Online gambling has become more and more popular each year since the advent of the Internet. Wireless technology, in particular, has made Internet devices more portable. An increasing number of people have access to the internet through a range of technology, from mobile phones and laptops, to tablet computers, which means that online gaming sites are more accessible to the general public than ever before. Traditional casino-goers can now play the same betting games, for the same stakes as they would in a casino, from the comfort of their own home. Internet gambling has also become ever more popular as more online gaming sites are legal and licensed, and with improved software and graphics gamers can have a very realistic gambling experience online.
As well as online casinos in which people have access to the same games as they would in a real casino, there are other types of online gambling. These include, poker games – either against computerised opponents or real opponents who are playing from their computers – and other games, such as football pools, online lotteries, online bingo and online sports betting.
There are two types of online casino. The first is the download-based online casino, where players are required to download software onto their device to allow them to start gaming. The second is the web-based casino, where users play betting games on a website designed to look like a casino.
Research has estimated that the total sum wagered worldwide on mobile casino games is expected to surpass US$48 billion by 2015. The same research based its prediction on the growth of online gambling on increased usage of mobile casinos, lotteries and sports betting providers in major emerging markets and China, the slackening of mobile gambling legislation in Europe, and the United States repealing certain legislation which will allow people in the U.S.A. to legally gamble online.