Each day tens of thousands of people across Britain log on to their computers to play online casino games and an industry figure has predicted more and more Britons will partake in the phenomena in the coming years.

The growth of the online poker industry in particular has been hailed as a massive success story by Marc W, the senior editor and flagship columnist for the insider.

He said that the success of online poker is more than a temporary trend, with the success of the game in 2007 part of a lasting legacy.

After a year in which poker proved a big hit with those surfing the web, building on its growing prominence in the last decade, Marc W said the game was here to stay.

"Online poker players are not going to disappear, and last year proved that this is a sustainable industry and not a passing fad," he commented.

His comments follow the announcement of the Insider's Online Poker Awards for 2007 yesterday, which sought to summarise a "crazy" year.

Winners included Poker Stars for the best online tournament of the year, with its $1 million-plus prizes, while the site Bodog Poker or Bodoglife Poker also picked up a gong for its customer service.

Despite laws in the United States banning online gambling the growth of and improvements in online gaming (especially online poker) have been constant and staggering.

In the UK the regulation of the industry and the new gambling act which allows online gaming companies to advertise on mainstream television has ensured more and more people are logging on to find out what all the fuss is about.

Poker, as a land based game, has also received increased promotion in recent years thanks to televised tournaments and endorsements from top Hollywood stars and legends from the sporting world.