Some people might think gambling and games are for boys, but the statistics show otherwise. In Canada alone, there is a gender split of 43% female gamblers online, with women making up this majority group. More females than males play internet casino games! The big players running these industries aren’t always equally distributed between genders either; however, we’ve seen an increase in how often they participate, which means progress will be made as long as it continues.
This is the list of women who have impacted gaming, including poker players and esports legends.
Denise Coates CBE – Co-CEO of Bet365
Betting is in the blood of Denise Coates. She has worked for many years with gambling companies and brought over her experience from other industries believing it would be transferable, but she’s always been connected to this industry since childhood. The words “gambling” or even just spelling out ‘Bet’ can make me feel leasing excited – there are so many things that seem possible when you’re playing games at betting shops!
When she saw the potential for players to place their bets online, She took a big risk and convinced her family that it was worth investing to make sure they could be successful. With only one shop left open on the high street (which is now yours!), You can say this gamble paid off!
The little company that could, Bet365, was started by an under-the-radar group of professionals. The world-famous betting site has been responsible for processing millions of bets a day and employing 4 thousand people worldwide since its inception 25 years ago!
Liv Boree – Professional Poker Player
Liv Boree is a poker pro with two World Series Poker bracelets under her belt. She’s also an astute judge of character and has been seen to take on some big names in the game, such as MikeMatusowand Phil Ivey. Her intellect shines through even when discussing something less serious than playing cards – like Astrophysics!
Amy Howe – CEO of FanDuel Group
Amy Howe has been climbing the corporate ladder since graduating from Wharton Business School with an MBA. In addition to being named in Billboard’s Women in the Music list, she was nominated for three years by Sports Business Journal Game Changers and made it onto National Diversity Council’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women Technology Leaders this year!
Karlee thought she’d found the perfect job as CEO of an online betting company. But it wasn’t long before her beliefs were put to the test, this time by those who should have supported them! She soon realized that many in the industry weren’t interested or had any idea where their customers came from – so Karlee took matters into her own hands, investing heavily in ad campaigns designed specifically for certain demographics.
Vanessa Selbst – Professional Poker Player
Vanessa Selbst is widely regarded as one of the most successful women in poker. She raked $12 million during her live tournament career, which has been held over many years and continents! The first woman who ever reached number 1 on Global Poker Index rankings – beating out thousands from all around the world with this accomplishment. In 2014 alone, Vanessa won two bracelets at gold spikers tables, making it clear why everyone calls them “The Golden Girls.”
Selbst is not one to be picked off easily. She’s still playing high and has succeeded in live tournaments and online poker sites like PokerStars or Full Tilt Jackpots! You might think that with all this busy work, her poker career would come second place. But no – Selby keeps up appearances by getting an education (as well law degree) from Yale before passing the bar exam, too; though she did retire.
Lynda Cavanaugh – Interim President and CEO of the BCLC British Columbia Lottery Corporation
Upon being named the Interim President and CEO of British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Lynda Cavanaugh became not only Canada’s most powerful woman in gambling but also one of its best. She brings an impressive list, including leadership roles with finance technology policy, all while having spent time as both employee number two under Mike McDonald (Premier), who appointed her interim shortly after he took office back on July 1st, 2018; this is sure to make him proud because it shows how qualified she was for such high profile job!
Jette Nygaard Anderson – CEO of Entain
Jette Nygaard Anderson, a Danish-Norwegian executive who made history as the first woman to be named CEO of a European Union-listed betting company. Having taken office in January 2021, she has been making waves with her innovative approach and unbiased policies that will change how we view gambling forever!
Just like Amy Howe, she has used her position as a high-level executive in the US betting industry to speak out about what he believes are unsustainable spending practices.
Sasha Hostyn – Competitive Video Game Player
It is only fair that the world of gaming embraces cyber athletes. One such woman who has made a name for herself in this arena, Canada’s own Sasha Hostyn, known professionally as Scarlet, makes male gamers quake with fear when they face off against her on a ladder or in online matches!
Hostyn is a female video game player who has earned herself an impressive Guinness World Record for her achievements in gaming. She hails from Kingston, Ontario and made history as the first woman to take home victory at one of North America’s top competitive tournaments-the Blizzard Cup II held last year during Suwon City’shipSGCPlayoffs 2018!
Today’s women love to play poker, reaching the top in other areas as well. Who are these women and how do they do it? Read Full House: Inside New York’s Most Elusive Women-Only Poker Game.
Camilla Rosenberg – Director General of Sweden’s Gambling Regulator
One of the most rigorous and rules-driven countries in Europe, Sweden’s gambling industry is regulated by Spelinspektionen. Unlike many other regulators who only allow for games with high stakes or those that involve money being put on them (which means you can’t play slots), this organization has an extensive list which includes everything from horse racing to roulette; they’re even going as far allowing punters to bet live event outcomes such as soccer matches!
The head of this organization sits atop a pile. You might be thinking: What does a Swedish regulator do with us? You’d only be surprised at the number that hail from Sweden, including Betsson and LeoVegas, among others- these online gambling giants are all Swedish companies.
Kristen Bicknell – Professional Poker Player
One of the most successful women in poker, Kristen Bicknell is known for her stamina and ability to withstand long hours at low-stakes tables. She’s even been called “the Ultimate Grinder.” To get this start, though -she played over 2 million hands annually on Poker Stars.
In 2020, she became the second woman to earn her third World Series of Poker bracelet. Although less active as she is avoiding live tournaments after taking a strong stance on COVID-19 safety measures (and has not played since October), she rank 24th out 1 million people globally with an index score over 10k.
Pansy Ho – Co-Chair of MGM Macau
It is hard to believe that Pansy Ho, the daughter of one of Asia’s biggest gambling tycoons, could be more driven. Starting in 2008 when she took over from her father as Co-Chair at MGM Macau and continuing with this legacy by expanding into other industries, including hotels, restaurants & casinos around worldwide areas such as Portugal, where they have operations throughout Europe too.
The $4.4 billion queen of sex, sequins, and the seven-card stud has taken her legendary casino in giant leaps to prove the naysayers wrong!