It has been almost a year since Ryanair, the European budget airline has announced its intention to offer its passengers a new online gambling website, which they will be able to play while in flight. This will obviously help time pass faster, as well as allow the airline to lower the cost of tickets, with income from wagers going towards the company's expenses. Estimates had the added income reach about 20% to its profits.

The fastest growing airline has signed a deal with Jackpotjoy , which will supply 80 online games, perhaps more. The service might expand to cellphone games, even though cellular phones are not at all allowed to be turned on by most airlines.

Ryanair was founded in 1985 in Dublin, Ireland. Its flights connect over 20 countries across Europe. It defends its rather revolutionary measure by defining it as entertainment, rather than gambling per se. the company's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, addressed the matter when he said: "If you look at the products that Jackpot Joy already markets successfully, it's bingo, it's quizzes, it's one-armed bandits. It's very easy to play, it's relatively small sums of money involved but the prizes are quite large."

Since the games will be operated by credit card, this alone will keep underage gamblers away from the games. Such alternative revenue sources will be contested alright, but they might be the wave of the future. So far, similar gambling-flight initiatives have failed, often for legal reasons. Will this one take off?