Ryanair to Introduce In-Air Online Gambling

In these tough economic times, most businesses around the world have been forced to tighten their belts, including airlines, which are famous for their massive overheads and small margins, which is why budget British airline Ryanair is seeking new ways to generate additional reviews and cut costs.

According to an announcement this week, one of the ways the airline is hoping to create additional revenues is by introducing a state-of-the-art in-flight online gambling service, where during flights passengers can play a selection of popular casino games, presumably depositing funds using their credit cards.

Said a Ryanair spokesperson, 'Ryanair's onboard gaming systems are still in the development-and-research phase with the focus on launching the service in three to five years, perhaps even sooner.' Ryanair famously first announced plans to implement an in-flight online gambling system for its passengers in 2005.

As yet, Ryanair executives have not revealed who they would partner with to provide the in-flight online gambling software and facilities, but they have admitted that online gambling is just one of the ideas they are toying with to help overcome the recession. However, some of their other ideas may seem a little unusual.

One of which is to eliminate airport check-ins and luggage checks. According to reports, this means that passengers may end up carrying their own luggage to the respective airport terminals, where it would be loaded directly into large cargo bins which would be loaded onto the respective Ryanair aircraft.

If implemented, the move would save Ryanair millions of pounds in check-in staff costs, and help passengers make their way faster through airports. Said Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, 'We are looking at eliminating checked luggage and airport check-ins, as well as introducing an in-flight online gambling service.'

Currently the budget airline operates predominantly between Ireland and Great Britain, as well as to Amsterdam, various cities in Germany, and a handful of other European destinations. And with online gambling already popular throughout most of Europe, Ryanair's online gambling plans should prove successful.