Bloomberg said this week that people in Ireland are cutting down on their two favorite pastimes: Drinking and gambling.

But that doesn't change the fact that the Irish love to drink and gamble. And that could be beneficial for our industry, as people might take their pastimes home.

From Recentpoker.com:

And yet, in company with Internet gambling companies elsewhere in the world, Paddy Power's Internet gambling division produced strong 2008 results, contributing some 70 percent to operating profits and becoming the group's main vehicle for accessing international markets. In the UK, William Hill plc revealed this week that it continues to expand its online gambling operations as a critical component in its international strategy.

“The [Irish] economy is having an impact now,” said analyst Liam Igoe at Goodbody in Dublin. “Rather than going to pubs and betting shops, people are staying home and ordering pizzas, buying beer in and betting online. That’s going to continue.”