It's estimated that in many countries, 80% of adults own a mobile smartphone and that 50% of online gambling is now done via phones and tablet computers. Recent innovations and advances in technology have been partly behind this drive and the future growth of online casinos, sports betting sites, Bingo and Poker operators looks increasingly mobile-centric.
New Technology
There are a number of new developments that have turned players more and more towards their mobile devices, the most obvious of which is the introduction of smartphones that are capable of the high speed internet connections needed to play many of the games. While most people now have Wi-Fi connections at home, the introduction of 4G networks means that they can also gamble online when they are out and about.
The mobile devices themselves have also improved dramatically over recent years, with screens becoming bigger and with the wider use of tablet computers making it easier to actually see what's going on with a game. It also allows more optimal sizing of control buttons, without players having to aim for tiny bits of the screen to make their bets or even move between pages and this added convenience has encouraged more people to play on these devices.
Mobile Payments
New payment methods have also been introduced, so alongside quicker and easier credit card payments, there are fully integrated e-wallets and pre-paid cards that can be redeemed via mobile devices. But the big innovation is the ability for customers to pay from their mobile bills, with the funds deposited at online gambling sites being directly added to their monthly phone payments.
The Convenience of Mobile Gambling
Another factor that has brought mobile gambling to the fore is simply that people keep their phones close by them, with the average person checking in to social networks, reading emails or surfing the net dozens of times a day. So rather than having to be sat at a desktop PC to wager online, the means by which they access their games is constantly by their side and as more of our lives are conducted around mobiles, this growth looks certain to continue.
Much of the recent growth in online gambling has been thanks to the increase in mobile use. Recent trends towards online gambling via smartphones and tablet computers is behind much of the increase that the industry has experienced.