Women in Business & Gaming
Historically, the global industry of gaming has been dominated by men. Men have chosen to game more often than women, and have also been involved in gaming enterprises significantly more, whether this means owning a casino or dealing at a table. However, these numbers aren't nearly as disproportionate today as more women get involved in the industry at all levels.
In April of 2018, Bloomberg Business named Pansy Ho, co-chair of MGM Macau, as 'Hong Kong's Richest Woman'. With a net worth estimated around $5.5 billion, many women dream of being the next Pansy Ho — or the next Denise Coates. Coates, like Ho, is a business magnate. She is the founder and co-chair of Bet365, a sports betting company that made over $600 million in 2017 alone and turned Coates into a billionaire businesswoman.
While it's common to play a game of blackjack online or check the odds on racing picks before betting on a horse like Shes All Woman, it can be difficult to combine these popular hobbies with shrewd business. So, how have top businesswomen and professionals found a way to mix the pleasure of gaming with a successful business model?
The secret seems to be a background in both gaming and economics, as well as an ability to risk it all by doing something new and innovative. For instance, when Ho inherited her father's business and turned it into a deal with MGM Resorts International, she decided she would stick out by catering to VIP guests and the ultra-elite. This enabled her to help MGM Macau stand out amongst other locations, even its fellow MGM Cotai, which is also located in Macau.
In Coates case, she 'bet it all' by mortgaging she and her brothers' existing betting shops to develop what is now one of the most successful online betting companies in the world. Like Ho, Coates worked with her family to accomplish her business goals before innovating her own path.
Women Who Game
While Ho and Coates offer insight into ownership and branding of major businesses, other women are in on the ground-floor — literally. One of the world's greatest poker players is Vanessa Selbst of the United States (though we're sure Ho could give her a run for her money). Selbst has won over $10 million in poker tournaments alone and boasts an impressive academic legacy. Selbst has two degrees from Yale, and is the only woman to have ever made it to the number one spot in the Global Poker Index. She's also the only poker player to have won two North American Poker Tour Main Event titles two years in a row.
Close on Selbst's tail is Annette Obrestad of Norway, who became an international sensation when she became the youngest player to win the World Series of Poker Europe in 2007. Unlike Selbst, Obrestad got her start on the internet, which is proving more and more popular as a place for gamers to develop skills.
Other notable names got their start before the birth of the internet, making their accomplishments worth a look. Lottie Deno, for instance, was a queen of poker back in the days of the Wild West, able to beat Doc Holliday and put a pretty penny away in her savings account. Judy Bayley and Shirley Brancucci weren't players themselves, though they both made a name by being in the gaming business on the Las Vegas strip in the 1950s. Bayley took over her late husband's casino business, while Brancucci became the first female dealer of baccarat before transitioning to the blackjack tables.
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