Win or ..

Who would have thought that one of the biggest earning niches on the internet would be centred on thousands of sites that allow you to take part in games of skill and chance online, pitting your wits against other players from anywhere in the world and creating a whole new online persona for yourself with your choice of Avatar on the more imaginative sites. When you sign up for membership of a casino online you will usually be offered a signup bonus, where the house matches your initial deposit. So when you invest £100 this is immediately doubled to $200. You can look upon this as cash to help you learn how the game works or as a way of increasing your chances of winning more. It is no surprise that this kind of pastime can become addictive: our own dear 'Archers' radio series highlighted some of the dangers last year in its usual shock fashion, depicting a character who was in debt to a friend after losing at a live game and then tried to win the money back by playing online.