Though the rake, or time charge, of traditional casinos is often high, the opportunity costs of running a poker room are even higher. Also, brick and mortar casinos are reluctant to promote poker because it is difficult for them to profit from it. Traditional (or ' brick and mortar', B&M, live, land-based) venues for playing poker, such as casinos and poker rooms, may be intimidating for novice players and are often located in geographically disparate locations.

In a testimony before the United States Senate regarding Internet Gaming, Grant Eve, a Certified Public Accountant representing the US Accounting Firm Joseph Eve, Certified Public Accountants, estimated that one in every four dollars gambled is gambled online. Christiansen Capital Advisors stated online poker revenues grew from $82.7 million in 2001 to $2.4 billion in 2005, while a survey carried out by DrKW and Global Betting and Gaming Consultants asserted online poker revenues in 2004 were at $1.4 billion. It has been partly responsible for a huge increase in the number of poker players worldwide. Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. ( February 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources.

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