The Most Famous Women in the Gambling Industry

While the largest number of gamblers around the world are male, there are many women whose names are incredibly popular in the industry. In the next paragraphs of our article, we will introduce you to some of the most popular and successful women gamblers. Furthermore, we’ll provide additional information about women who own casinos and gambling businesses.

A recent survey regarding online gambling in the US revealed that the majority of players are male. However, the number of active female gamblers was pretty high, as well, meaning this industry appears to be fascinating to both genders. In today’s read, we’ll focus on women, and more specifically, the most successful women in the gambling industry.

In the next couple of paragraphs, we’ll familiarize you with some of the most successful gamblers in the world. Furthermore, we’ll talk about female owners of gambling houses and even women who own gambling businesses. At the end of this article, we’ll provide you with a detailed FAQ section that will certainly answer any additional questions you may have.

• Female Gamblers
• Women Owning Casinos
• Women Owning Gambling Businesses
• Net Worth of the Most Famous Female Gamblers
• Popular Tournaments Won by Women

Most Famous Women Gamblers

First, we’ll start by providing a bit more data about some of the best female gamblers in history. Each of the ladies we are about to discuss has achieved immense success over the years and has managed to earn a prestigious reputation in the gambling industry. Needless to say, these are just five of the numerous women who have made a lasting impact in the world of gambling.

Vanessa Selbst

Vanessa Selbst was born in 1984 and is currently in the top position of the Global Poker Index. In fact, she is the very first woman to have ever achieved this. Over the years, Selbs has won three World Series of Poker bracelets. In 2013, V. Selbst, which is the username she uses when playing, won the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure (High Roller), which is one of the most grandiose poker festivals.

This particular event has made her the highest-earning female in the history of poker. The American retired from poker back in 2018, but even after that, she participated in a few major events, namely the WPT Borgata and the WPT Fallsview Main Event. During our investigation, we also found out that Vanessa studied at Yale, and she’s got a degree in law.

Maria Ho

Maria Ho is one of the youngest female gamblers in our list. She was born in 1983 in Taiwan, but she and her family moved to the US when Maria was only four years of age. When she went to University, she filled in her spare time by playing poker for fun. Soon after, she discovered that she was so good that she could actually make a living out of it. In just a couple of years, Maria Ho has earned enough money to get the courage to start playing in professional tournaments.

In 2011, she earned the 2nd position of the highest-ranked poker female player in the world. She played at the final tables of World Series of Poker eight times, and she also made it to the final tables of the World Poker Tour four times. At present, Maria is also a TV host for numerous poker events. In 2019, she earned the Global Poker Award for Broadcaster of the Year award.

Annette Obrestad

Another young poker player is Annette Obrestad, who is currently on YouTube. She discovered her passion for poker when she was only 15. She played for fun without gambling any real money. However, after a few years, she started attending various tournaments, but she was mostly fascinated with online gambling. Annette has had many successful sessions over the years, and, according to the latest data, her net worth is estimated at approximately $5 billion.

Victoria Coren Mitchell

Victoria Elizabeth Coren Mitchell has a number of hobbies, which are quite different from one another. Besides being passionate about writing, Victoria also loves to engage in poker games. At present, she writes for the Daily Telegraph and is not so active in playing poker. However, back in the day, she used to stay up until the early hours of the day to compete against other players online. She also won two European Poker Tour Main Events, and in 2016, she became part of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Annie Duke

Being a proud owner of a World Series of Poker bracelet, Annie Duke is one of the most well-known female gamblers in history. She showed interest in playing poker at the beginning of her 20s. That was the time she played her very first Texas Hold’Em game at a casino. She was so inspired by it she continued to play with her brother since he was a fan of poker, as well.

In fact, it was her brother who gave her the courage and helped her financially to start her professional career. Some of her most remarkable achievements include the winning of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and the WSOP Tournament of Champions. In 2020, Duke announced that she was retired from poker and hasn’t played for eight years.

Women in Gambling: Casino Owners

When it comes to the best women in gambling, recognition doesn’t always revolve around players earning prestigious awards. There are many women who are not that proficient in playing different casino games but are still famous in the world of gambling for establishing some of the most renowned gambling houses for their time.

One such woman is Claudine Williams, who, alongside her husband, founded the Holiday Casino. The gambling establishment opened its doors in 1973, and after her husband’s passing, Claudine devoted herself to expanding their family business until 1983, when she sold it to Harrah’s. Another interesting case is that of Judy Bayley.

In 1956, Judy and her husband embarked on their journey in the motel business. She had ambitions of offering more facilities and activities for potential visitors. Eventually, the establishment became a gambling destination, as well. When Judy’s husband died in 1964, she took over the business, which was in bad shape back then. Through her dedication, she managed to revitalize their establishment. Later, she even became Chairwoman of Casino Operations Inc.

Women in Gambling: Business Owners

One of the best women in gambling is certainly Denise Coates, who is the founder of the well-known online gambling company Bet365. In 2000, Denise purchased the domain name, and in 2001, people were already able to place their bets. At present, this is one of the most renowned betting platforms in the entire world, with over $2 billion in revenues.

Ruth Parasol is another businesswoman whose name is quite popular in the gambling industry. She is the founder of PartyGaming Network of gambling websites. The latter was founded in 1977, and back in the day, it was a major name in the iGaming world. In 2015, the network was acquired by GVC.

Best Female Gamblers Net Worth

The net worth of many women gamblers is nothing short of astonishing. Annie Duke is among the most affluent female poker players in the industry, but she’s not alone in having earned a substantial income through playing one of the most popular casino games in the entire world. In the next table, we’ll also provide the net worth of the two businesswomen we discussed in the previous paragraphs of our article dedicated to women in gambling.

Biggest Tournaments Won by Women Gamblers

If you’ve read the previous paragraphs, you know that all female gamblers this article revolves around have not only achieved substantial wealth but have earned many prestigious awards throughout their careers. Undeniably, some of the most prominent tournaments include the North American Poker Tour, World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, Partouche Poker Tour, and more.