Proctor, assistant professor of anthropology, spoke with Marie Claire about the gambling industry's recent push toward women.
51 Assistant Professor of Anthropology Devin Proctor was featured in a recent Marie Claire article examining how gambling companies are increasingly targeting women through social media, reality television and influencer culture. The story, explores how betting platforms are reframing gambling as entertainment and financial empowerment to attract new audiences.
Proctor is a cultural anthropologist who examines identity construction and virtual space. He said the shift reflects a broader cultural change in how women’s interests are being monetized.
“This communicates to a whole new population of fans that their cultural knowledge has economic value,” Proctor told Marie Claire. “The same knowledge that has often been dismissed as trivial or ‘trashy’ is suddenly presented as something capable of generating capital. What’s changing isn’t necessarily the activity itself—it’s the moral framing around it.”
The article notes that betting companies are encouraging women to view their knowledge of reality television, celebrity culture and internet trends as opportunities to make money, much like sports betting has long relied on fans’ knowledge of athletic competition. Proctor described this trend as the “financialisation of cultural expertise,” highlighting how marketing campaigns are redefining entertainment as an economic asset.