A recent study conducted by Nielson Media Research into social media and online gambling has revealed that online gambling is more popular amongst internet users in the UK than social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter.
While the use of social media has become a global phenomenon in recent years, it seems that online gambling remains more attractive to British citizens than catching up on the latest gossip or adding and poking friends. According to statistics, 3.2 million UK individual visited online casino sites and sports books in 2009, while only 2.2 million logged in to social media websites.
The study also revealed that the number of online gamblers looking to place wagers or play casino games on the internet has risen by a whopping 40% year-on-year and that the typical demographic profile for the average online gambler indicates that on average 50% are well educated, high earning individuals.
When discussing study, Neil Betson of Nielsen Media Research, stated that: “While the phenomenal growth in gambling sites over the last two years has been driven by men and women of all ages, it appears to be powered particularly by middle-aged men, the well educated and high-earning households.”
While many areas of the online gambling industry may have suffered slightly in 2010 due to economic instability caused by the global recession of the last few years as well as shifts in political landscapes, it seems that online casinos and sports books have continued to hold their own and will be around far into the foreseeable future which is good news for gambling enthusiasts.

