Gambling revenues to top $10 bln, poker revenues top top $2 bln

More than 2,000 gambling Web sites in 2005 will rake in nearly $10 bln in revenue, most from US consumers. That's up 40% from 2004. In 1996, when lawmakers first sought to curb Internet gambling, 30 sites collected $30 mln, according to Christiansen Capital Advisors. Poker revenue is expected to double to more than $2 bln and attract 1 mln players a month. Americans play at 266 Web sites, up from 53 in June 2003, says gaming site CasinoCity.com. About 3% of people acknowledge gambling online at work, vs. 2% in 2003, according to a survey by Harris Interactive in 2004.