SOURCE: news.scotsman.com

Nearly a quarter of internet users in Britain have logged on to gaming sites to play poker in the past 12 months, according to a new report. But many are too unsure of the rules to play with real money.

The game is proving a popular pastime, largely as a result of its higher profile on television. A survey by market analyst Mintel revealed 23 percent of 3,822 people questioned had played poker in the past year.

Most seem to participate infrequently, with only 7 percent playing daily and 14 percent at least once a week.

Half of those surveyed had watched the game on television, with a fifth citing TV coverage as the reason they decided to play. The amount of poker shown on TV has risen dramatically in recent years, from 13 hours in 2001 to nearly 540 hours last year.

Matt King, Mintel's senior leisure analyst, said poker was seen as one of the most "cool" forms of gambling.

He said: "The popularity of poker has soared in recent years as the game undoubtedly has an element of cool lacking from many other forms of gambling."

"The growing television coverage has also played a key role."

Some 35 percent of the poker players surveyed took part just for the fun of it, without gambling any money, according to the Mintel report.

Mr King said that statistics suggested many newcomers to the game were still unsure of the rules and strategies involved.

He went on: "For the industry, it is clearly not ideal that so many players do not play for real money. But it does highlight that people do still feel intimidated by the game and that potential gamers are reluctant to dive straight in without having a chance to figure out the basics first."

"But once they have got a grasp on the game, they are then more likely to put their money where their mouth is."

The report states that the full implementation of the 2005 Gambling Act has presented the poker industry with several opportunities for continuing growth, such as permitting casinos and online gambling websites to advertise in the UK, and allowing poker to be played in pubs.