IN-AIR GAMBLING DEBUTS ON SOME AIRLINES THIS FALL.

Byline: Jerry Ackerman Boston Globe

So there you are, 35,000 feet in the air, in a sour mood as you fly home after a business deal flopped - and there on the seatback in front of you is an electronic casino, inviting you to salve some of your loss.

In-flight video gambling - keno, lotto, bingo and more - makes its debut this fall, on at least five overseas airlines - British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Swissair, British-based Debonair Airlines and tiny Oasis Airlines of Spain.

Federal law now bars gambling aboard domestic airline flights, as well as international flights that originate or end in the United States. But several domestic and foreign carriers would like to see the law changed so they can tap what many see as a strong U.S. market for playing games of chance.

``The consumer marketplace is far more interested in gambling as entertainment than it was 10 years ago, and air travel consumers are demanding more entertainment of all kinds,'' said Trans World Airlines spokesman John McDonald. ``We would want the ability to offer gaming for competitive reasons.''

A U.S. Department of Transportation study sent to Congress in March reported 18 percent of American air travelers would take advantage of in-flight gaming if it were offered. The study estimated the average in-air gambler, using credit cards to place bets and to credit winnings, would put down between $55 and $75 during a flight lasting six to 10 hours.

The study suggested that with 6-to-5 odds in favor of the house - about as good as it gets in Las Vegas - adoption of in-flight gaming both at home and abroad could boost airline revenues by $600 million a year or more.