Internet Gambling in the Workplace

Abstract

According to a recent report carried out by the company SurfControl (Snoddy, 2000), office workers who while away one hour a day at work on various nonwork activities (e.g., trading shares, booking holidays, shopping online, etc.) could be costing businesses as much as $35 million a year. Their survey found that 59% of office Internet use was not work-related and that those who traded in shares, played sport, shopped, and bought holidays cost companies the most. One activity that may play an ever-increasing part of Internet use at work is Internet gambling. Most gamblers are what might be termed “normal” or “social” gamblers who occasionally bet on a horse race, play bingo or buy a lottery ticket. However, for a small proportion of the population, gambling is an activity that takes over their whole life and can cause major problems. A new area of potential concern is Internet gambling--particularly in the workplace. Many people believe the future lies in the Internet, and the gaming industry—like most other companies with a service to sell—is itself starting to go online. Technology is the future and electronic gambling is where the action is and will continue to be. No one is really sure how the Internet will develop over the next 5 to 10 years but Internet gambling as a commercial activity has the potential for large financial rewards for the operators.