Telecom Lead Europe: Rapid adoption of tablet and
smartphone is helping the gambling in large, as more than $13 billion in bets,
including more than $3 billion in the UK were placed via mobile devices
worldwide in 2011, according to Juniper Research.
The study anticipates that the $13 billion in bets from
mobile devices will reach $45 billion by 2017.
The online sportsbooks and betting exchanges have become
the leading beneficiaries of the consumer smartphone and tablet boom.
Companies such as Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy
Power are all seeing 40 percent or more of online sportsbook customers placing
bets via a mobile or a tablet, with the result that those devices already
account for around 20 percent of bets placed,” said Windsor Holden, report
author.
The study reveals that native apps remain a key mechanism
for service discovery for betting, whereas most sportsbooks are moving towards
browser-based applications for betting.
Wagers via mobile devices across all forms of gambling
are expected to reach $100 billion by 2017.
The report suggests that operator strategies should
increasingly view mobile as a means of customer acquisition.
Bookmakers expect mobile devices to comprise more than 40
percent of bets within two years. Furthermore, in-play betting will be one of
the key drivers for mobile betting.
The report notes that network coverage will continue to
be a constraint on adoption of such services from in-stadia customers.
