If the movies have shown us anything, it’s that a smart man with a cool persona can walk into any casino in the world and dominate play at a table. That’s the world of fantasy and fiction, of course, but underneath it all, some elements of real life are woven in.
Historically, casino gambling has been a male-dominated world, and nothing says rich and powerful like a dapper-dressed man. How a man dresses can seriously play into power dynamics and confidence, which leads to risk-taking that onlookers and other players may interpret as charming, carefree bravado.
But what are the underlying psychological and sociological elements that continue to perpetuate the male-dominated casino scene?
Pre-conditioned Factors
As soon as a man puts on a suit, it immediately gives a perception of control, success and professionalism. Carrying such a polished impression into a casino, it’s natural that the person will be looked upon as someone who is confident and who knows what they are doing at the tables.
Also, people typically don’t get all dressed up to the nines to sit at slot machines, at least not in the casino player hierarchy of stereotypes where people are cool with playing in their pyjamas at an online casino like Betway to explore slots, crash and table games. Slots players at land-based casinos are usually casual, and then those high-rollers at the craps tables are more likely to be looking their best.
Risk Taking
A well-dressed man will simply stand out from the crowd and it’s not just the clothes, it’s the other elements that go with it like being well-groomed and having the right accessories such as a pocket square, watch and jewellery. It’s having everything put together and carrying that bit of quiet, confident swagger.
Again, some of this is preconditioned from pop culture. Most people’s reference to a sophisticated man in a casino is James Bond. Anyone who gets close to emulating how 007 carries himself in real life is naturally going to draw attention. It’s almost ingrained that to be successful in a casino, that’s the way to look and act.
That’s not true, of course, but being confident can lead to gambling biases as well, with the player taking on more high-risk games. Studies have revealed that men typically take higher risks than women, so if there’s a gentleman throwing caution to the wind in a tailored suit, that is going to take their casino aura to a new level.
Oozing Confidence
A more confident man will typically have stronger, louder speech, as well as possessing a decision-making process that will more likely lean towards bravery. The confidence factor that can come from just looking good in a suit can impact a lot of other areas besides risk-taking.
When someone is more confident in themselves, that is going to be portrayed by their body language as well. The player will stand tall or sit upright while spreading themselves out, not being afraid to take up space.
Subconsciously, a lot of this will be down to the player trying to socially assert dominance over the other players while fulfilling what are much broader and generalised gender roles within society. The ‘alpha’ male is naturally supposed to be competitive.
Ability
Does simply dressing better than anyone else crowded around a roulette table make someone a better player than their peers? Of course not. Someone prepared to stand out is more likely to intimately know the game that they are playing, and playing it, to them, is almost like putting on a performance. It’s a chance for them to show their knowledge and unwavering confidence in their strategic thinking abilities.
Not everyone in a suit is an expert craps player, however. But self-belief from a well-dressed, confident player is more likely to trick others into believing that they do know what they are doing at the table, even if they don’t. Even basic levels of competence in a game can be heightened in the eyes of onlookers if actions are taken with confidence.
In Summary
Everyone views the world through some kind of sociocultural lens. They are built into us and are the unique ways that we see what we expect from the world. Largely thanks to how casinos have been portrayed in the movies, success at gambling has been tied to fulfilling the requirement of being a successful, smartly dressed man.
There are a lot of gender biases that play into the notion, too. The perceived inherent traits of males make them more logical and aggressive when playing, and less emotional or indecisive than their female counterparts.
Those pre-existing biases can lead to women being hesitant about expressing themselves assertively at a table. That then, by default, perpetuates the dominance of men at casino tables, leaving it as issues that need to be addressed and stereotypes to be challenged to create more evenly balanced and inclusive casino playing environments.
