Celebrating Women of Gambling this Women’s Month


Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated International Women’s Day and we are still in that spirit as March is now affectionately known as Women’s Month. Unbeknownst to a lot of people, women actually played a huge role in the gambling industry and they continue to do so today.

Below, we share a few stories of women who have made a name for themselves in the gambling world.

The Notorious Faro Ladies

According to www.casinous.org back in the 18th century, women were prohibited from gambling in public. Thus, they would only do so in their homes. This is when a group of women decided to start hosting social gatherings where faro was a popular game. These were soon known as the Faro Ladies.

Gambling Women of the Old West

In this age, it was only men who were known to be drunk, rowdy and to gamble. However, you would still find a few women who were just as notorious and would also gamble as well. In fact, a few women made a name for themselves playing poker in the Wild West. One of those women was Poker Alice. Of course, it was not illegal for women to play poker but it was rare and only a few could be seen doing so. This is when famous poker women made a name for themselves, including Lottie Deno, Kitty Leroy, Maria Gertrudis, and many others.

Still, on that, Poker Alice, real name Alice Ivers, was known to play poker all over the West. Some of the places that she gambled in include Texas, South Dakota, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, as well as Arizona. One time, while in Mexico, Poker Alice broke the bank and the dealer had to close the game.

Female Poker Pros

Now, most women are gambling or playing online roulette real money at online casinos but we still get a fair share of women on the Vegas Strip.

Back in 2002, Kathy Liebert the very first Party Poker Million event. This was actually the first limit poker tournament which came with a prize of $1 million.