History of Online Gambling

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There only were a handful of online casinos at the beginning. InterCasino became the first one in 1996 and still online.

It’s difficult to say which was the first slot machine to go online, but there were barely over a dozen of those at the dawn of online gambling.

Microgaming became the first company to jump on that gravy train in 1994. The company then started shaping its ideas into what is known today as the online casino, resulting in over 700 games developed over the years.

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It is not only the type of gambling product that will determine the best gambling website for you. Perhaps you are keen to take advantage of a generous welcome offer. Choosing an operator that accepts PayPal may be important for you. Or maybe a top-notch gambling app ranks highly in your priorities. Whatever you are looking for, you can find the best UK gambling sites to suit every preference in the listing above.

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Online Gambling FAQ

Can you gamble online?

Yes. The first online gambling website opened 10 years ago, paving the way for the hundreds that exist now on the Internet.

Is online gambling safe?

Not all of these off-shore banks and fund transfer services are safe to use. Research the bank or service to find out how long the company has been around — the more established, the better. It's a good sign if you can speak to a real person when you call the company's customer service line.

What does online gambling mean?

There is little to no interaction between the players and the dealer. In fact, there is no dealer — all the games are operated by computer programs.

Why is online gambling bad?

Counselors who help gambling addicts believe that online gambling adds several new risk factors that could make it even more dangerous. The constant, in-home accessibility is the biggest problem.

Can you gamble online in the United States?

Gambling online falls into a legal grey area. While it is technically illegal in most of the United States, the prosecution and conviction of individual players is very difficult because they're gambling from home.

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Are they fair?

This is the biggest worry beginners have about playing online. If you gamble at trustworthy sites, the games are fair. Regulatory bodies and independent testing companies like eCOGRA conduct regular tests to ensure the games are 100% fair and provide random results. If something is wrong, an investigation is launched, and the software providers can lose their licenses.

Gambling addiction signs and symptoms

Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as a “hidden illness” because there are no obvious physical signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction. Problem gamblers also typically deny or minimize the problem—even to themselves. However, you may have a gambling problem if you:

Feel the need to be secretive about your gambling. You might gamble in secret or lie about how much you gamble, feeling others won’t understand or that you will surprise them with a big win.

Have trouble controlling your gambling. Once you start gambling, can you walk away? Or are you compelled to gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, upping your bets in a bid to win lost money back?

Gamble even when you don’t have the money. You may gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, and then move on to money you don’t have—money to pay bills, credit cards, or things for your children. You may feel pushed to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money.

Have family and friends worried about you. Denial keeps problem gambling going. If friends and family are worried, listen to them carefully. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Many older gamblers are reluctant to reach out to their adult children if they’ve gambled away their inheritance, but it’s never too late to make changes for the better.

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In this article, we’ll cover:

1) Crypto Set to Dominate Around the Gambling World

2) Access Even in Restricted Areas of Gaming

3) Changing Consumer Habits Quickly

4) Dealing with More Live Dealers

5) VR-Based Gaming on the Rise

6) Land Based Casinos on a Decline

7) Upgrade of Slot Machines

8) Interactive Gaming Systems Modify Interaction

9) Introduction of New Table Games

10) Smartwatches Bring New iGaming Experience.

With time, the gambling and gaming industry has exhibited numerous transformations over the past decades. Now, in the modern world, these changes remain and have evolved to include technological advancements. With the commencement of cryptocurrency in casinos last year, many forecasts that this year should be another interesting one that is set with new trends to redefine and transform complete areas of this huge industry. Hereunder are some of the top gambling and gaming trends for online and real casinos in 2023 and the top statistics which may impact the entire casino industry:

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Report

How big is the online gambling market?

b. The global online gambling market was estimated at USD 57.54 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 63.53 billion in 2022.

What is the online gambling market growth?

b. The global online gambling market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.7% from 2022 to 2030 to reach USD 153.57 billion by 2030.

Which segment accounted for the largest online gambling market share?

b. Europe dominated the online gambling market with a share of 41.0% in 2021. This is attributable to the legalization of gambling across European countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Malta, and Italy.

Who are the key players in online gambling market?

b. Some key players operating in the online gambling market include William Hill PLC; Bet365 Group Ltd.; Paddy Power Betfair PLC; Betsson AB; Ladbrokes Coral Group PLC; The Stars Group Inc.; 888 Holdings PLC; Sky Betting and Gaming; Kindred Group PLC; and GVC Holdings PLC.

What are the factors driving the online gambling market?

b. Key factors driving the online gambling market growth include increasing investment in online gambling and the growing number of live casinos across the globe.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- As sports betting has swept across the country with states, casinos and consumers eagerly embracing a new gambling market, internet casino games have grown much more slowly.

But the online casino market has tremendous potential for growth and expansion, participants in a major casino conference said Friday.

Speaking at the East Coast Gaming Congress, executives of online gambling companies and their technology partners said the rapid growth of sports betting has provided a ready-made infrastructure and regulatory apparatus for online casino games.

So far, such gambling is legal in only six states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut.

But panelists at the conference predicted three or four additional states could soon adopt internet gambling, including Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and New York.

In addition, more than a dozen states sell lottery tickets over the internet, according to James Carey, executive director of the New Jersey Lottery.

“I'm confident there's plenty of room for growth,” said Jeffrey Millar, commercial director of North American operations for Evolution, an online casino content provider.

“The growth in this industry is still in its infancy stages in the U.S.” added David Rebuck, New Jersey's top gambling regulator as director of the state's Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Richard Schwartz, CEO of Chicago-based online gambling company Rush Street Interactive, said states that already have legal sports betting are strong candidates to adopt online casino games as well.

“They already have regulators in place,” he said. “They have servers in place. It's quicker to start up a casino addition.”

Currently, 31 states plus Washington, D.C., offer legal sports betting, with several more expected to do so soon.

Since it launched internet gambling nine years ago, New Jersey's casinos have won $4.79 billion from gamblers online, according to the American Gaming Association, the casino industry's national trade group. That’s nearly twice the $2.47 billion Pennsylvania casinos have won online since July 2019.

Michigan has won $2 billion online since Jan. 2021; Connecticut $199.7 million since Oct. 2021; West Virginia $137.4 million since July 2020; and Delaware $42.2 million since Dec. 2013. Nevada offers online poker but does not break out that revenue separately from the in-person revenue casinos report to the state.

Those figures are for online casino games only, and do not include sports betting revenue, which is reported separately.

New Jersey is on the verge of extending its law permitting internet gambling for another 10 years, and during Thursday's opening session of the casino conference, the state's Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, promised he would sign the bill it if passed.

A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case brought by New Jersey cleared the way for all 50 states to offer legal sports betting should they choose to do so. With that rapid expansion came an expectation in some quarters that internet gambling would almost automatically grow at a similarly rapid pace.

“That didn't happen,” said Howard Glaser, head of government affairs and legislative counsel at Liught & Wonder, the successor company to the gambling tech firm Scientific Games.

He said there are lingering concerns, particularly among some state legislators, that internet gambling could cannibalize revenue and customers from brick-and-mortar casinos — even though the gambling industry itself has established that has not been the case.

Casinos initially had the same concerns when New Jersey launched internet gambling in Nov. 2013. Luisa Woods is vice president of Delaware North, the gambling, hospitality and sports company that owns casinos in New York, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, West Virginia and Ohio.

She previously was head of digital operations for Atlantic City's Tropicana casino in 2013.

“My first job was selling the company that I am not here to compete with your business; I'm here to help it grow,” she said. “We integrated the brand, we created loyalty accounts for every single remote customer. We had people who would show up at the property for the first time and have a host already assigned to them.”

———

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Illegal gambling sites may tell you their games are fair and tested, but how do you know? With legal online gambling operators in states like New Jersey, the games are tested by the same regulators who test everything at the land-based casino. That should give you confidence that a slot machine is paying back what it’s meant to pay back, that a deck of digital cards is dealt fairly, and that every other aspect of every other game is on the level.

And games aren’t just tested — legal online casinos and sportsbooks are required to submit detailed reports of everything that happens within a game so that regulators can spot anything irregular. That record-keeping means that if you have a dispute with a casino, regulators will be able to solve it with facts. You can’t get that level of assurance at illegal gambling websites.

Although we might love to place wagers at our favorite local gambling hall, sometimes it’s better to roll the dice while relaxing at home. Playing slots online with a cup of coffee, some music in the background, and a comfortable chair can make for an incredible experience. We have to wonder, though, are the odds in our favor? We should only use licensed gambling sites to protect ourselves from the dark underworld of internet fraud. If you want to have a safe gambling experience at an online casino, then thabet casino is the best choice for you.

While it’s easy to verify whether or not a physical location that hosts casino games is rigged, the online alternative is a different story. There are a few things that we should check before feeding virtual coins into digital slot machines.

First, we want to see whether or not a site is using accredited RNG software. RNG stands for “random number generation.” Second, we have to check whether or not the host uses an encrypted connection for players. Then, finally, we should only play on websites that are officially sanctioned and licensed.

So, let’s take a closer look at a few things we should be verifying before spending our money, and whether online machines are indeed rigged.

The Overall Picture

In general, a majority of the population are happy with their online activity. They don’t worry too much whether the games they are playing are fixed in opposition to their favor or not. However, it can cross our minds.

We’ve already mentioned that a casino will always get a majority of the winnings compared to its users. So, does this mean they are rigged? No. The odds, in general, will always favor the house. You might get frustrated when you lose, but don’t blame it on things being fixed. It’s pure luck, most of the time.

It’s a common thought that new players never come out on top. However, online casinos are businesses, and they need to make a profit. The house edge doesn’t mean that games are fixed, though. The machines and popular casino games are created to make sure that the company gets its profits.

In the past, there have been proven instances of games being rigged. Some companies, including Reel Deal and Hi/Lo Gambler, have been accused of fraud. Since then, though, steps have been taken to reduce the possibility of this happening. In fact, major casinos nowadays not only guarantee fair gaming, but are even willing to share their revenue with their partners. The iGaming industry has become so popular that nearly every operator has its own affiliate program which awards people for attracting new customers.

Card games are accused more often of fixing things to make sure of big profits for the casino. Sometimes players have demonstrated annoyance in the fact that during a game of poker, strange odds have been given to inexperienced players. However, nothing has been proved on the matter, and it’s highly unlikely that this is the case.

It’s doubtful that an online casino game in this day and age will be rigged. Although, it’s always a good idea to know what to look out for before placing a bet. Let’s move on to what to be noting.

Accredited RNG Software

Random number generation must be used in software-based gambling to guarantee fair play. This technology is complicated and employs various algorithms to generate consistently random outputs.

RNG software determines every poker card dealt, a roll of the dice, and the winning number on the roulette wheel. Any interference with this system can modulate the odds in favor of the house, which would create an unfair advantage.

It’s true that in the long run, the house always wins, and gamblers seem happy to lose large amounts in a fair game. However, cheat them out of one nickel, and you will never see them again.

Casinos are required to have independent auditors test their equipment. Through this inspection, users can be sure that every deal is honest, if not favorable. For the online alternative, data is analyzed, and any anomalies are investigated, giving us similar confidence in digital casinos.

The BlockChain

As technology advances, new ways to keep systems honest are created. Most of us know about the blockchain due to the emergence of BitCoin. However, this technology is used for more than just crypto-currency.

There is dedicated crypto that’s used for online gambling. FunFair is the first implementation of the blockchain for online gambling, where the games use a decentralized network to guarantee that nobody can corrupt gambling outcomes.

There’s no way to alter transactions on the chain, so all results are 100% guaranteed. If we’re interested in avoiding the hassle of double and triple-checking the legitimacy of certain websites, we could opt to play on sites that exploit blockchain technology.

Data Encryption

An encrypted connection might not seem related to whether a game is rigged or not, but it is. Cryptography goes beyond keeping our information safe from third-parties.

The most popular and successful form of encryption is SSL. This is short for Secure Sockets Layer. It converts all of the information that we input into code via mathematical functions involving elliptic equations. The rest is all rocket science.

Websites that don’t use secure connections, expose our private information, bank credentials, and data. For example, they could operate your account until we reconnect. Your losses appear legitimate, and it’s challenging to prove to the site that we were hacked.

Official Licenses

All online casinos require some form of accreditation and license. However, there are different ways to go about acquiring this license. Some jurisdictions are far less fussy about who operates from their country, or how they operate.

We should only use licensed gambling sites to protect ourselves from the dark underworld of internet fraud. Each regulatory body has different requirements. Multiple licenses generally equate to more standards met by the hosting website.

Active Regulatory Bodies

• Malta Gaming Authority
• Gibraltar Remote Gambling
• Alderney Gambling Control Commission
• Office for Gaming Supervision
• National Gaming Board
• Nevada Gaming Control Board

Online Casino Regulation

Besides the license requirement, there are legal authorities that oversee online gambling and target ‘rogue casinos.’ With official regulation, authorities can monitor websites, provide legal backing for the players, and enforce judgments on gambling companies.

The Verdict

It’s safe to say that yes, online slots and casino games can be rigged. However, all serious websites take the appropriate steps to ensure fair play for their customers. It’s crucial that we take the time to investigate and double-check before we hand our money over to people that we will never meet.

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  The Interstate Wire Act

  In 1961 President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) signed the Interstate Wire Act—widely known as the Wire Act—which makes it a crime to use telephone lines (wire communication) in interstate or foreign commerce for the placement of sports bets or even to transmit information assisting in the placement of bets on sporting events. The act applies only to the gambling business, not to gamblers themselves.

  The article “Gambling on the Internet: Crossing the Interstate Wire” (The Wager, vol. 6, no. 6, February 7, 2001) examines the legal issues involved in Internet gambling, particularly criticisms of the Wire Act. It finds that many legal experts say the law does not directly apply or is too ambiguous to apply to offshore Internet gambling sites because:

  • The Internet did not exist when the act was made law.
  • Gambling Web sites maintained on offshore computers are not under U.S. jurisdiction.
  • Internet service providers do not fall under the definition of wire communications facilities (particularly those associated with satellite and mobile-phone transmissions).
  • The law specifically mentions only sports betting, not casino games.
  • Prosecutors cannot prove that online gambling sites “knowingly” transmit bets from U.S. citizens, because the physical location of online gamblers cannot be determined.

  The states have interpreted the Wire Act to mean that online wagering is illegal if it occurs in any state in which gambling is illegal. In 1999 the issue was addressed by the New York Supreme Court in People v. World Interactive Gaming Corporation (No. 404428/98 [1999]). The state of New York brought suit against the World Interactive Gaming Corporation (WIGC) and the Golden Chips Casino for offering online gambling to New York residents. The Golden Chips Casino operated a legal land-based casino in Antigua. The company was wholly owned by the WIGC, a Delaware-based corporation with corporate offices in New York. The suit alleged that the casino had installed interactive software on its computer servers in Antigua that allowed Internet users around the world to gamble. The online casino was advertised on various Internet sites and in U.S. gambling magazines, both of which were accessible to New York residents.

  Users had to wire money to a bank account in Antigua and type in their permanent address before play. Only users who entered addresses within states that permitted land-based gambling, such as Nevada, were allowed to play, so a user who entered a New York address was not granted permission. However, the suit alleged that the barrier was easily overcome by typing in an out-of-state address, because the software had no way of checking the physical location of the user. The state did not consider this a “good faith effort” to keep New Yorkers from gambling, as required by law.

  The WIGC argued that the federal and state laws in question did not apply to an offshore casino operated in full compliance with the law in the country in which it was located. The court ruled in favor of the state, saying that the act of entering the bet and transmitting the betting information originated in New York and constituted illegal gambling activity. The legality of gambling in Antigua was not an issue.

  Furthermore, the court said the gambling activity violated three federal laws: the Wire Act; the Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprising Act (U.S. Code §1952), known as “the Travel Act”; and the Interstate Transportation of Wagering Paraphernalia Act (U.S. Code §1953), known as “the Paraphernalia Act.” According to the court, “the Travel Act prohibits the use of ‘any facility in interstate or foreign commerce' with intent to promote any unlawful activity.” The Paraphernalia Act is specific to gambling activity, prohibiting the interstate or foreign transmission of any item for use “in (a) bookmaking; or (b) wagering pools with respect to a sporting event or (c) in a numbers, policy, bolita, or similar game.” The court ruled the WIGC violated this law because it had used the U.S. mail to send literature to potential investors and to send computers to the Antigua operations.

  One issue was still not settled yet: Which types of gambling sites were covered by the Wire Act? The Wire Act only states that people cannot make sports bets over communication lines. In 2002 the Appeals Court for the Fifth Circuit ruled in In regarding MasterCard International, Inc. (313 F.3d 257) that the Wire Act applies specifically to online sports gambling (also known as sports books) and not to online casinos or poker sites.

  During the late 1990s federal prosecutors went after the operators of offshore sports books that had taken bets from U.S. citizens via the Internet and telephone. In March 1998 they charged twenty-one people with conspiring to violate the Wire Act. Ten pleaded guilty to that charge, and three pleaded guilty to related misdemeanor charges. Seven could not be apprehended and are considered fugitives. The last defendant, a U.S. citizen named Jay Cohen (1968–), decided to stand trial. Cohen operated a sports book called World Sports Exchange in Antigua. The prosecution in the case argued that Cohen solicited U.S. customers through U.S. newspaper and magazine advertisements, encouraging them to contact World Sports Exchange via a toll-free telephone number and Internet site to place sports bets. On February 28, 2000, Cohen was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Wire Act and seven substantive violations of the Wire Act. He was sentenced to twenty-one months in prison and assessed a $5,000 fine.

  In 2001 U.S. agents arrested Jeff D'Ambrosia (1959–) and Duane Pede (1949–), who were the principle owners of Gold Medal Sports, a sports book Web site that operated out of Curaçao. Both pleaded guilty to violating the Wire Act by accepting bets online from people on U.S. soil. They were sentenced to five years in jail and were forced to pay $1.4 million in back taxes.

  Despite these arrests, many online sports books operating outside the United States continued to openly market their Web sites to Americans and allow Americans to place bets. In 2006 the Department of Justice cracked down once again on the owners of Internet sports book sites when it arrested David Carruthers (1957–), who was the chief executive officer of the Costa Rican–based BetOnSports. Federal agents arrested Carruthers when he changed planes in Dallas. He was charged with violating the Wire Act, committing mail fraud, and a host of other felonies. Carruthers, who is a British citizen, was awaiting trial as of October 2008. After the arrest, BetOn-Sports shut down the division of its operations that took bets from U.S. gamblers and fired Carruthers. Other arrests were made of BetOnSports executives, but Carruthers was the most high profile. He remains an out-spoken opponent of U.S. federal legislation designed to eliminate online gambling.

  Jacob Sullum reports in “Some Bets Are Off” (Reason, June 2008) that in 2003 Antigua and Barbuda claimed that the stance the United States took on online gambling was in violation of several free trade agreements laid down

  by the World Trade Organization (WTO), a multinational trading organization with limited power that sets up and enforces trading agreements between its members. When they appealed to the WTO in an effort to end U.S. restrictions, Antigua and Barbuda maintained that thousands of jobs in their nation depended on online gambling and that the United States was harming their economy by attempting to restrict access by U.S. citizens. The WTO ruled against the United States in 2004, claiming that several U.S. laws regarding online gambling violated WTO free trade agreements. After two years of talks, the United States refused to change its position on online gambling. Antigua and Barbuda approached the WTO again, and in July 2006 the WTO convened a panel to further investigate U.S. laws regarding online gambling. On February 15, 2007, the panel found that the United States was in violation of international trade agreements. The judge presiding over Carruthers's case subsequently ruled that the WTO ruling could be used as part of his defense. As of 2008, the European Union was considering filing a complaint of its own with the WTO, arguing that the United States is treating foreign businesses like criminals.