Six fold increase from January to December - $38 million a day
Virtual poker rises sixfold in a year to £38m a day
Press Association
Friday January 2, 2004
The Guardian
The popularity of playing poker online has risen sharply in the past year, according to a report published today.
The study, from the bookmaker Ladbrokes,
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quotes figures showing that the amount gambled on poker websites around the world increased from £6m a day last January to £38m in December.
Some 150 poker rooms are thought to be operating on the internet now, compared with 30 in 2002. Players enter their credit or debit card numbers and then compete against other players who could be anywhere around the world.
Ladbrokespoker.com, which claims to have 50,000 registered users, makes its money by taking a percentage of the stake gambled on each hand.
The popularity of online gambling has raised concern among some voluntary groups.
One source working with addicts said: "Of all the forms of internet gambling we have seen to date, poker could well be the biggest problem, partly because it was previously shrouded in secrecy."
A Ladbrokes spokesman said the company took the issue seriously and included on its poker website information about GamCare, a charity which addresses the social impact of gambling.
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