online+gambling

=//-The online Gambling is//=

** the placing of bets on sports or casino type games over the Internet **



 * //-The history of Online Gambling// - **

Gambling has existed for literally thousands of years and will probably exist forever. Human nature drives people to gamble; to take risks and to hope to win big.

Gambling took on many forms throughout history, whether it was wagering bets on who would win a war or a battle or chase down a wild boar the fastest. Then came dice games and other forms of relatively primitive games which allowed mankind its much needed outlet for risk taking and later on came cards game, roulette, sports bets and all the other gambling options we have today. All of these games had something in common though: they were all games played in one specific place, by a group of people who could see, hear and sometimes, unfortunately, smell each other.

Casinos were and are often a classy place to gamble in. They offer a glamorous and unique atmosphere in which to play with fellow gamblers.

All this changed with the help of technology and a little thing called the Internet. The Internet has changed our lives in many ways and in practically every aspect of life. Gambling, of course, is no exception. Online gambling caught on like fire and is today one of the most prosperous online industries in the world with billions of dollars in revenue each year, and the numbers just keep growing.

It is true that the online gambling industry has lately run into a major obstacle with the recent anti-gambling law in the United States, but if history teaches us anything about gambling, it's that it always survives and it is never contained for long.

**// -The genesis of Online Gambling-  //**

In the beginning there was Antigua and Barbuda. The year was 1994 and the tiny island country was the catalyst for the online gambling industry. That year was the year that Antigua passed the law that made it a legal jurisdiction and allowed it to issue gambling licenses. Not only did it provide online gambling its start but even today, most online gambling companies are based in the country in order to use their license. In light of the new opportunities, and even before the first online casino opened its gates, came the gaming software. Microgaming, an Isle of Man based software company, developed the first fully operational online casino software which paved the way to the many online gambling sites that followed. CryptoLogic, an online security software company, provided the much needed software to make Internet transaction safe and viable. All this led to InterCasino, the first online casino in 1995. But the start of online gambling was not easy. There were many obstacles in the way, mostly over the legality of the industry as a whole. There were many who opposed the very idea of online gambling. The battle raged particularly high in the U.S. Congress by Senator Jon Kyl from Arizona, who tried several times to prevent U.S. citizens from gambling online by promoting anti-gambling campaigns.

=//-Types of Online Gambling -//=

==

Online POKER
[|READ THE MAIN ARTICLE::]

[[image:online_casino.jpg align="center"]] Online CASINO
[|READ THE MAIN ATRICLE::]



Online SPORTS BETTING
[|READ THE MAIN ATRICLE::]

[[image:online_bingo.gif align="center"]] Online BINGO
[|READ THE MAIN ATRICLE:]

//-The Ethical Issue-//
1) **Online Gambling Further Confuses the Issue of Legality** - Online gambling blurs the line even further between legal and illegal gambling. Confusion reigns from state to state when it comes to gambling. 48 states have some form of legalized gambling—including lotteries, race tracks and casino games, but little consistency exists in gambling laws. Consider that North Carolina has no legal state lottery, but each year thousands of North Carolinians cross the state line to Virginia to wager on Powerball. Consider that many states (such as North Carolina and Connecticut) have outlawed casino gambling, but then have made them legal on reservations. In fact, Foxwoods—the largest casino in the world—was built on the reservation of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Additionally, consider the inconsistency of gambling laws in New York where betting with a bookie is not illegal, but bookmaking itself is.

2) ** Online Gambling Breeds Addiction ** - Online gambling opens a giant can of worms, in that it gives gambling access to millions of people who otherwise would not have access. One of the logical conclusions of having more gamblers is having more gambling addicts.

3) **Online Gambling Promotes Fraud and Cheating** - Critics claim that online gambling sites have already become a haven for hackers and con men. Most internet gamblers purchase credit online through the use of their credit cards. Skilled hackers would have mountains of credit card numbers to illegally charge to. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader supports Kyl's Anti-Gambling Bill because the Internet lacks consumer protection. Another dilemma to online gambling is that it makes cheating easier. While cheating obviously constitutes a breach in ethics, it also can cost casinos millions. Casinos have thousands of cameras to monitor cheating onsite, however it is almost impossible to monitor a player as he bets out of his home.