The Internet has become a major part of our lives. While gambling has been around for a long time, the advent of online gambling created new opportunities to gamble. Its popularity prompted lawmakers to investigate and explore online gambling regulations. In the United States, gambling regulators have been examining how the internet is affecting the gambling industry.

Regulators are recognizing the importance of regulating internet gambling in order to protect consumers and collect taxation revenues. Despite its growing popularity, Internet gambling remains a relatively rare activity, with only a small proportion of people actually participating in it. However, participation is increasing rapidly in the countries where it is regulated.

While the connection between Internet gambling and problem gambling is not clear, some studies have found links between the two. A large proportion of problem gamblers attribute their problems to Internet gambling, but not all of them do. Some may already be suffering from mental health issues before they began engaging in problem gambling. However, the limitations of most studies on Internet gambling are that they are cross-sectional and dependent on self-reporting.

A number of states have banned or restricted online gambling. For instance, in Maharashtra, online gambling is illegal. However, other Indian states have not yet taken a stand. However, the Federal Information Technology Rules on gambling online are addressing the issue and may block certain websites from operating illegally.