Broadband fuels online gambling boom

Internet gambling continues to grow at a rapid pace in the UK, as the increasing availability of broadband encourages more people to try out a quick flutter online.

According to internet research company Nielsen//NetRatings, the online gambling audience in the UK has increased by 45 per cent over this time last year, with 3.2m visiting a gambling site in February.

The National Lottery is the most popular gambling site for punters, with over 1.3 million visitors trying their luck from home in February 2005, making it one of the top 40 most visited sites in the UK. William Hill came in second, followed by Partypoker.com.

Nielsen//NetRatings said UK growth has been driven by a range of gambling, betting and online casino sites, and not just by the National Lottery.

Gabrielle Prior, European internet analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, said: "We expect to see this category continue to grow as advertising attracts consumers and the sites add more and more games and prizes.

"We know from earlier survey work that UK gamblers like the speed and convenience of betting online, and as the broadband boom continues, we expect more people to try online gambling."

Three quarters of UK gamblers were using a high-speed connection, spending 20 minutes online each time. Users on slower connections spent 29 minutes online on average.

Across Europe, more than 14 million people - about 14 per cent of those online from home - visited a gambling or sweepstakes site in February.

Gambling and sweepstake sites were most popular with French and Swedish surfers, but have yet to make a mark in southern Europe, with less than 10 per cent of Spanish and Italians logging on to gamble, the research firm said.

According to Nielsen//NetRatings, the top websites accessed by UK gamblers from home are:

- The National Lottery
- William Hill
- Partypoker.com
- Ladbrokes
- Pacific Poker
- Cyberslotz
- The Gaming Club
- LoopyLotto
- Golden Palace Online Casino
- Vernons