More British Adults Gamble Online

If last year the percent of British adults who logged on to online casino sites to play a game and place a bet was an impressive 7.4%, this year's numbers show an even greater percent. A survey released by the Gambling Commission (GC) shows that in the year that ended in June 2007, 8.6% of British adults bet online.

This figure is the largest ever, with not only an increase in comparison to last year, but an all-time record. It signifies a continuous shift from the traditional bookmaker to newer forms of gambling, online and even using mobile phones.

Of all betting activities, lottery is the leader in popularity with poker in second place, not far behind. Although the numbers do not necessarily mean an increase in gambling at large, surely not of problematic scales, the survey has alarmed anti-gambling activists. With recent and ongoing government measures to regulate the industry, the prevention of a growing addiction problem is on everyone's minds.

Besides online gaming and its 8.6% share, mobile gambling has seen an increase and is reported to draw 3% of adult Brits at least once a month. These two methods are followed by betting activities via interactive television, which has increased by only a tenth of a percent to 1.8% of adults admitting they bet using their television sets.

The GC is a regulator and license provider in the British online gambling industry. Its surveys cover thousands, with this survey of the largest of its kind, including 8,000 interviews. The results are surely to serve as the basis for further regulation efforts and policies, as well as the discussions online.