Sports betting used to be reserved for horse racing events, through bookmakers’ shops that you had to physically go to in order to place your bets. People usually stayed to watch the event on televisions set up in the bookmaker’s shop until the match or game finished, then they’d collect their winnings (if they won anything at all). Sports betting from a mobile phone has changed this process drastically and will continue to influence the industry in the future.
Mobile sports betting has made betting accessible to new audiences across the world. Sports betting is now legally available in many countries and, over the past five years according to Google Trends, has become a popular pastime in Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia, the UK and the USA. Uganda holds the rank for the country that most frequently searched for “mobile sports betting”, proving that it has become a pastime that a lot of the population participates in.
Since it can be so easily accessed from anywhere in the world with an internet connection, smartphone sports betting has increased the popularity of the sports betting industry that the world is only now truly beginning to understand. In the past, the Supreme Court in the United States deemed sports betting illegal. They have since revoked this and have allowed individual states to vote on the legalities of sports betting in their state. Since the United States lifted the federal ban in May of 2018 on sports betting, 42 states have legalised or are moving toward the legalisation of mobile sports betting.
Bookmakers can be intimidating, and users starting off may not have expertise, so they might have been put off sports betting. Mobile sports betting is the answer here. The beauty of sports betting from a mobile phone is that there is a wealth of information available to the user. Before committing to any mobile sports betting arena, you can first research the sport itself, the betting surrounding it and exactly how the odds of that sport work.
Being prepared increases a user’s chances of winning instead of just taking a shot in the dark. Knowledge is power; this is true of mobile sports betting too.
Smartphone sports betting has already created new marketing opportunities for sports and related brands on multiple platforms. People share information about sports differently, and sporting events give lesser-known information to better inform those watching who have an active bet placed.
YouTube has boomed with videos made by people who have made sports betting their profession, giving advice on how to place sports bets.
It’s been predicted that in the future, with the emergence of instant payouts, more innovations in this industry are imminent. One of these is prediction apps that will help bettors make more informed bets. As much as these will assist users, the human element in sport remains and anything could happen, which is what we love!
Sports betting that hasn’t already shifted to mobile adaptability is likely to follow suit soon. It has been predicted that with this rapid growth, it won’t be long before the most sophisticated bettors are artificial intelligence ‘bots’ that analyse vast amounts of data in seconds. The data will be provided by chips eventually placed in motion-tracking cameras and microchips in balls and players uniforms.
What do you think the future of mobile betting will be? One way to find out more and stay ahead is to try it out yourself, register here.
