Today it is a rather common thing to see when a woman wins at casinos. However, some people still think for some reason that gambling is the exclusive domain of rugged men, where females can play only minor roles. Naturally, this is not the true case, and statistical data just confirms that. According to last-year surveys, among the Canadians who gambled, the ratio of men to women was 51% to 49%. And these figures are about equal in land-based casinos and online platforms in Canada.
This story took place in England back in the eighteenth century. At that time, the card game Faro was very popular among the aristocracy (by the way, it was possible to play it in casinos in Canada until about the mid-80s of the twentieth century), now successfully forgotten. Some upper-class women began to host Faro parties, which began in the evening and lasted until morning. A group of these brave women went down in history as the Daughters of Faro.
Public opinion at that time regarded gambling as a social vice that should have been eradicated and its carriers severely punished. And if we remember that the organizers of the games were women, who already had no special rights in those days, the outcome of this case is clear in advance… Alas, the Daughters of Faro were put on trial, subjected to a large fine and even greater disgrace, having paid an exorbitant price for gambling.
The Women of the Wild West
With the course of time though, the situation on the continent changed, and a different scenario could be seen. In the time of the exploration of Canada and the Wild West, women became much more courageous, strong, and determined. Of course, among them were those who enjoyed gambling. Many women managed to achieve a great deal, both in the games themselves and in their organization. The most notable figures are known even now:
Alice Ivers Duffield Tubbs Hackert was famous for having an innate ability for poker. She began as a dealer at casinos, where she learned all the wisdom of poker. Becoming a professional player, the only woman at the time, she was able to save the winnings and open her own casino in 1910.
- Lottie Deno and Maria Gertrudis Rules Barceló were owners of successful saloons and gambling houses, and were excellent poker players at the professional level.
21st Century Women
In the twenty-first century, there are no limitations for females to access all the opportunities of the gambling industry, and the most capable ones aren’t slow to take advantage of them. No tournament today is complete without women, who often win and collect handsome sums of money.
Women from Canada are not far behind. For example, Monique Reeves from Ontario is one of the most famous women champions of the game of Blackjack. The development of online gambling in Canada has led to the fact that more and more females have become interested in gambling, so we can safely expect the emergence of new champions of the fair sex.