With the introduction of the internet in the early 1990s, several business opportunities have become available not only to big corporations, but also to small businesses and individuals. From internet shopping to online education now comes internet gambling. Internet gambling has been around for over 15 years already but it is only now that it is getting this much attention as more secure encryption codes are developed and internet advertising becoming prevalent. 2008 estimates show that online gamblers total to around 25 million worldwide with total amount spent with online casinos reaching as high as $50 billion.

Do you know anybody who doesn't know what Las Vegas is all about? Well, like everything in the world, it now has its virtual counterpart – online casinos. Playing in online casinos is a new phenomenon, but one that has great promise. But before you off searching for the best online game sites, let's look at the basics of online casino gaming.

As you may know already, land-based casinos you find in Vegas differ significantly from online casinos. The first difference and most obvious is that in online casinos, there are no dealers and all online casino games are operated by computer programs. Although games like poker and blackjack might feature chat boxes for players who are playing in the same table all interactions between players in online casinos have no direct effect to the conduct of the game. As such, most online casino games go faster than their real-life counterparts.

There are many online casino games available in every room which includes online slots, blackjack, baccarat, roulette and video poker to name a few. Most of these popular casino games have the same rules as their real-life counterpart. In many of these online casinos allow "instant play" versions of their games so that players no longer have to download software and they can play immediately from their web browser. For newbies to online casino gaming, they can play for free with a few thousand dollars pre-deposited to their account. Of course when they use this option, games don't pay out real money but beginners use this option often times to test the gambling system of the website.

Perhaps the biggest question online casinos have to face is: why do internet gamblers prefer online casinos over their land-based counter parts? A study was already conducted to answer this question. The research conducted by Robert Wood, et.al, found out that the prevalence rate of internet gambling is higher among skilled professionals, among young adults, those whose income are above the average and those whose jobs need the use of the internet. With that fact alone, we know that most of those who play online casino games are those who have constant access to the internet. It was also found out that there are more casual gamers on the internet as more players think of online casino games as a solution to boredom, and as a quick way to get excitement in an otherwise routine work.