Growth of online poker industry

THERE’S probably two images that spring to mind when someone mentions playing poker. One is of a set of grizzled cowboys in a seedy Wild West saloon, reaching for their guns as the fifth ace in the pack turns up. The second is of a group of high-rolling businessmen, laying down gigantic bets in the back room of high-class casino.

But the craze for poker is spreading beyond the mega-rich, business-suited elite, thanks in part to the proliferation of online sites, such as Ladbrokes and 888.com, allowing ordinary punters to place modest bets from the comfort of their own homes.

Albert Tapper, general manager of LadbrokesPoker.com, the biggest online poker site in Europe, says: "There’s been such a growth in poker being shown on television, and we’ve seen that rise echoed online. More than 25,000 people play online poker with Ladbrokes every day, and at peak times we have between 6000 and 7000 people playing on over 400 tables.

"In January 2003, the total global daily cash game turnover for online poker was just $10 million (£5.3m) and by 2004 it had risen to $60m (£32m). Now, $180m (£95m) is wagered in cash game pots in online poker every day."

But the craze is not just for online games. Fuelled by reports of glamorous names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Nigella Lawson and husband Charles Saatchi, and Ben Affleck - who won the Californian State Poker Championship last June - spending their evenings bluffing and betting, groups of friends are setting up their own poker circles.

Even Coronation Street has got in to the act when at the end of last year viewers saw butcher Fred Elliott lose his shop to Mike Baldwin in a high-stakes game of poker, just weeks after they had started playing in the OAPs’ club for mere pennies. But for many the appeal is a sociable and intimate night’s entertainment - with no more cost than that of an average night out in town.