Aces high

By Sarah Modlock

25 October 2005

I'm generally a big fan of anywhere you can drink for free but find casinos have limited appeal. Once the novelty of the first half a dozen gin and tonics has worn off and you have eaten your own bodyweight in 'all day breakfast' at the complimentary buffet, there's nothing left to do except, well, gamble.

Call it self-discipline, call it risk-averseness but my ability to hold back at the roulette wheel is boringly impressive. I think it dates back to a time during my teens when I bet my hair on a bottle of 'Sun-In' and lost, spending the rest of the summer looking like an apricot poodle. Now the only flutters I have are during romantic walks in the park and very occasionally with small amounts of cash I am prepared to lose. But I'm in the minority.

There's no stopping Britain's gamblers as they log on to get their fix through football, lottery, horseracing, poker and casino websites, betting billions of pounds from the comfort of their own homes. When Virgin Money quizzed 2,000 internet users, they discovered that an incredible 93% like to bet online and admit to spending between £10 and £20 a week on gambling and gaming sites. That equates to a total of more than £5 billion a year.

In East Anglia, one in ten online gamblers will get through between £200 and £300 a week while Londoners emerge as the nation's biggest spenders with one in ten gambling between £300 and £500 a week. Most online money is staked on the lottery which gets £1.65bn a year, but punters are also switching on their computers to gamble £1bn on football, £935m on internet casinos, £665m on horse racing and £435m on poker, lured by the likes of Caprice, who used to front paradisepoker and, of course, the prospect of winning big.

Nearly 80% of online punters spend a minimum of one hour a week betting - that amounts to a working week each year spent gambling on the web. As many as 18% even admit to using computers at work to have a flutter. Well it beats working for a living.

Poker in particular is experiencing a renaissance, fuelled by a mix of new technology and unprecedented television coverage such as the Ladbrokes Poker Million, Celebrity Poker Club and Late Night Poker. Part of the mass appeal also lies in the classless nature of the game. Celebrities from Robbie Williams to Stephen Fry, Michael Owen to Martin Amis are said to have joined card schools.

In September, 28-year old British chef Lee Biddulph won almost $1m in an amateur poker tournament in Costa Rica, after qualifying by playing the game online. About 3,900 gamers had entered the internet poker competition but Lee's win will spur amateur gamblers across the UK to redouble their efforts.

Feeling flush

Online poker companies make their money through either taking a percentage of the pot - a 'rake', or by earning interest on the money deposited with them for playing. They will often tempt you with registration offers which boost your initial deposit by 25%. On Ladbrokes' poker website 375,000 hands of poker are dealt every day, to a maximum of 4,000 players playing at any one time. Total registrations now number more than 50,000 from over 90 countries and a total of $8,000,000 is won every day in cash game 'pots' - all figures which are expected to grow and grow.

The rise in internet gambling is also turning stereotypes on their heads. Seen as a predominantly male activity in the past, online gambling now attracts women in vast numbers. The big surprise was how much they love poker and how good many of them are, although recent research shows that some women prefer to use a male 'playing name' online to boost their confidence. However, the sites which prove most popular with women focus on lottery and bingo games.

But with around 1,700 gambling websites to choose from, is there a risk that you could get conned? Stephen McDowell is gambling correspondent for glossy Square Mile magazine and is still trying to make his first million at the online tables. He believes that internet casinos are by and large scrupulously honest and says the online gambling community, particularly poker, is very vocal. 'No-one wants to end up on a blacklist,' he points out. 'If a site has a big advertising campaign it's likely to be very reliable as it will be owned by a serious firm,' he says.

Online gambling removes the hassle of going to a casino not to mention the pressure when you get there and are face to face with other players. It takes the stigma out of dipping into a smoke-filled bookies. Convenient it may be but the solitary, anonymous nature of web betting can lead many who have not previously been gambling types to bet much more than they can afford.

The charity GamCare, which helps those who have been harmed by gambling dependency, says the average online gambling debt in 2004 was £25,676 - a rise of £5,000 from the year before, and a figure that it expects to increase further this year. It says there are now about 1,700 gambling websites, in addition to interactive television channels and mobile phones offering gambling services. The charity says that unique features such as ability to gamble 24 hours a day, the risk of access by children and the decrease in the perception of the value of cash could see debts soar.

If you have lost your shirt or are in danger or losing it then you can contact Gam Care or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service.

Alternatively, head to Mecca. Or er, Gala. As comedian Johnny Vegas said: 'Don't knock bingo. It's the only chance working-class people like me will ever have of owning a giant ceramic cheetah.'

Consumer Credit Counselling Service: 0800 138 1111 or www.cccs.co.uk.
GamCare: 0845 6000 133 or www.gamcare.org.uk

Gamblers Anonymous: 08700 50 88 80 or www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk