Pornography was the first to make money on the Internet. Now the vice-masters are doing well with gambling. Most have managed to stay one step ahead of the law. The authorities have had some success in punishing those who run Internet casinos. But they've done nothing to slow its growth.
New customers keep depositing cash with the casinos, using credit cards or wire transfers.
The number of Web sites offering gambling has grown 169 percent in six months, according to Websense. It compiles lists of no-no Web sites for corporations, which use the list to block such sites on their computers. Primary Web sites are overseas Websense says there are now over 21,000 gambling Web sites. But that probably overstates the number of operators. Many Internet gambling companies have dozens of sites.