The Big Poker Gamble

"More than $1m (£575,000) are staked every minute by enthusiasts like Jane Foster, or Ms Fortune, as she's known online.

"'It's grown and grown, and it's done very well for me,' says Ms Foster, a single mother of three from Manchester who is studying for a degree in IT.

"That $30 that I put in two-and-a-half years ago has grown into thousands over the last couple of years."

"And because she can play at home, and more importantly at night when her children are asleep, she gets to spend more time with them during the day.

"...It is not just players like Ms Foster who have been betting heavily.

"Investors in the online poker business have also been playing high stakes.

"But the bets are risky for investors.

"Online poker is illegal in some countries, including the United States

"...The growth in the online game is both fuelling, and riding on the back of, a boom in the game in the 'real' world..."