Rise of Online Slots

Online slots have become increasingly popular since 1995 when the first online gambling companies came into effect.

Now gambling is available on many websites all over the world, any time of the day or year, depending on the country's specific laws about gambling. Since 2009 there has been a 44.9% increase in the European gambling market, but other markets such as America have grown much slower than expected thanks to prohibitions of internet gambling. Some countries have strict bans on online gambling but others have state monopoly restrictions.

Before 2006, the United States was the largest market for online gambling. Due to the unexpected US prohibition of internet gambling in that year and the legal uncertainty meant that many online gambling companies stopped accepting US players, but the ambiguous writing of the act meant that some companies were able to work around it.

The legality now changes from state to state, so there are many American-based companies which are tested for fairness and security. Special bonuses often occur during American holidays and themed slots are popular, although it is important to check the legislation in your area and do some research into sites which are known to be safe.

In Europe, the UK and Nordic countries are among the most successful and most free of all the internet gambling organisations. Finland especially has one of the highest spends per person in Europe for online gambling, being embraced by the government in 1996 under a government sanctioned monopoly.

Most gambling in Finland is run by either PAF in the Åland Islands and RAY on the mainland, and both companies provide slot games.

One study revealed that 40% of Finnish citizens gamble on a weekly basis; a large amount of these people play slots.

As well as gambling sanctioned by the government, the Finnish are free to play on any offshore online gambling sites, often using the Euro.
The Asian continent is drastically divided on online gambling, with many countries prohibiting any form of internet betting except for state lotteries; despite this, 41% of the world market of online gambling is located in the Asia Pacific.

The Asian country with the biggest revenue from online gambling is Japan, earning in recent years $35 billion compared to just $2.5 in Hong Kong, where gambling is illegal except through the Hong Kong Jockey Club. A slot game called Pachinko is a particularly popular game in Japan, and is one of the most played online slots in the country.

Online gambling shows no sign of letting up worldwide, and as more legislation comes into effect we are sure to see many more slot games from around the world; for now, some countries are simply a little ahead of the game, and putting the profits to good use.