"More women are becoming addicted to gambling, as Australians pump $6 million a day through poker machines.

Gambling in Australia is becoming more and more "feminised," says University of Queensland School of Tourism researcher Dr Timothy Lee.

A third of problem gamblers are women, at a time when Australia leads the world in the number of poker machines.

"It has traditionally been a male pursuit. There is now a high level of women's gambling activity in Australia," Dr Lee said.

Women accounted for 64 per cent of the use of poker machines, which in turn accounted for 74 per cent of the growth in gambling in Australia in recent years.

Compared to men, women were found to have a more rapid progression into problem gambling.

Dr Lee said problem gambling among women resulted in family and relationship breakdowns, child neglect, depression, fraud and suicidal thoughts.

Women often turned to gambling to escape trauma, loneliness, stress and boredom.

"The female problem gambler is usually withdrawn, socially isolated and is suffering from extreme feelings of guilt, shame and low self-esteem," Dr Lee said.

He said new steps were needed to minimise harm, such as placing cash machines away from gaming areas, installing clocks, providing information on support services and having non-gaming activities at pubs and clubs with poker machines.

Dr Lee's paper will be published in the next issue of Tourism Analysis.

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