2008 was a great year for the online casino industry. And so were 2009 and 2010. Year after year, the popularity of online gambling continues to increase. It has reached such heights now that casinos have almost become an integral part of mainstream society.

Recent reports published by financial analysts revealed that this industry is growing at the rate of 8 percent every year. With a colossal number of players signing up at gambling sites, some online casinos have even recorded an amazing rate of growth up to 25-50 percent!

It’s just been a decade and the online casino industry has taken giant strides towards success. Today, it has become a separate entity in the gambling industry, thanks to the launch of advanced technology enabling the casino industry to meet the demands of innumerable sites needing constant updating.

For online casino sites, it’s not easy to operate within this cut-throat competition environment. To keep pace, casino sites are raising their opening bonuses as well as offering sign up specials to attract new customers. They are also hiking their jackpot prizes, with some casino sites offering even millions as the standard prize for hitting the progressive jackpot!

The online casino industry is flourishing. However, one thing that’s baffling gamblers as well as site owners is the attitude of the US law enforcement on this industry. With the anticipation of a ban being imposed on such sites by the government through UIGEA, many companies had left the US market in 2006. Now, as President Obama lost the majority in Congress, there is still a lot of uncertainty over what will happen to the thriving online casino industry in the future.

The enforcement of UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) had stolen the spark from the online casino industry. It forced the financial institutions to scrutinize all money transfers. Although this did not deter the industry from growing in leaps and bounds, the fear of what will happen next still looms large over the industry.

The online casino industry has high hopes with Obama, but obviously his agenda had higher priorities. It was expected that the Obama administration would be more flexible towards the gambling industry, but nothing concrete happened. Will the online casino industry see the light of the day as a regulated industry? This is still what the industry urgently needs at this hour. Bans and surveillance are not the answer to people’s freedom to play.