This just in: Online gambling is becoming more popular than Facebook in the UK, according to the Nielsen Company. Nielsen is best known as a company that reports television ratings to the networks. In a recent study released by the Nielsen Company, it is reported that in the last year online gambling in the UK grew more than Facebook. Nielsen says that an additional 3.2 million people went to online gambling sites last year, which is a 40% increase from the previous year. Social media sites, including behemoth Facebook, increased by approximately 2.2 million users.

According to the study, middle-aged men were the largest demographic responsible for the increase, but it is not only men visiting online casinos. According to Nielsen, 46% of online gamblers are women. The company also stated that online poker and online bingo are the most popular games with British citizens and that online poker websites fared the best of the online gambling sites.

A number of conclusions can be drawn from this data, but the most obvious point that it is making is that online gambling is more popular than ever and continues to grow at an impressive rate. Any countries that prohibit online gambling need to look at the implications of this Nielsen study: Not only is online gambling popular, but it is becoming more popular rather than less.

To be fair, I don’t know how much faith to put in the statistics compiled by the Nielsen Company. After all, this is the same group that year after year tells us that Two and a Half Men is the most-watched comedy in America. Not only do I not know a single person who watches the show, I’ve never found a person on the planet who thinks it’s funny. Also, with all of those years of American Idol being the “most watched” show, I certainly hope Nielsen’s figures are wrong. If not, I fear for the future of America.

Still, even if you don’t have a lot of faith in Nielsen’s research, it is undeniable that gambling, particularly poker, is more popular than ever right now. A game that used to be played in a dark card room hidden from the rest of the world is now on national television. For that reason, countries that ban online gambling, such as the United States, should seriously take a look at legalizing and regulating the industry. It will make the people happier and more free and as an added benefit, the government will earn additional revenue.

If you like your online casinos with as much sexual innuendo as possible, then you’ll love the folks at JackpotCity.com. JackpotCity Casino has launched a new Facebook program called Friends with Benefits. Facebook members who become friends with the casino have exclusive access to certain tournaments, promotions, bonuses and other goodies.

A representative of JackpotCity Casino loves the innuendo-laced promotion so much he couldn’t hold himself back when discussing it. All bolded words are emphasis added by me. The representative stated that the casino “saw a gap, a real opportunity to prove that players come first at JackpotCity.” When asked if he thinks the Friends With Benefits promotion will increase business, he stated that he hopes “it drives market penetration.”

Folks, I have to be honest. When I first heard the name of this promotion I was all set to include lots of puns and innuendo in this article. However, I don’t really need to now. My job is done for me by this guy speaking on behalf of the casino.

The representative went on to say that you “don’t have to make a deposit to have fun at JackpotCity Casino.” I believe (though it can’t be confirmed) that he then giggled and added, “It really is more entertainment bang for your buck. In fact, we thought about calling the tournaments ‘Bang for Bucks,’ but thought it might be misconstrued.”

Yes, unfortunately for the folks at JackpotCity, any sites that promise bang for bucks tend to get raided by the police. Just ask all of those people who posted the ads on Craigslist.

All kidding aside, JackpotCity’s Friends With Benefits promotion is a good deal, because you don’t need to do anything to take advantage other than become a friend on Facebook. As a reward, you’ll be updated on all promotions and deals and will get exclusives that other members of the casino do not.

JackpotCity may be new to Facebook marketing, but they are not new to social media. The casino has a strong Twitter following (for the uninitiated, that is not more innuendo, though it does sound like it) and it is likely that they will soon offer Friends With Benefits on Twitter as well.

If you want to enjoy the benefits of this friendship, find JackpotCity Casino on Facebook and become a friend. Then visit the online casino and take your reward.

Online gamblers and casino operators, watch out. China is coming after you. On the official website of the Ministry of Public Security, the government stated that they will “concentrate on investigating major and important cases of online gambling, knock out domestic and foreign groups that organize online gambling, and severely punish the criminal elements.”

If you’re involved in gambling in any way that relates to China and that statement doesn’t scare you, then you must not know much about the country. The Chinese government has a way of crushing all opposition and when they say phrases like “severely punish,” they mean it. This is the country that responds to protests by running over the protestors with tanks. It’s the country that controlled a population that wasn’t particularly keen on Communism by starving millions of people to death. Mao may be long gone and China may be seen as much kinder and gentler than in Mao’s day, but that’s only because anything would seem kinder and gentler in comparison.

Traditional gambling was banned in China after the Communist takeover in 1949 because the government didn’t want people to have control over their own money. If you could make and spend your own money, you are less reliant on the government. China, of course, continues to allow a state-run lottery, as is often the case in countries that ban gambling. In the absence of a legal way to gamble within Chinese borders, internet gambling has become more popular. In light of that development, China intends to go after those who gamble online as well as the financial institutions used and the online casinos who operate the games.

A fight for control of the internet is nothing new. When Google brought their popular search engine to the country, it was with the stipulation that the government controlled what information could be accessed. It has long been the policy of China, and all Communist governments for that matter, to control the flow of information, because that is the easiest way to crush an uprising.

When last year’s protests of a disputed election in Iran were publicized thanks to social networking sites like Twitter, China took note. China currently blocks the use of Twitter, Flickr, Youtube and Facebook. After Google accused the Chinese government of hacking into their Gmail service to retrieve information on human rights activists, it is likely that Google has seen the end of its days in China as well.

If you live in China, I doubt you have the ability to read this page. If you are in any way involved with online gambling in China, though, heed their warning. When China says someone will be punished, they mean business.

Gambling Review readers, meet Kris Zutis. Mr. Zutis has not yet graduated from college, but he’s already making lots of friends and enemies in the gambling world. Quite an achievement. When I was in college the only thing I had accomplished was racking up debt, constantly being drunk or hung over, and learning over 50 different meals you can make with ramen noodles. Zutis is clearly ahead of the curve.

A native of Latvia, Zutis is in his final year at Dundee University in Scotland. Zutis is an avid gambler and is even a member of poker clubs at the school. Zutis has designed a computer system for the final project for his Applied Computing degree that would detect card counters in blackjack. Yes, you read that correctly. A gambler wants to take away the only advantage  gamblers can have over the casino.

The system has already garnered a lot of attention, with Zutis being invited to the International Conference on Computer Vision Systems in Belgium to present his system to top developers across the globe. According to Zutis, the program he has developed uses a complex algorithm to track the progression of blackjack games and monitor the cards played and the bets being made. Put simply, the system counts cards the same way a player would and then determines if a player is using the same strategy. If so, it’s reasonable to assume that the player is counting cards.

Having another weapon against card counters is certainly a good thing for the casinos, and Zutis is making some friends in very high places representing the house. However, he’s not exactly popular with blackjack players at the moment. The website Blackjack Hero, a proponent of card counting, calls the inventor “hypocritical” and says they “can’t imagine anyone liking a guy who sells out to the casino’s side.”  The blog also pointed out that Zutis, an avid poker player, decided against developing a system that could affect his game of choice. Instead, he focused on blackjack.

It should be noted that Zutis’ program still needs some work before it’s ready to be unleashed in the casinos. It is just a college project, after all, but then again, so were Google, Facebook and Myspace. Also, card counting has never been possible at online casinos, so maybe someday blackjack players in brick and mortar casinos may have to deal with the same odds as online blackjack players.

Certainly Big Brother techniques, such as the eye in the sky, are already being used by casinos against gamblers and dirty dealers. One can’t blame the casinos for trying to get their hands on a program like this. However, the thought of a gambler selling out their own to make a buck just seems wrong. Every other game in the casino has a house edge that cannot be beaten by the players, but blackjack is the one game where a player who follows proper strategy and counts cards correctly actually has a chance to make money off of the house. This program would take away the only advantage the gamblers can have, meaning there would be no way for a player to make money off the casino, except of course by selling out and selling a product to the casinos that would hurt other gamblers. I guess young Mr. Zutis is a follower of the “if you can’t beat them, join them” philosophy. Such a shame.

Slots are the most common game in casinos, both online and brick and mortar. They are popular because it doesn’t take much skill or strategy and if you play long enough, every now and they you’ll get a payout and feel happy, even if you’re still losing money in the long run. One of the downsides to slots, though, is that you have to play alone. Or at least you did.

All Slots online casino will make history by releasing the first multi-player slot. In the game, Wheel of Wealth, a group of players compete against each other while interacting in a chat room environment. It is a unique idea that is sure to attract attention in the gaming world. The internet, through social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and blogging sites like Live Journal and Thoughts, has been helping people connect for years. To date, playing online slots has been a solitary experience, but All Slots will soon make it more interactive.

The game will also feature a unique bonus round, where all of the players logged in compete at the same time, each choosing a spot on the wheel which will determine their bonus. By being able to share in each other’s wins and losses, and of course trash talk, playing online slots should be infinitely more fun.

To join in the fun of online slots, visit All Slots online casino.

Welcome to what seems to be Facebook day on GamblingReview.com. If you put enough people in one place, it won’t be long before someone figures out a way to make money legally or otherwise. I say God bless America, others disagree.

Facebook is the most popular social networking site on the internet and has the good sense to offer users Texas Hold’em poker games. While there are no monetary stakes, some players have figured out a way to make them that way.

The players would win chips from the Facebook poker application and then sell the chips to other players wanting to be involved. Facebook picked up on the operation and, along with AlertPay, quickly put a stop to it. AlertPay agreed to put a stop to any operations in which poker chips are being sold for money.

“Facebook does not permit online gambling on its platform and some sellers attempted to convert the Texas Hold’em Poker application into monetized online gambling,” read a statement on AlertPay’s official blog.

AlertPay is concerned that these activities may have resulted in violating US online gambling laws. While online gambling is a bit of a gray area in the United States, it is certainly to do so when the government does not get their take of the pot.

“Site offering for sale virtual poker chips for use with Texas Hold’em Poker are in violation of AlertPay’s User Agreement and in potential violation of state and United States Federal laws prohibiting unlicensed and/or gambling,” read a statement, “as well as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.”

The greatest generation, the lost generation, the baby boomers, generation X and now… the Facebook generation. I have to say that it seems like the generations are going down hill. I knew things were getting bad when my Aunt’s best friend, a retired schoolteacher who is pushing 60, friend requested me on Facebook.

My Aunt’s best friend isn’t the only person who has caught wind about what all the hip kids are doing these days. Betfair, a UK-based online gambling company, is joining the likes of Goldman Sachs and placing their bets on the United States legalizing online gambling in the near not-to-distant future. “We want to bring the Facebook generation to the track,” says Gerard Cunningham, head of Betfair’s U.S. Operations.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he hopes to bring the track to the Facebook generation. Plans include the hefty $50 million investment/acquisition of Los Angeles-based American TV Games Network or “TVG.” TVG operates a television channel that broadcasts horse racing to 32 million homes throughout the United States.

In Silicon Valley, Cunningham and company are constructing a technical team that will fuse the television property with a powerful website to stream live horse racing and incorporate social networking (because the kids love social networking), Twitter feeds, etc.

Currently, Betfair is only involved in horse racing and steering clear of any legal road bumps. “When other forms of gambling become legal, we’ll be ready,” he says. “Until then, if it’s even a gray area we’re not going to touch it.”