Introduction
Humans have been gambling for thousands of years. Anthropologists have discovered dice that is over four thousand years old in Egyptian pyramids. Gambling evolved further during the Renaissance with the introduction of lotteries in Europe . Casinos began emerging throughout Europe in the 19th century, and eventually spread to the United States .
Gambling has thrived since Nevada became the first state to legalize casino gambling in 1931 and casinos were legalized on Native American Reservations in the late 1980's. Gambling is now a large part of United States popular culture, as can be seen from the countless television shows devoted to poker and especially from the emergence of internet gambling. This is an unsurprising progression for gambling, as internet gambling has made gaming more convenient and more economical. In fact, it is estimated that revenues generated by the global internet gambling market will reach $25.2 billion by 2010 (PartyGaming). However, the easy access and quick results of the internet and the addictive nature of gambling, when combined, create a dangerous combination. Internet gambling facilitates the development of compulsive behavior and, consequentially, can take a devastating toll on society.
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