I saw a stat (pulled from a decade ago) that said more than 1.6 billion people gamble each year.

Online Casino Gambling has risen from a small niche to become one of the most popular pastimes in the world today. Millions of players from around the globe log on to an online Casino or Poker site every day to play, for fun or for real money, and enjoy the thrills of online gambling.

Dec 12, 2012 A taxonomy of gambling and casino games via social media and online technologies 24 February 2014 International Gambling Studies, Vol. 2 An investigation of social casino gaming among land-based and Internet gamblers: A comparison of socio-demographic characteristics, gambling and co-morbidities. Social impacts of gambling, and are scientifically rigorous. These principles are outlined in the first section of this paper. In light of these methodological principles, the second section of this paper provides an exhaustive review of what is known about the social and economic impacts of gambling.

Knowing that, would you be surprised to hear that even more people play social casino games? One statistic said that more than 11 million users visit the top social casino games on Facebook daily.

The Social Benefits of Video Games. Because I'm in need of a bit of a Mass Effect break, here's a new infographic from the folks at Psychology Degree. They've boiled down much of the data about the social benefits of gaming into visual form, and some of the stats are definitely noteworthy. Benefits like problem solving and creative thought are.
The social aspect of visiting a casino or playing a live game of poker. There isn’t the same social aspect to gambling when betting or playing online. This makes it less appealing for some people. It’s worth pointing out that gambling online doesn’t mean you have to stop going to land-based casinos or poker rooms.

That comes out to more than 4 billion users per year. About 2.5x the number of people who gamble for real money.

Now, that is only the user-base and not money spent or earned. Social games are nowhere near traditional gambling in that sense, where traditional gambling generates $100+ billion each year.

But social gambling is still brand new, and it’s still growing. It’s currently a $3.4 billion niche market with experts estimating it’ll reach $4.4 billion by 2017. It makes up 4% of the overall $91 billion social gaming market – which is comparable to traditional gambling.

The point is this: social casino gaming is a big deal.

So big, in fact, that many traditional poker and casino companies are buying their way into this space. We have a few examples later on, but the most current example is the World Poker Tour. On August 31st, 2016, they announced the launch of their social casino platform, PlayWPT, which includes both poker and slot games.

Anyway, chances are you’re already familiar with social games. Maybe you already have a favorite social slots or blackjack game you play. If not, then we’ll bet you’ve at least seen these games on your Facebook.

If not, that’s okay too. Either way, you’re about to learn (more) about social casino gaming. The following sections will cover:

What social gaming is.
How social gambling is different from traditional gambling.
Social gambling companies and games.
Risks and downsides (including addiction).
Thoughts on why social gambling is legal while many forms of (online) gambling is not.
What the future has in store for social gamers.

There are several different reasons why there are so many
online gambling sites to choose from, with the most obvious one
being that there are a wide variety of potential customers. It’s
not known exactly how many people around the world use these
sites collectively, but it’s guaranteed to be a large number.
One of the biggest sites, Bet365, claims to have over 15 million
users, and they don’t even accept customers from the United
States.

So it’s safe to assume that online gambling is a very popular
activity. This isn’t really surprising, as gambling has been
popular throughout history. People enjoyed betting and playing
gambling games long before the internet existed, it’s just that
the internet has made it even easier to do so.

There are, however, many people who believe that online
gambling should be banned. Some of these people may have
questionable motives for believing this (such as the owners of
brick and mortar casinos for example), but there are some that
have legitimate and well-reasoned concerns about whether it’s
beneficial.

We are obviously supporters of online gambling. One our
biggest motivations for producing and maintaining this website
is that we love to gamble. It’s a passion of ours. We believe
that it can be a very positive experience, and we’re grateful
for the fact that we can do it over the internet. It’s important
to be responsible, of course, but we certainly don’t feel it’s a
pastime that should have any kind of social stigma attached to
it.

With that being said, we wouldn’t encourage anyone to start
gambling online if they didn’t feel it was right for them.
That’s not what we’re about. What we can do, though, is provide
the information needed to make a personal judgement. That’s the
purpose of this page. We discuss the main pros and cons of
online gambling, so that you can make your own mind up about
whether or not it’s something you want to try.

The Pros of Online Gambling

In our opinion, the following are the biggest advantages of
gambling online.

Entertaining & Exciting
Convenience & Comfort
Suitable for All Budgets
Choice of Betting & Gaming Options
Privacy and Security
Bonuses and Rewards

Entertaining & Exciting

The fact that online gambling is ultimately a form of
entertainment is often forgotten. Many people gamble purely for
the chance of winning money, which is fine, but for a lot of
people it’s more about the fun they can have. Gambling can be a
lot of fun even when you’re losing money. If you’re sensible
about how much money you risk, then the losses should just be
thought of as the price to pay for entertainment. It’s not
really any different from spending money on any other form of
entertainment.

Of course, this point applies to gambling in general rather
than just online. It’s one that we feel is worth mentioning
though, as many of those people who are against online gambling
don’t seem able to accept the fact that it’s not ALL about the
money that can be won or lost. It can simply be about having
fun.

Convenience & Comfort

Using the internet is an incredibly convenient way to indulge
in gambling. You don’t have to leave the house, and gambling
sites never close. You can enjoy your betting and gaming at any
time you choose: all from the comfort of your own home. You
don’t even have to get dressed if you don’t want to!

You can gamble online using a variety of
different devices. All you need is internet access and an
account with a gambling site.

With an online gambling account, you’ll never have to worry
about not getting to the bookmakers in time to place a wager
before a big game. You’ll never have to worry about not being
able to get any action at the poker table, and you’ll never have
to worry about not getting a seat at your favorite casino game.

Suitable for All Budgets

Most gambling sites cater for all budgets. You can typically
deposit as little as $10 or as much as several thousand. There’s
usually a wide range of stakes too. You don’t have to spend much
money at all if you don’t want to, yet high rollers can bet as
much money as they like.

This a particularly significant advantage for casino players.
The range of stakes you can play for in many land-based casinos
is much smaller. This means some players have to p

Social Benefits Of Online Gambling