Though women have always been the minority on the casino floor, a selected few have managed to pull off awesome feats that their male counterparts can only dream of. One of such is Lottie Deno, who reigned supreme in the late 19th century and was considered the Queen of Poker. Seeing women seated in a land-based casino playing poker or setting their bets for a spin on the roulette wheel is becoming ever common and with online gambling rapidly gaining recognition, it can only get better.
The incentives with online gaming are even more enticing with some of the best online casinos in 2021 constantly rewarding gamers with promotional offers, mega welcome packages, loyalty programs, and many more.
In this list, we take a look at women that have excelled in their craft beating even reigning champions at their own games. Here, you will find the Top 5 Successful Women in the Gambling Industry.
1. Vanessa Selbst
Probably the most famous face behind the poker table, Vanessa Selbst is by far, the most successful female poker player of modern history. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Selbet holds record gains close to $12,000,000 in live tournament earnings and has won three World Series of Poker bracelets. She is also the only woman to rank number one in the Global Poker Index.
Though her feats still remain fresh in the memories of pokies, Selbet has since left the world of poker to pursue other career paths. The professional poker player turned wall street investor also ranks as one of the richest female gamblers and while she is now retired, the gambling world is looking forward to her making a comeback to the poker tables.
2. Anne Duke
With a career spanning over two decades, Anne Duke was one of the most renowned female professional players in the world. The American poker player once held the rank as the leading money winner in the female category in WSOP history and holds a World Series of Poker gold bracelet from 2004. Anne has since retired from the poker table and focused on using her double major in English and Psychology to advance a writing career. She is now an author of several behavioural science and decision education publications.
3. Annette Obrestad
Annette Obrestad stands out in this list as one of the few most successful female gamblers still taking her shot at the tables. The Norwegian poker player holds the title as the youngest person to win a World Series of Poker bracelet which she achieved in 2007 at the age of 19.
Her success in the game has shown that experience might not be the most important factor in determining your success at the table. In fact, she rarely looks at the cards when playing in a tournament making her a prodigy that sets the pace for other upcoming poker players. Throughout her career, she has raked in wins of almost $4,000,000.
4. Denise Coates
Denise Coates could be described as the ultimate gambler founding one of the world’s largest online gambling companies, Bet365. Coates got the billion-dollar idea in 2000 and within just two decades, she was able to build from scratch to revenues of up to £2.86 billion with amounts wagered on sports topping £52.56 billion per year.
Coates remains the majority shareholder of the company with 50.1% of its shares. She also operates as the CEO and with such huge responsibility comes big paychecks amounting to £323 million which is 9,500 times more than the average salary in the UK. Being a billionaire, she is one of the most successful female figures in the gambling industry to have never placed a bet.
5.Pansy Ho
Pansy Ho is a Hong-Kong/Canadian billionaire and one of the most notable female figures in the gambling industry. Born with the will to game, the daughter of the Legendary Macau casino magnate, Stanley Ho took her first shot by opening the MGM Macau in partnership with US MGM Mirage. Though she was born with a silver spoon, Ho never had it easy as she continuously struggled to stand out of her dad’s shadow by proving she was a shrewd businesswoman with the ambition to make her claim in the gambling industry. Presently, she is one of the richest persons in Hong Kong with an estimated net worth of $4.25 billion.