NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 08/24/12 -- Five years ago, the future of legalized online gambling in the Unites States seemed bleak. However, the growing strength and popularity of mobile gaming has shone new light into the picture and there is a definite shift on the horizon according to industry analysts Casino.org.

The powerhouse behind this change seems to be the recent news from Zynga, a leading developer of Facebook games, in which they announced plans to move into real money gaming on mobile and social platforms.

Companies like Zynga have become successful by selling in game bonus features and specialty items that improve game play on social media platforms. And when Zynga announced their intention to move into the gambling world, other mobile gaming companies took notice. Most recently, Big Fish Games, a company based in Seattle, has started to offer real money betting to players in the United Kingdom.

Zynga and Big Fish Games are spearheading this new approach to online gambling, and some US state governments are beginning to shift towards more lenient online gambling laws. Those in support of the legalization cite the incredible financial gain to be made from the taxation of online gambling.

Casino.org, a company that analyses casino industry growth worldwide, recently published an infographic which details the potential monetary gain that could be made from a federally regulated scenario in which online gambling was taxed.

"Currently only 22 states legalize casino style gambling," John Casey, Casino.org's PR director explained. "And none of those specifically legalizes online gambling. Internet poker alone could be worth $6 to $8 billion a year in revenues if the states decide to move forward. And with mobile gaming growing in popularity, that figure could be even higher."

While this new industry flourishes in the UK, the future of mobile gambling in the United States remains in question, although the promise of significantly increased tax revenue has convinced states like Nevada, California and New Jersey to set the wheels in motion in order legalize online gambling.

"There is much to gain," Casey explained. "If the 50 US states all legalized online gambling they could see a collective increase of around $80 billion in revenues -- enough to wipe out California's state debt three times over."

Traditional online gaming companies like William Hill and BetFair Group are attempting to compete with the mobile upstarts by offering their own versions of smart phone and tablet-ready gambling applications, and several other companies, such as Betable, have said that mobile will be their primary focus moving forward.

"We will certainly continue to monitor the situation, while pointing out the sheer volume of revenue that the US is missing," Casey explained. With the UK now pioneering real money mobile gaming, it could be that the 'land of the free' may have shifted across the Atlantic," he concluded.

Launched in 1995, Casino.org was originally founded as an online gaming portal and industry analysis hub to provide easily accessible information about regional casino information, deposit methods and software information. Today, Casino.org sets the industry standard for all information concerning casino regulation and play on the Internet.