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LONDON (Reuters) - British gamblers have discovered the perfect way to have a flutter without leaving the comfort of their homes -- Internet betting sites.
Figures released Thursday showed a significant increase in the number of Britons using the Internet for gambling during last month's World Cup and Wimbledon championships.
As the nation became embroiled in sporting fever, visitors to online betting sites shot up 15 percent on the previous month, UK-based research firm NetValue said.
The sites proved most alluring to the country's mothers, who accounted for 27 percent of all online gamblers in June, according to the survey.
Internet betting was also attractive to young people, with those aged between 17 and 25 making up 24 percent of online gamblers, NetValue said.
However, while highlighting the growing popularity of Internet gambling, the results cast doubts over the ability of such sites to guard against underage betting in Britain, where the law prohibits gambling for any person under the age of 18.
The results showed that one in six, or 16.8 percent, of visitors to online betting sites were under the age of 17.
A spokesman for NetValue said it was unclear whether the underage surfers had been able to place a bet once hitting the site.
"We can track the Web Sites that are viewed by under 17 year-olds but are unable to say whether they were able to gain access," she said.
"However, there have been cases where children have used their parents' credit cards, for example, to place bets."
High street betting agencies were the main beneficiaries of last month's rise in hits for online gambling sites.
Eurobet.co.uk (Coral) experienced a record 171 percent increase on May, while ladbrokes.com and willhill.com (William Hill) enjoyed rises of 95 and 71 percent respectively, the survey showed.
The popularity of Internet betting also saw a marked increase across Europe, with Norway and Germany seeing the biggest rises.
France, who made a shock first-round exit from the World Cup, together with Sweden, were the only countries to see a slight decrease in visitors to gambling sites.
Figures released Thursday showed a significant increase in the number of Britons using the Internet for gambling during last month's World Cup and Wimbledon championships.
As the nation became embroiled in sporting fever, visitors to online betting sites shot up 15 percent on the previous month, UK-based research firm NetValue said.
The sites proved most alluring to the country's mothers, who accounted for 27 percent of all online gamblers in June, according to the survey.
Internet betting was also attractive to young people, with those aged between 17 and 25 making up 24 percent of online gamblers, NetValue said.
However, while highlighting the growing popularity of Internet gambling, the results cast doubts over the ability of such sites to guard against underage betting in Britain, where the law prohibits gambling for any person under the age of 18.
The results showed that one in six, or 16.8 percent, of visitors to online betting sites were under the age of 17.
A spokesman for NetValue said it was unclear whether the underage surfers had been able to place a bet once hitting the site.
"We can track the Web Sites that are viewed by under 17 year-olds but are unable to say whether they were able to gain access," she said.
"However, there have been cases where children have used their parents' credit cards, for example, to place bets."
High street betting agencies were the main beneficiaries of last month's rise in hits for online gambling sites.
Eurobet.co.uk (Coral) experienced a record 171 percent increase on May, while ladbrokes.com and willhill.com (William Hill) enjoyed rises of 95 and 71 percent respectively, the survey showed.
The popularity of Internet betting also saw a marked increase across Europe, with Norway and Germany seeing the biggest rises.
France, who made a shock first-round exit from the World Cup, together with Sweden, were the only countries to see a slight decrease in visitors to gambling sites.