Problem gamblers display gender-distinct behavioral indicators in their reactions to gambling-related stress, according to the results of a new survey.

Using data from two recent large gambling studies, Australian researchers at the University of Adelaide and the Swinburne University of Technology compared the reactions of 580 male and 605 female slot machine players to prolonged bouts of losing. Their results were published in Springer’s Journal of Gambling Studies.

The 338 male and female confirmed problem gamblers among these groups displayed similar signs of problem gambling activity, but their reactions to losing were markedly different. The male problem gamblers were far more likely to channel their frustration into physical violence, while the females tended to be more emotional and more likely to direct their frustration inward.

The male problem gamblers were more likely to report feelings of anger and frustration and often channelled this aggression into physical strikes against the machine that wasn’t paying out as expected. These men were also rude to gaming venue staff and were prone to engaging in “territorial stand-over tactics” to deter other customers from attempting to use machines the problem gamblers claimed as their own.