It’s hard to believe or even imagine that the online casino world started just last decade. It somehow feels like it’s been around for forever but one only has to look back 16 years to the year 1994 to unveil its short yet remarkable history. I have managed to dig up a number of the most significant facts and figures:

•  In 1994, the first major online gambling jurisdiction was born in the twin island state of Antigua and Barbuda
• Gambling regulatory body, The Free Trade and Processing Zone, permits the issuance of gambling licenses to Operators wanting to open online casinos
• Under the FTPZ Act, the Directorate of Offshore Gaming was created for the purpose of receiving, processing, approving, and issuing gambling licenses
• Also in 1994, software provider Microgaming was founded, providing the means to make available casino games for online enjoyment
• Then in 1995 Cryptologic was born, bringing about the finishing touches to a comprehensive online casino via financial processing – the first component to be developed was eCash
• Cryptologic combined the online casino aspect and the financial processing portion and created InterCasino – the first known full-fledged online casino
• The online gambling industry grew rapidly with an influx of online casinos especially as more and more gambling jurisdictions emerged
• Over 2,000 online gambling sites comprising of largely casino, poker and sports betting operations exist to this day
• The combined revenue of this online industry now exceeds $15 Billion dollars

So the question I’m thinking about now is what next and when. Will this industry still exist in 20 years (as we know it) or is there something bigger and better coming?