Rise in British Sports Betting and Smartphone Usage

Posted By: Date: 10/08/2010 at 12:00 am Leave a comment

A recent report published by Juniper Research essentially blames Smartphones and other hand held devices for a clear increase in online gambling all across the United Kingdom. According to the study’s findings, in excess of two million European citizens are using their mobile devices to place sports betting wagers over the internet.

Statistics also show that a vast number of the British population has been adopting the new Smartphones, thus some of the blame seems to have been subsequently dumped onto the shoulders of these popular new mobile devices. However, mobile sports betting was going on well before our cellular phones got ‘smart’.

“With the growth in mobile Smartphone adoption,” states Dr. Windsor Holden, author of the Juniper Research report, “mobile users are becoming far more comfortable with m-commerce in general and gambling companies are benefiting from this greater affinity.”

Online sports betting sites have disclosed that the report is admittedly factual, stating they have seen a noticeable surge in sports bets placed via mobile devices.

The question that arises most often is who, if anyone, is to blame for the corresponding rise in online gambling? Is it the online sports betting sites heavily campaigning to the British market, or the Smartphone designers who have made mobile gambling so convenient?

On the other end of the spectrum, many argue that it is not the convenience of the Smartphone that is causing the rise in online gambling, but rather a more encompassing interest in placing sports betting wagers. One could easily conclude that the gamblers are in control of their actions. The proverbial “guns don’t kill people; people kill people” comes to mind. But the fact remains, the availability of such easy access via a mobile device clearly aligns with the surge in online sports bets being placed.

Mobile sports betting has become more and more prominent over the last few years as technological advancements make way for faster and more opportune accessibility to just about anything; online sports betting included. All of today’s top online sportsbooks offer a mobile betting application to their customers – SportsBet.com, Sportsbook.com, Bookmaker.com, BetCris, Bet365, CentreBet, Bodog Sports, they all provide a download for instant mobile sports betting.

As several major sporting venues are either just getting under way, such as the NHL and Ashes, or hitting the climax of their fans’ interest, as in the MLB race for the pennant, there couldn’t be a more auspicious time for online sports books and punters alike to make use of this incredibly well-suited technology.

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