A national survey in Canada has found that young adults are more interested in ‘technology driven’ options such as online gambling than are their older counterparts.

The findings which are mirrored in the UK are hardly surprising but they once again highlight the move towards online gambling spreading across the developed world.

According to a piece in the Montreal Gazette, pollster Allan Gregg told the 2008 Canadian Gaming Summit that one-third of Canadians said that they are gambling less than they did three years ago while those under 35 are more likely to be gambling more.

However, the industry conference heard that the gambling industry in Canada could not yet take advantage of the younger age group’s penchant for these types of gaming options because the online version of this pastime is not yet legal.

'Unfortunately for lottery jurisdictions in Canada, this younger group favours the technology driven gambling options of the future,' said Gregg, Chairman of Harris/Decima.

He told about 200 Summit participants that online sportsbetting and web-based poker games were considered acceptable forms of gambling by 56 per cent of those aged 18 to 34, according to a recent survey of 3,047 Canadians.

But, the same survey found that only 20 per cent of those over 55 and just 35 percent of those over 35 favoured online sports wagering. He stated that younger people were also more supportive of interactive online lottery games.

Paul Burns, Vice-President of the Canadian Gaming Association, told the newspaper that, although current laws prohibit most forms of electronic or online gambling in Canada, citizens spend up to $400 million a year over the Internet by accessing computer servers based in foreign jurisdictions or on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake.

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