Now that the holidays are over for another year and everyone has returned to their respective places of employment – assuming they have them thanks to the global financial crisis currently affecting the world – it’s time to take a look at what is going on in the world of online gambling.  With many retails store feeling the effects of the credit crunch and financial crisis and worldwide housing markets going rapidly down the tubes, it is surprising that people still have any disposable cash left.

The one industry that has managed to continue performing well – albeit with a slow down of its own that has been less detrimental to it as compared to other leisure activities – is the world of online gambling.  2008 was an extremely tough year for any form of business and 2009 is not expected to be much better.  However, the rise of online gambling has continued throughout the ups and downs of the economy that have been felt so far and analysts are predicting that the rise will continue.  All aspects of the industry – sports betting, online casinos, poker rooms, and bingo – have been growing and attracting more and more players every month while brick and mortar casinos have been taking a substantial hit as fewer people are travelling.

The rate of growth for online gambling is expected to be slow but consistent.  In the United Kingdom alone it has been one of the fastest growing market sectors over the last five years.  Slow down is not going to hurt the business and while there may be fewer new websites appearing online and offering their services to players while the current financial crisis is hitting the world, the stream of new choices is not expected to come to a complete halt.

One saving grace of the online gambling industry during this recession is the up and coming mobile gaming arena.  More and more people carry hand held devices that allow them to access everything from their e-mails to the radio, and now users are able to download games and place bets through numerous different online gaming websites.  While not all of the rooms have started offering this option, there are still many out there to choose from.

America is not the only country that is debating over the legalized gambling issue.  Many European countries have started considering the implications of online gambling and are debating whether or not they should allow online gambling to take place or continue taking place if the gaming is already in the country.  One of the newest additions to this particular arena concerning online gaming is the Czech Republic.  The government has started deliberating on allowing their own state run online gaming firm to operate online and whether or not to regulate the foreign sites that are currently operating illegally in the country, something many other countries may decide to also pursue.