That's certainly the selling point bandied about, such as being told how it's better to get a power bill emailed directly to us, or simply pop-up in our online account for instant payments.

But you also don't have to look too far to see the problems.

Too often the internet can also be a portal to the less desirable aspects of our society and, indeed, right across the globe.

Its use for publishing and sharing child abuse images is one stark example, as are the rip-offs pedaled by our modern-day con artists.

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Another major problem is the reach of online gambling.

It wasn't that long ago that the outcry against online betting became loud enough that governments promised action, especially to ban advertisements on television from those times when children are watching.

Frustratingly, the ads are still appearing with apparently no moral qualms held by the companies reaping such huge financial rewards from what is, yes, a legitimate business.

Campaigning against the similar financial reach of poker machines has been a constant for quite some time, stretching back to when Victoria joined the pokies party almost 30 years ago.

But despite all the effort and the acceptance of the tragic fallout for so many families of pokies addicts, the outrageous sums that help boost government coffers continue to flow.

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And now on top of all this we have the scourge of betting apps and online gambling systems.

It is something that those at Albury's St David's Care are seeing with a dispiriting regularity, especially - as gambling and financial counselling team leader Kaily Goodsell says - among the young.

What concerns Ms Goodsell is not just the financial losses; it's also the psychological and physical consequences on the person involved, as well as their family and friends.

There needs to be a concerted effort into the framing of new laws and the provision of support services to prevent online gambling growing into a beast no one can control.