Where some businesses lagged behind and didn’t harness the opportunities presented by mobile communications and the internet, the gambling sector thrived. The UK betting market surpassed £2bn in revenue last year – this figure stood at just over £1bn in 2008.

It’s interesting to look at the driving forces behind this upsurge and it seems that three catalysts have been largely responsible: the online casino, sports betting and mobile technology.

Many of us now have smartphones, often supplemented by laptops and tablets. This means we can access gambling apps and betting sites immediately, and from any location.

The new technologies also give us instant access to a huge market of betting opportunities which are often best packaged and displayed in the online format.

Football betting has soared in the last five years, and the markets available are much more than the score predictions and results forecast. In Play Betting and Live Odds have revolutionised the way we look at football betting and most televised games are now filled with various In Play offers.

Sites such as www.gamingclub.co.uk offer free bets when you sign up and generous introductory offers beckon clients into sites which can be accessed quickly and easily, rather than having to physically go to the bookies.

The online casino has encompassed all of our favourite casino table games, as well as innovative slots and cash stakes gaming. Surprising choices like Bingo have really found a home on the net, maybe due to the social aspects the developers have imbued the games with.

Sports betting constitutes a figure approaching 50% of the entire market, horses still being the biggest market, followed by the online casino which makes around a quarter of all revenue.

Football betting and the online casino cover a lot of advertising space in the modern media, as the UK betting sector continues to lead the way in a burgeoning market.