Sunday, March 04, 2007

The latest paper from UK Gambling Commission has shed light on the extent of
the nation's gambling habit. It found that eight percent of the country's
adults have dabbled in at least one form of remote gambling in the previous
month. According to the 'Survey Data on Remote Gambling Participation', the
National Lottery was the most popular form of remote gambling, with over
five percent of respondents admitting to having gambled remotely on the
Lottery in the last month. Online poker came in as the second most popular
choice at two percent, with betting third at just under two percent. Remote
gambling using a computer, laptop or handheld device was the most popular
option at five percent, closely followed by gambling via mobile phone and
interactive/digital TV. The survey also discovered that people in the 18 to
34 age group were the most likely to gamble. Commenting the survey, Gambling
Commission chairman Peter Dean said, "This new series is an important part
of the Commission's monitoring. The figures reflect the uptake of new
technology with people choosing to gamble via the internet as well as
through mobile phones and interactive television."