The Growing Prevalence of Online Gambling
Whether you prefer playing online poker, blackjack, slots, or video poker, there are many ways to bet and win money. The Internet has made it easy for anyone to participate. With just a computer, an Internet connection, and a gaming software, you can start playing immediately. Most casinos offer a variety of games. If you’d like to try your luck, you can register for an account and get started. As you play, your winnings are placed directly into your account. You can withdraw money or add money to your account.
The first attempt to restrict online gambling began in the late 1990s. By the year 2000, there were more than two hundred gambling websites and a Frost & Sullivan report showed that revenues were $830 million. In 1998, the first online poker rooms appeared. In 1999, the US Senate introduced a bill, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, which would have prevented American citizens from participating in internet gambling. In 2000, multiplayer online gambling was introduced.
While the prevalence of Internet gambling is relatively low, the prevalence of the activity is rising rapidly, especially on regulated sites. In Australia, for example, the prevalence of internet gambling increased from one percent in 1999 to 8.1 percent in 2011; in the UK, sixteen percent of the respondents reported taking part in some form of online gambling in the past four weeks. And in the US, more than half of adult respondents said they were interested in gambling, with the majority planning to gamble again in the future.