UK press The Guardian reported this week on a Ladbrokes survey of
the online poker phenomenon
The popularity of playing poker online has risen sharply in the past
year, according to the report, which quotes figures showing that the
amount gambled on poker websites around the world increased over sixfold
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. Although many of these are "skins" using a common behind the scenes cardroom, the owners are in most cases successful and established casino companies that are fueling the heady promotions, tournaments and marketing mix that is servicing insistent player demand.
Ladbrokespoker.com, which claims to have 50,000 registered users, makes its money by taking a percentage of the stake gambled on each hand.