Internet casinos were the talk of the gaming town during the latter half of 1996. If properly developed, these Internet casinos could rival the best of commercially available casino games, and with the ability to compete against other players around the world, possibly even the casino experience itself.
Given the fact that the essence of all casino games involves the generation of random numbers, using a device such as a deck of
cards or dice, Internet casino operators can relegate most of the
functions, such as graphics and audio to the client machine.
Gaming analyst, Sebastian Sinclair in the March issue of International Gaming and Wagering Business, took a stab at documenting the scope of internet gambling. In 1996, in the United States, adults spent, or lost, an estimated $24.5 billion on casino-style games (this includes video-lottery terminals, sports books, cruise ships, and Native American casinos). This works out to an Internet casino market size of almost $3.4 billion in 1996. In the United States casinos are not within easy reach of a large proportion of the populace.
International Data Corp. estimates that Internet commerce rose from almost nothing in 1995 to $3 billion in 1996, and is expected to rise to $100 billion by 2000. Web gambling has arrived. The only thing missing was the free drinks.