Nielsen//NetRatings reports that traffic to these popular online destinations declined by 56 percent in October, the same month President Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Just before the landmark law was signed on October 13, these same sites enjoyed a spike in traffic as citizens sought out online casinos while they could.

In September, the category grew 17 percent overall, with PartyGaming raking in a 75 percent increase in visitors, and SportingBet PLC jumping 194 percent.

In October, visits to Casino On Net dropped by 72 percent; PartyPoker.com by 67 percent; and Partypoker.net by 38 percent.

While some say the law is a clear infringement upon liberty, the law may have the legislation’s desired effect. The intent was to discourage (or criminalize, if you prefer) those who would squander their money online, especially among the poorer communities.

Nielsen reports that it is this group that will most likely be affected. Lower income households, those with an annual income of $25,000 to $35,000, are over 25 percent more likely to gamble online than average. This group makes up 8.1 percent of adults that gamble online.

In contrast, those with a household income of over $150,000, making up 6.9 percent of online gamblers, are 22 percent less likely to gamble online than the average Web users.

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