LONDON – TECH – It seems that everybody’s at it. No not taking selfies with puckered up lips to make them look cool – mobile gambling.
In a world where one in five people own a smartphone and one in seventeen a tablet it’s no wonder the mobile gambling industry at an all-time high and records are set to tumble for many years to come.
By the time we get to 2018 it’s expected the industry will be worth $62billion, but what’s causing this trend? Surely it can’t just be because more people are purchasing smartphones?
Well no, not quite. Of course the increase in the smartphone population does have some impact, and the addictiveness, which is seeing us spend almost nine minutes per day, is also a factor, but operators are also making it more and more appealing to ditch the desktop and go mobile.
Downloading any app is appealing simply because of the convenience. But recent figures are showing that 26% of apps we download are only used once. So what is the gambling industry doing to keep us going back for more.
Push Notifications
The use of push has proven particularly popular in apps across all industries with 20% of companies using the method. In the gambling industry however it’s been particularly popular. During the World Cup in particularly sports betting operators saw large spikes immediately after sending out a push, whilst it’s becoming a useful tool for casino apps.
It’s going to be an increasingly popular tool for casinos and sportsbooks alike, in order to give a customer exactly what they want. Paddy Power’s Eoin George said, “Long term I would see push as us giving customers control over what information they receive. Giving customers the power to tailor their betting experience should enhance it.”
Which is essentially how the industry is going to grow into that $62billion – enhancing user experience.
Ease of Use
Ease of use will of course be at the forefront of that. People like games to be quick and simple, so on platforms like ca.royalvegascasino.com where you can jump between roulette tables or even the Ladbrokes app which allows you to have a five minute game or quick bet on the bus, train, lunchtime break or anywhere, receive regular downloads and returning customers because they give exactly what the consumer requires.
Which is great, but as technology continues to grow, demand gets higher. With smartphones and other technology becoming more and more revolutionary, consumers will begin to ask for more and more, although operators are more than ready to start developing further.
The Future
And that could come in a number of ways. We’ve already got games that come thicker and faster at you than ever before, whilst the likes of the Universal Mobile Poker Controller takes that one step further for the hard-core fans, making it effortless to play and allowing your screen to simply be the screen over having to swipe and tap.
Of course then there’s the legalisation of online gambling in the United States too. Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware have already passed the bill, whilst it’s looking like other states such as California may follow suit in the next few years.
What we’re likely to see is more features continuing to be integrated with social media with multi-player being incredibly popular alongside utilising a smartphone’s camera and microphone which is slowly being rolled out on apps.
That’s not to forget wearable technology. Smartwatches are creeping into the public consciousness and Google Glass is likely to take off, meaning casino and betting operators will have to tailor their apps even further. But that shouldn’t be a problem and it leaves only one remaining thing, “Google Glass, raise $100.”
