Increasingly, countries around the world are legalizing and regulating online gambling sites. These actions have both fiscal and consumer benefits. Interestingly, despite the widespread prohibition of gambling, participation in online gambling has been growing rapidly, especially among regulated sites. In Australia, participation rose from one percent in 1999 to 8.1 percent in 2011; in the UK, 16 percent of respondents reported having used online gambling services in the past four weeks. It is important to note, however, that a wide range of different jurisdictions regulate online gambling in different ways.
Online gambling services can accept deposits and withdrawals via bank transfers. The minimum amount is higher than with bank transfers, however. You should also make sure that your bank supports online bill pay. Almost all regulated gambling sites accept this method of payment, but check with your financial institution first. Online bill pay is also available for U.S. banks. To use an online casino, you must be logged into your online banking portal to enable this feature.
A recent study found that internet gamblers are more likely to develop gambling problems compared to non-gamblers. However, the level of internet gambling was not a predictor of the severity of problem gambling, and neither was the level of participation. Researchers from the British Gambling Prevalence Study (BGP) found a strong correlation between the different types of gambling and the risk of developing gambling problems. They compared the number of different types of gambling activities used over the previous 12 months with the level of problem gambling.