Emerging markets have a dynamic and growing market for digital gaming, with women making up a significant portion of players. According to research from ENV Media, 69.8% of Brazilian gamers are female.
More notably, when it comes to real-money online games, Brazilian women are highly active, engaging with both online casinos and sports betting at rates that either match or surpass their male counterparts.
Women in Brazil are increasingly participating in real-money online gambling, with 54.07% of female players involved in sports betting and 49.8% favoring online casino games. Among these players, 39.6% bet weekly, with a sizable portion (17.30%) spending between R$ 10.00 and R$ 50.00 per week.
This data highlights a strong engagement level, with female players actively seeking entertainment through online gambling.
The majority of female gamers are between the ages of 18 and 39, with most belonging to the middle class. In terms of education, 52.7% of these women hold a university degree, while 45.3% have completed high school.
Geographically, São Paulo leads with 10.26% of female players, followed by Bahia with 8.49% and Rio de Janeiro with 4.94%.
According to data from Newzoo:
- 72% of women play video games (compared to 81% of men), according to the 2023 Global Gamer Study.
- Women make up 45% of the total gaming population, while men account for 55%.
- 50% of female players also spend money on games.
- 36% of women gamers identify as “gamers” and 31% say others refer to them as gamers.
- Both women and men value diversity in games, with 65% of men and 62% of women considering it important.
- 44% of female players exclusively play games on mobile platforms, a higher percentage than men.
Female gamers show a variety of tastes in online real-money games, closely mirroring the preferences of their male counterparts.
Sports betting is the leading choice, with 54.07% of female players involved, followed by online casino slots (22.25%) and lotteries (21.57%). Online card games like poker and blackjack, as well as bingo, also attract a smaller but significant portion of players.
According to KTO, one of the biggest casino websites in Brazil, online slots games have led in popularity throughout the entire year. When comparing the performance of games like Fortune Tiger to other games, it’s clear that it doesn’t just sit at the top – it completely dominates.
PG Soft, the creator of the Fortune series, holds four of the top five spots among the most popular games (Fortune Tiger, Fortune Rabbit, Fortune Ox and Fortune Dragon). The only other title that comes close is the crash game Aviator by SPRIBE.
According to the data, around 3 out of 5 KTO players play Fortune Tiger every month. Not only is it the number one slot game in terms of popularity, but it also leads in the percentage of spins played, making it natural that the number of spins correlates with the game’s popularity.
When betting on sports, football remains the top sport for female bettors, with many placing bets on Brazil’s Brasileirão Serie A (37.1%), as well as international leagues like the Premier League (8.5%) and La Liga (7.4%).
Promotions and bonuses are the primary factors influencing casino choice for 29.7% of female gamblers, followed by brand loyalty and a variety of betting options. This suggests that operators looking to attract female players must focus on creating enticing promotions and delivering a seamless user experience.
Women are increasingly playing a pivotal role in the online gambling sector. However, they are not yet seen as they wish.
The video game industry still largely overlooks women and non-binary people when creating storylines, with male protagonists dominating the scene. Female characters are few and often exist only in relation to the male leads, lacking individual depth.
Tawna, the Crash Bandicoot series’ first female character introduced in the late 1990s, was portrayed as Crash’s girlfriend, appearing briefly in bonus levels after being kidnapped by Dr. Neo Cortex. It wasn’t until 2020, with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, that Tawna was reimagined as a fully developed character and agile fighter, though she was playable for just a few levels.
It’s the same in other famous series like Zelda and Super Mario Bros., where female characters are just motivation to strengthen the male character.
The female engagement in sports betting and iGaming reflects not only their growing interest but also their strategic approach to games.
As the Brazilian iGaming market continues to expand, women will likely play an even larger role in shaping the industry, driving demand for better user experiences, diverse betting options, and a bigger participation in the industry and gaming culture as a whole.
Despite gender disparities in income and access, female players are proving to be just enthusiastic as their male counterparts in this evolving industry.
