Over 1m Brits bet online

2006-10-30 17:20:00

A new study has found that Britain is the biggest gambling nation in Europe, with over one million residents regularly logging on to place bets.

With official figures putting the number of Europeans who practise online betting at 3.5 million, the news means that Britain accounts for a staggering one third of those gamblers.

And the government has said that the figures are most likely "conservative" in outlook, with many millions more being thought to log on for an occasional bet.

Of the one million regular users, the study estimates that each will spend over £1,000 per year on their betting habit. An increasingly large proportion is thought to be female, the report indicates.

Worldwide trends suggest that Britain's role as gambling central is likely to be cemented in the coming months, with new UK legislation encouraging more gambling sites to start up and new US legislation forcing many to seek alternative climes.

"Of course we want online gambling companies to come onshore. We will welcome them here because we believe that allowing those who want to gamble to do so over the counter, not under the counter, is the best way to protect children and vulnerable people, and keep out crime," culture secretary Tessa Jowell said last week.


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