question of what should be done as is evidenced by the wide range of approaches around the world. A number of small jurisdictions (e.g. in the Caribbean, Gibraltar, Alderney) have embraced the opportunities and have specifically granted Internet gambling licences (often for relatively small fees and with no duty payments because of the employment benefits); some jurisdictions within Australia are also following the path of licensing and regulation but with a more measured approach designed to guarantee propriety etc; a number of European countries now permit their already licensed gambling operators to offer Internet services but to residents only; and the USA is still seeking a way in which it can effectively prevent Internet gambling by its residents, whether offered by operators at home or abroad.

In line with all this, an increasing number of Internet sites are offering the means to gamble. Broadly such sites can be characterized as one of two types:
sites which offer an entry via the Internet to terrestrial gambling. These are often just alternatives to other means of entry such as the post or telephone, using the Internet simply as a communications tool. Examples are football pools entries and credit betting on horse racing and other sports;
interactive gaming run exclusively on the Internet, in particular sites which offer virtual casino and slot machine gaming and interactive lotteries.

Given the nature of the Internet, it is very difficult to get any reliable figures on the current and predicted size of such on-line gambling, of either type, but all commentators agree that the global market is large and growing. Using a range of sources, MMD Ltd (as part of research undertaken for the Betting Office Licensees Association) estimates that Internet gambling as a whole will contribute in 2001 just over £21 billion to global gambling turnover of £638 billion. Of this £21 billion, horserace betting is forecast to make up £2 billion, sports betting £9 billion, on-line casinos £5 billion and lotteries £5 billion. Bear Stearns has suggested that there are in excess of 600 on-line Internet casino sites. The Board has itself commissioned questions on the extent of Internet gambling in Great Britain in a regular, multipurpose survey conducted by ICM Ltd. This is a small scale survey and its results must be treated with caution. It suggests that perhaps one per cent of British adults >>