History of Online Gambling

Breakthrough

By 1997, the number of online casinos jumped from a few to more than 200. Of course, players with internet access started acknowledging the benefits of playing online. Their numbers grew month by month. A year later, reports by financial organizations said that the industry was worth something under a billion. The number of online casinos jumped again in 1998, which was also the time when the first online poker room opened.

The same year saw the release of the first progressive slots by Microgaming which would go on to revolutionize the industry. In 1999, the number of online casinos was up to 700. That same year, multiplayer online gambling was introduced for the first time, and the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act was created. This act didn’t allow US citizens to gamble, yet they always found a way.

The increasing popularity of online casinos attracted the attention of the casino industry. Many casinos were already offering or planning to introduce online services as they were aware that the tide is shifting. After 1999, online gambling really exploded in popularity, with new gambling licenses, games, and operators arriving on the scene.

What Happened During the 2000s?

The popularity of online gambling really exploded during the early 2000s. By that time, gambling was properly regulated, with no online casinos without licenses being able to operate. Acts that prohibited online casinos were issued in many countries around the world in order to prevent underage gambling and addiction, yet the industry moved forward.

A year later, the number of online gamblers was already up to 8 million. People preferred to do their gambling from home rather than driving to a casino. Online gambling offered many benefits for the players, with the security constantly improving. The stigma about online casinos being an unsafe form of gambling was starting to disappear, clearing the way for even more online casinos despite the legislations.

In 2002, the online gambling industry hit a staggering annual revenue of $4.5 billion, clearly signalling an upward trend. Experts were predicting an even bigger growth in the coming years, and the industry did not disappoint.

When Did Mobile Casinos Appear?

Online gambling didn’t stop hitting new heights in the mid-2000s. As the IT industry evolved, so did the online gambling industry. Even with it being banned in the USA, online gambling continued to thrive around the world, especially in the mobile gaming sector. As soon as smartphones were invented, online casinos jumped at the chance of creating mobile apps. Mobile casinos were now flooding the market, creating a highly competitive scene.

As mobile internet usage grew, millions of people started moving to mobile casinos. They offered the freedom to enjoy casino games anytime and anywhere without the need to stay at home. The mobile gambling industry grew pretty quickly, with experts projecting its revenue to hit the $100 billion mark by 2018.