Online Gambling – An International Appeal

Online gambling has enjoyed an international appeal since it first appeared on the Internet in the mid 1990s.  When the government of Antigua and Barbuda passed a law that established the licensing and regulation of online casinos in 1994, the framework for this new form of entertainment was created.  Established in 1995, Microgaming’s Gaming Club is widely regarded as the first online casino, with its website immediately launching the fledgling industry into explosive growth.

Canada was an early participant in the creation of online casinos, with laws being passed in 1996 that regulated online gambling originating in its Mohawk Territory.  This legislation helped to sustain the growth of the industry while ensuring its integrity.  As online gambling expanded, more aspects of the business were created.  Within just a few years, online casinos had been joined by poker rooms, online sportsbooks, online bingo and other forms of gambling to create a formidable industry.

Online poker made its appearance in 1998 and has quickly become an extremely popular game for online gamblers.  As the reputation of poker has increased internationally, this has become one of the most popular forms of gambling.  The World Series of Poker has played an important part in its acceptance, allowing qualification for online players through tournaments on various sites.  In addition, there have been a number of winners in the series, making instant millionaires out of players that qualified online.

Like online poker, online sportsbooks have become widely accepted and enjoy a large following.  Accepting bets on a wide variety of sporting events, the first sportbooks opened for virtual business in 1996 and instantly began tasting success.  This is still a popular and wildly successful business today, boasting satisfied participants worldwide.

Online bingo was another early entry into the online gambling world.  Set up with the same look and feel as bingo halls, the business quickly drew a faithful following.  Online bingo was one of the first to employ chat features.  These chats created a sense of community among players, making them more inclined to continue playing on the same sites.

With online gambling in its infant stages, it was experiencing growing pains along with the Internet.  The quality of play was hampered by emerging software, developing computers and the small, but growing number of computer owners.  In addition, the performance of the Internet at the time was also a limiting factor; connectivity issues and slower download speeds stunted the industry’s growth.  In spite of all of the hindrances, online gambling was already realizing nearly a billion dollars of international revenue in less than five years.  Technology was destined to catch up and online gambling was here to stay.

With ever-increasing prizes, improving technologies and government involvement that legitimized the activities, many people quickly became fans of online gambling.  In spite of its relatively short history, online gambling has rapidly become a part of popular culture and has allowed many people worldwide to feel the excitement and risk of placing a bet, whether they enjoy casino games, sporting events or playing bingo.