Gambling is just one of the human race's favorite vices, the perfect way to fly in the face of the moral majority while walking the tightrope of rags to riches at the same time. As with any good vices, it has existed since the dawn of time, or at least since homo lazy us thought of a way to participate in games without actually playing. Inevitably, betting 4 chickens on how many rocks it would take to finish off a shoplifter at the local stoning grew in to a worldwide money-spinner with grand casinos and million dollar bookmaking businesses raking it in the know world wide. Equally inevitable was that industry getting swallowed whole by the Internet, just barely recognizable by family and close friends.

Betting culture kicked off unluckily and, like pretty much the rest you might think of, in Ancient China. The fact which it predates legal tender suggests what we've all been thinking; that money was invented solely to stop early gamblers putting their wives up as a stake. Considering that the beginning, wagering on games of chance has been a moral black spot and virtually every religious text has an ambiguous passage the excellent and evil of baccarat in there somewhere. The United States have a well-publicized love/hate relationship with the pastime, giving rise to hotbeds of 'slot tourism' like Las Vegas while next door in Utah your Average Joe can not even bet on an NFL game.

Fast forward to Q1 of the 21st century, gambling sector is growing into something bigger than any of those Ancient Chinese philosophers could have imagined. Online poker turned what was a sexist, elitist posing competition causing drunken arguments at kitchen tables through the English-speaking world into an inclusive and civilized pastime for anyone quiet nights in at home. You can even make an honest living from it for anybody who is prepared to stay up all night living purely on coffee and take away pizza. Better still, our streets are free of old ladies since they swap the bingo halls for web sites, leaving our towns bereft from the screeching cackle of older people.

Sports betting has been a massive institution in Great Britain since records began, with none of the same restrictions as experienced in the United States, but betting on 'soccer' does not have great appeal to Americans. Considering that the move to online has happened, global betting habits are converging and commercial gambling on sports like American football is finally getting the attention it deserves. There is nothing more satisfying than putting your short term financial future within the hands of a man who could eat your weight in chocolate pudding, unless they introduce the aforementioned event within the 2016 Olympics.

And also a new amount of variety, online gaming is a much safer prospect than the bookmakers of the past; no longer will we have to scour dank alleys to put USD 50 on the spread, or have to use the words "PLEASE Don't BREAK MY LEGS, I HAVE KIDS TO FEED" again. The vast majority of sites are fully licensed, accepting all kinds of legitimate online payment and most especially you don't have to leave the warm fuzzy glow of your monitor. Although I prefer my family room, some purists might want to take their notebook or tablet down a questionable back street or get their spouse to hang them off a tenth floor balcony demanding payment.

The history of gambling has been long and colorful, fraught with glory and misery in equal measure, but not considering that the first brick on the Las Vegas strip was laid has there been such a considerable development as online betting. With more bookmakers to choose from, amazing innovations like betting in play and competitive deals like free stake money on sign-up there has never been an even better era for the humble gambler than now. Good luck to all of you and as usual, the home always wins but unlike the home, you could just get laid too!