Online poker is the Net's fastest-growing business

Some observers say that the U.K. market is becoming the Silicon Valley for online poker as companies seek to tap the stock market for capital.

Online poker is rapidly becoming big business, expected to generate revenue of $2.8 billion a year in revenue, according to Dennis Boyko, whose PokerPulse.com site tracks volume of more than 260 virtual poker sites in real time.

Nearly three-quarters of the revenue comes from the house's 3 percent to 5 percent take from the pot in cash games like the ones Jewell plays. The rest is made in tournaments, with the operator paid about 5 percent to 10 percent of the prize money, often about a half-million dollars.

Online poker's expansion far outpaces the 22 percent expected growth in online gambling overall or the 4.3 percent for live-action gambling, according to research by Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

[CBS Marketwatch / Bambi Francisco]

We've been calling this online poker trend since the inception of the blog. : )