The internet is flooded with various articles and blogs about gambling and its online counterparts. The concept of gambling and its associated activities is not new to humankind. It has been prevailing in the various cultures across multiple civilizations since the pre-historic era.

Despite its long stand with human history, gambling never fails to attract wagers even now. The main reason for this unparalleled pull is the adrenalin rush of winning a bet during gambling.

Why do people prefer online gambling?

Listing down the reasons of preference towards online gambling would fill up a carton of pages. However, there are some major points, which are worth listing down:

  • Online gambling can be done at one’s convenience at their preferred time
  • The monetary transaction is much easier than the physical gambling houses or casinos
  • Anonymous playing on online gambling platforms is much easier. All you need is a good VPN connection and you are fine, whereas in the case of casinos you need to be a privy member and spend loads of money to gain access to privacy
  • The span of playing is not restricted to any geographical boundaries. Here a player can log in to any server in the world from the confines of their home at any time they feel comfortable
  • Online gambling is not restricted to the traditional gambling methods like dice, cards, etc. It can be enjoyed in various other formats as well, like football betting, virtual lottery terminals, scratch cards, etc.
  • Online gambling is not conserved only in the virtual world. This platform can be integrated with the physical forms of gambling as well. For example, bets on horse racing during derby season can be placed online and from any part of the world, thus making online gambling an easy yet exciting experience

We are all aware of the various platforms where famous online gambling sites like csgobettings, etc. are present. If one does not know the details, there is absolutely no reason to worry about it as well. It is because finding such details is just a click away in the current age of superfast internet connections.

Evolution of gambling

In continuance of the above discussion, it is evident that gambling has been present in the growth of human civilization since the pre-historic era, even before formal recording of history had started. The earliest evidence of gambling is found in the Paleolithic era. The dice is the earliest tool used in the gambling process and was prevalent in the Mesopotamian region around 3000 BC.

The oriental world also had its fair share of gambling history.  In the first millennium BC, China was home to multiple gambling houses. The primary tools for gambling in those places were animal fights that used to take place here in these houses, where many gamblers used to bet on those animals. The oriental countries like Japan and China also witnessed various other formats of gambling like cards, dominoes, lotto games to name some.

In the western world like the UK, Europe, and the US, gambling has been injected into society since the middle ages. The Italian town of Venice holds the record for housing the first-ever casino in the world by the name of the Ridotto way back in 1638.

The English had a special inclination of gambling in horse races, which is assumed to last for about three centuries. The ill-effects of gambling coerced the newly independent America’s lawmakers to ban the activity completed during the early 20th Century. However, the latter part of the 20th century has seen some leniency in those strict gambling laws.

While physical gambling’s history spans through centuries, online gambling evolved at quite a rapid pace and is only a few decades old. The early forms of online gambling started during the early 1990s and spread like wildfire during the following years. The rapidity of their growth rate can be well understood from an example. The year 1996 recorded the presence of only 15 online gambling sites, which jumped to a whopping two hundred in just one year. The revenue generated in the current online gambling market is estimated to be in billions of USD.

The risks associated with Online Gambling and their probable mitigations

Gambling comes with its own set of risks. While the internet spews profusely about learning the tricks of online gambling, there are an equally ample amount of materials available, which focuses on being cautious about the ill effects whose source is gambling.

The first and the foremost affected area where gambling has a direct relation is addiction. Gambling addiction is a dangerous mental issue and is taken quite seriously by the medical fraternity as well. Online gambling is no different from the other one.

As discussed, the span of online gambling is much more advanced and well spread. Therefore, the risk of addiction also increases largely in such cases. Online gambling has various measures and rates to gauge the severity of the issue like non-problematic gambling, less risk gambling, non-gambling, moderate risk gambling, along with problem gambling.

These features help to identify the risks associated with any online gambling site nipping the bone of contention right at the budding stage.

Another interesting yet dangerous concept that is often found in online gambling is money laundering. Money Laundering is the primary source of funds for terrorist activities. Hiding money in these online gambling portals is quite easy thereby whitewashing the source and the destination of the funds. Such activities pose a huge threat to online gambling activity.

Mitigating these above threats is the only way to enjoy these online gambling activities. Having a legal binding on an international level is the primary way to curb the risk. The other way is on a personal level, where the exercise of moderation is needed. Excessive use of these online gambling platforms must be restricted so that it does not turn into a vicious addiction.