Gambling Apps are Revolutionising Sports Betting

Those who have followed the development of the iPhone closely will most likely know of Apple’s policy when it comes to applications (“apps”) of ‘questionable’ content: they ban them from the Apple App Store. Such content included, up until very recently, anything to do with gambling. Well, to be fair, anything that was to do with gambling for Real Money, which, as any even semi-serious gambler will tell you, is the only kind of gambling there is. The precise position was that apps must not "Contain or relate to, pornography, hate speech, defamation, or gambling (simulated gambling is acceptable)". As such, playing roulette for fake money or reading about poker strategy were perfectly acceptable, but any kind of actual wagering was not.

In the last three months however, this stance has weakened. Betfair and Paddy Power both now have fully-sanctioned apps available from the App Store, while Ladbrokes created one especially for the recent World Cup. Customers download these apps and bet using their iPhone in the same way as if they were at a normal computer. It is generally accepted that the softening of Apple’s stance is represented in the following, revised paragraph from their app regulations: “Your Application may include promotional sweepstakes or contest functionality provided that You are the sole sponsor of the promotion and that You and Your Application comply with any applicable laws.”

Whatever the reasoning behind Apple’s shifting of stance, it is clear that this is the future of gambling. Ladbrokes reported that World Cup 2010 was the first sporting competition during which they took more bets via mobile internet than standard telephone betting, as they broke the 100,000 mark for mobile bets taken on a single event for the first time. By the semi-final stage alone they say they had taken more bets than in the whole of Euro 2008. Make no mistake, this is going to be big.

This is just in the UK: the American market has to remain untouched for now. To avoid falling foul of the American UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), these apps use GPS technology to ensure that customers aren’t betting in the US, where such laws make it illegal for banks to process online gambling funds. There is an ongoing battle against these restrictions currently in progress however and, while a turnaround is still some way off, a repeal or even favourable amendment to the law would open up the market across the Atlantic. Such a development could make these apps a worldwide industry phenomenon, judging by their popularity so far in the UK. Ladbrokes say they have seen their mobile betting turnover double in the last year, thanks in no small part to their World Cup app. A dedicated domestic football app is said to be in the pipeline.

It’s easy to see why they’ve been taken to so well. Probably the most important factor for any app is ease of use - and the online betting companies know this well. They are making these apps so very simple to operate. Navigating the different betting markets is uncomplicated and potential winnings are spelt out on screen. Anyone who wants to place a bet but is a bit unsure about entering a betting shop or ringing up a telebetting service will jump at the chance to use an app like this. Seasoned gamblers are likely to be enticed too - why leave home or the pub to pop down the road to a betting shop when all you need to do is spend a couple of minutes tapping on a phone?

Like many serious development efforts, creating apps that run across multiple mobile device platforms -- iPhone, Android, Windows -- means employing hard-to-find mobile application specialists, doing system and usability testing  on multiple devices, and making sure that the backend server applications faultlessly handle communication with users. Cross-platform mobile development SDKs like MoSync and flexible web browser engines like Webkit -- both of which are open source -- go some way to reducing the fragmentation issues faced by development companies, and the increasing use of C/C++ as a base  for new programs is helping to streamline production of these new apps.

This really is the next step in the development of gambling. If Internet betting took away the need to leave the house then smartphone betting takes away the need to even find a computer. This flexibility will appeal greatly to its target market. On a train? In a bar? At a match? Place a bet from the comfort of your seat!

The next step could well be the inclusion of live content as part of the app. Currently, the one advantage that high-street bookmakers do have is that a punter can stand in a shop and listen to commentary/analysis - either provided by an in-house or external service - before deciding on a selection. Similarly, they can watch a match live, or listen to live commentary, before placing a bet in-play, i.e. while the contest is ongoing. Imagine then being able to watch clips of match analysis or highlights through an app, before pressing a button and placing a bet. Or even watching a contest live through an app, with a button in the corner ready and waiting to present you with a range of markets whenever you want to place an in-play bet. It really would be the complete package.

Of course getting the rights would be an issue - but if these apps continue to prove as lucrative as they have done so far then the bookies’ money may well talk. With regard to football for example, perhaps some sort of deal could be arranged with the Premier/Football League for the purchase of highlights/live coverage only for broadcast on smartphones. This might be a region where SkyBet could prosper, owing to Sky’s existing relationship with the Premier League.

This is the area that bookmakers need to, and surely will, focus on now. They’ve provided customers with a quick and easy way of betting on the go, but now they need to give them the complete multimedia experience. It would be like having an entire personalised bookies at your fingertips and would complete the gambling revolution that’s already been started by the introduction of these early betting apps.