal for their specific needs.”
The research was conducted by YouGov in December on a sample of 2,056 adults nationwide.
