A Beginner’s Guide to Mobile Betting Apps
Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, May 15, 2018
The current gambling market in the UK remains exceptionally diverse, with high street bookmakers continuing to thrive alongside virtual casinos and online betting apps. In fact, the number of active bookmakers in the UK has increased incrementally in recent times, despite the fact that online gambling activity now accounts for 34% of the industry as a whole.
This state of affairs may not persist for long, however, particularly given the proposed clampdown on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). With the current, maximum betting threshold of £100 set to be reduced to £2 on slot-style games and £30 on alternative types of terminal, high street brand William Hill has already seen its share price fall by 12% while a large number of UK stores could become unprofitable by the year 2020.
Given this, and the logistical issues associated with hosting virtual casino websites, there’s no doubt that mobile betting apps represent the future of the industry. In the post below, we’ll provide a beginner’s guide to this technology, and ask how players can leverage it to optimise their gambling experience.
An Introduction to Mobile Betting
In general terms, the mobile app industry continues to enjoy exponential growth across a huge array of markets. The rate of growth in this sector is also set to increase further during the next two years, peaking at a staggering $188.9 billion by the end of 2020.
In the virtual gambling market, online sports betting and casino apps have proved to be particularly popular. These apps provide a direct connection to a vast range of games and betting markets, with some providing dedicated sports coverage and others offering access to modern iterations of games such as poker, roulette and blackjack.
Apps can be downloaded from either the Google Play Store or the App Store, depending on whether your smartphone operates using Android or iOS software.
From here, you’ll have instant access to a selected betting app at your fingertips, and while you’ll require a WiFi or mobile Internet connection to place wagers you can at least open the application and browse your account information while offline.
The Advantages of Mobile Apps Over Websites
Aside from enhanced accessibility, mobile apps offer a number of other advantages over websites. Most importantly, they enable players to tailor the gaming experience to suit their precise needs, whether they’re casual gamers or adopt a far more professional approach.
Mobile apps enable gamblers to access their favourite titles while on the move, for example, as they complete the daily commute or look to unwind before going to sleep. Conversely, professional gamblers can use mobile apps to optimise their efficiency and potential winnings, while participating in live tournaments wherever they are in the world.
There’s also a technical justification for favouring mobile apps over websites, as the former are known to work considerably faster. This is due to their unique nature, as apps for smartphones and tablets (particularly those on Android devices) are programmed using Java, whereas most websites leverage Javascript.
While both of these are examples of Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Java offers a far quicker and more fluid framework that is almost five-times faster than a typical Javascript code.
This advantage is particularly prominent in the virtual gambling sector, as historical casino platforms required players to download software before accessing games. The same cannot be said for mobile apps, which can be accessed with the single click of a button and offer far smoother and more consistent gameplay.
Of course, the introduction of Instant Play Flash technology means that most online casino games can now be accessed without previously downloading software, but most gamblers have become accustomed to smartphone apps over the course of the last few years.
This is borne out by the statistics, with reports suggesting that up to 164 million people will be gambling online through mobile apps by the end of this year. Much of this has to do with the freemium nature of the mobile app industry, with the vast majority of virtual casinos accessible without charge. So, although players will be required to credit their mobile account with cash, there is no upfront fee for downloading the app or registering your interest.
The rising popularity and accessibility of mobile gambling apps has encouraged operators to refine their core marketing strategies, with a growing number looking to drive their most lucrative promotions through this channel. This is proving to be an exceptional way of attracting new players, who can identify a promotional offer, download the relevant app and register an account in a matter of minutes. So, if you’re new to the market and looking to partner with a virtual casino brand and its affiliated app, you should conduct your search through the mobile platform.
What to Look for When Considering Mobile Apps
With these points in mind, the next step is to compare the marketplace and determine which mobile application best suits your needs.
You should kick-start this process by setting your individual goals and the type of betting markets that you wish to target. More specifically, try to shortlist apps depending on whether you wish to engage in sports betting or casino gameplay, while seeking out multi-purpose platforms if you have a more diverse range of tastes.
Then, make sure that the apps you select offer your comprehensive access to your desired sport, game or marketplace, while also considering the full range of betting options available. In the case of sports betting, this means identifying apps that offer access to accumulators and similar types of wager, while casino players should look for table limits and maximum betting thresholds.
As we’ve already touched upon, you should also confirm the real-time promotional offers available, to ensure that you pick the one that best suits your needs. Of course, you may well choose to select the most lucrative deal, but it’s important to bear in mind that some operators will create bonuses focused on specific games.
So, if you’re a slot gaming enthusiast, you should give additional weight to bonuses that offer you free spins or a dedicated amount of complimentary gameplay.
You should also consider prioritising apps that are easy to use, as this can contribute to more satisfying and profitable gameplay over time.