Online gaming appears to be here to stay and also seems to be further puncturing mainstream culture. For example the online poker firm Mansion have signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club which continues the sectors association with the countries number one pastime.
Other trends such as text betting may also have a big future in common with phone voting for television shows. This is especially true for the younger generation who are predominantly used to using their phones in this way.
In essence the British public are soon going to be exposed to more gaming than ever before. The question remains as to how this will work, will Britain further embrace gambling as a harmless pastime or will it destroy the core values in society? The last time Britain faced such exposure to mainstream gaming was the launch of the National Lottery in 1996, if the results follow this pattern there may well be individual casualties but society will continue function as we know it.
For more on new gaming trends please visit the Expert opinion page .
For more on how this could affect individuals please visit Tom's story.