In recent times there have been concerns expressed in the gambling industry that online casinos would take business away from their land based cousins.

But a leading industry figure this week said if anything online gaming drives more people to casinos after having cut their teeth on the internet.

Also online gambling is helping to give live casinos a more vibrant atmosphere, it has been suggested.

Phil Martin, editor of the highly regarded industry magazine Casino Review, said that in the US there are large numbers of people now heading to resorts to gamble because they have been introduced to games, particularly poker, on the internet.

"Certainly in the US - and what happens in the US tends to happen in the UK sooner or later - is that the online sector, and certainly internet poker, has created a new buzz within the casinos," the expert commented.

Casino revenues have been declining in recent months, highlighted by the latest figures from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which show a fall in earnings of 1.52 per cent between March 2007 and March 2008.

However, Mr Martin explained that he does not believe this is anything to do with the rise of the internet and suggested that other factors are to blame.

Martin’s viewpoint actually makes more sense when taken in a British perspective.

With federal restrictions being placed on internet gambling in the States the opportunities to play on line are limited.

In the UK however the regulated market offers players literally hundreds of gaming options which they learn from and then take the knowledge and experience gained to a land based casino if they choose.