UK authorities have recently released the first in a series of useful statistical studies on online gambling and online casino sites. According to some of the statistics, which were published by the UK Gambling Commission around 8% of the adults in Britain participated in the past in at least one form of online gambling. Nevertheless, if we extract from the numbers those players who gamble only on national lottery, the percentage drops down to 6%. "This release is the first of a new statistical series which will provide us with a clearer picture of participation in online gambling, including online casino sites, in Britain" said the commission spokesmen.

According to the results, most of the people still prefer to gamble at their online casino via their desktop computer or laptops, while only 2.2% of the respondents prefer to play at the online casino sites from their mobile phones. That last figure will surely keep on growing in the next few years, as it is already considered one of the fastest-growing forms of digital entertainment. "I think that the results reflect the uptake of new technology. More and more people are choosing to gamble via the Internet, as well as through mobile phones and handheld devices" says Peter Dean, the Gambling Commission Chairman.

While talking about that latest survey, Dean also referred to the upcoming regulation of online casino sites in the UK: "From September 2007, for the first time, the Gambling Commission will have the power to regulate online gambling in Great Britain, and we're very excited about it. Under the new Gambling Act, all British-based online casino sites will be required to prevent access to gambling by children or other vulnerable people. I'm sure that regulation is the smart thing to do and we will show it".