2005:
Interesting Year for Online Casinos
It wasn't an easy year for online casinos in 2005. The industry
went through many changes, growing and slowing down, crashed and
boomed again. Millions of dollars were won in online casinos, by
players from all over the world and everyone seems to be
infected with the poker flue. Looking back on the past year, it
wasn't a bad year at all for online casinos.
It was a horrible year for the victims of many natural disasters
this year. However, the online casinos got a chance to show that
they cared. The year started with the tsunami, killing millions
of people in the end of 2004 and many online casinos and poker
rooms raised money for the victims. Several tournaments were
organized and other fundraising events, to collect money for the
numerous good causes related to the Tsunami. Later in the year,
the online gambling operations came in action again, after the
hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. In 2005, the online casinos
really showed that they have a positive effect on the world,
instead of a negative one, which is always presented by the
media.
The largest online gaming operation on the internet surprised
the entire financial market by having the highest IPO in the
past five years on the London Stock Exchange. Nevertheless, when
the online casinos CEO reported that the results of the
operation might slow down, the market crashed and the share
prize dropped like stone. This led to law claims from other
e-gaming businesses, blaming them for breach of contract. It
also brought the online gambling operations plenty of publicity
and huge papers all over the world, discussing the struggle of
the online casino market. Another interesting financial
development, were the investments of Wall Street in the offshore
online casinos. Officially, it is still illegal to gamble in
online casinos in the United States, but nobody is sure how the
rules lie for investing…
The quality of the online casinos games have developed greatly
in the past year. The biggest software developers have improved
their software, offering the players more gaming pleasure by
featuring new exciting games with superb up-to-the-minute
options. The well-known e-gaming watchdog organization eCOGRA,
certified more online gambling sites in 2005, making more
casinos a 100% reliable. Many online casinos want the eCOGRA
seal, understanding that gamblers have become more
computer-savvy and will not stand for an internet casino that
isn't fair, safe, or honest.
The growing competition among online casinos led to the larger
companies merging, buying and killing many smaller gambling
operations. According to gambling experts, this is only the
beginning, and soon small operations won't stand a chance in the
hard world of online casinos.
The New Year has just begun, and already online casinos are
making waves. This year, everybody is waiting for an answer of
the United States to online gambling. Opponents and supporters
are discussing the benefits and disadvantages constantly. But
will the government finally make a (right) decision this year?
