The Impact Of Mobile Devices On Online Gambling
Published October 23, 2016 by Arthur M
Although the concept of playing online casino games on mobile devices is not new, it's only in the last couple of years that it's become the norm.
The first mobile smartphones were launched around 10 years ago, and in that relatively short time the growth of mobile casinos has been explosive. Now, the majority of players spend at least some of their time accessing the games via smartphones and tablet computers, while in some developing nations where mobile coverage is better than broadband, it's far more common to play this way than at a desktop computer or laptop.
The Statistics
The statistics speak volumes about how rapid this growth has been, and the effect it's had on the whole gambling market. The latest figure show that the mobile gaming market has exceeded $25 billion in 2014, which equated to a 42% rise on the year before.
Players are spending on average 9% longer online, and it has been estimated that around the globe some 1.6 billion people gamble, with 72% of them playing online.
There are a number of reasons for this huge growth, not least of which is simply the fact that technology is catching up with expectations. In the early days of mobile gambling, slower processing speeds would limit the complexity of the games, while loss of connection due to network issues was far more likely.
Today, smartphones and tablet computers are able to handle the most sophisticated games with ease, and while many players simply connect to a router at home, network speeds and mobile data technologies like 4G have made it much easier to establish a reliable connection when they are out and about.
The Effect On The Market
Online gambling sites were quick to catch on to the possibilities offered by the mobile market, and most have moved with the times by offering their games in formats compatible with the smaller screens that phones and tablets come with. To some extent this has been by necessity, as the gambling market is highly competitive, forcing game and software developers, as well as the casinos themselves to continuously enhance what they can offer to their customers.
It's not just the games that have had to become more easily accessible however, as mobile gambling sites now offer deposit and withdrawal facilities, the ability for players to collect bonuses and loyalty rewards, customer support and so, which are all comparatively new innovations that have come about as the mobile market expanded.
As new markets join the mobile gaming revolution, and more people come to appreciate the mix of convenience without much in the way of compromise that it now offers, there's every reason to think that this will continue to be the most popular way to wager online.
