Male domination of gambling in the UK could be challenged on the Internet, according to the findings of a MORI poll.

Women put off by smokey betting shops full of men would find gambling online far more appealing , the survey of 2,100 people found.

MORI (Market & Opinion Research International) says one in eight women said they would gamble online because it was a safe, anonymous method and 12% of teenage girls said they were more likely to gamble online than visit a bookmaker.

Concerns for children

With a third of all teenagers now having Internet access, there are concerns that children could become addicted to gambling on the Net. But less than 5% of children interviewed in the survey had used a parent's credit card to gamble online.

The survey, carried out for "the net" magazine, found that 87% thought that gambling on the Net was regulated, even though it is one of the most unregulated forms of gambling available.

Mark Griffiths, professor of psychology at Nottingham Trent University, said the survey was the first of its kind on Internet gambling and backed up his own research.

Net betting regulation urged

He called for regulation from the Gaming Board and the government: "The increase in the number of consumers online, and the low start-up costs, mean that the number of Internet gambling sites will increase rapidly, many set up by unscrupulous traders," he said.

"Gambling online is tempting for users because of the accessibility and anonymity of the Internet - it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. So there is every reason for Internet gambling to become a real social problem in the near future.