Mobile betting expected to grow within the next year

Mobile betting is dominating the gambling industry and has huge growth potential, according to the Online Gambling Quarterly Magazine.

The quarterly analysis found that although betting companies, such as William Hill, have only recently begun to report mobile revenue, 61 percent of their total revenue comes from mobile channels.

Available via the LinkedIn platform, the study analyses the global gambling industry in the first quarter of 2017.

According to the findings, sports bettors are more likely to place a wager using their smartphone, tablet, or another mobile device, than online casino players.

On average, 72 percent of sports betting revenue comes from mobile users, while just 50 percent of casino revenue is generated via a portable device.

The study does make note of the fact operators do not have “consistent reporting standards (KPIs) regarding mobile revenues.”

It also adds that some betting operators still do not report mobile revenue.

With that said, the analysis found the operators which had the best performance in regards to total mobile revenue in the first four months of the year included Sky Bet with 75 percent of online revenue came from mobile channels and Unibet with 73 percent.

When it comes to total betting revenue, Sky Bet once again performed the best in terms of mobile devices. The betting site reported 80 percent of online revenue came from mobile channels. Ladbrokes and Paddy Power Betfair came in second with 79 percent.

The study also predicts that mobile betting will continue to grow with “market participants convinced that it has the ‘largest’ growth potential within the next 12 months.”

The Online Gambling Quarterly surveyed a panel of experts and found mobile betting has the potential to grow by four percent, while mobile casino play could grow by two percent in terms of gross gaming revenue in the next year.

Other growth trends include live casinos, which involves software developers setting up trained dealers in a live studio or casino and streaming the table game in real time. Players log into their account and access the game via the online casino’s catalogue. Although the product has been around for quite some time, it is now “among the top five future growth products”.

The analysis also revealed purchasing tickets for lotteries via Apple, Android and other mobile devices has also shown promise and has the potential for a significant amount of growth.

In terms of mobile casino revenue, operators reported that, on average, 48 percent of online revenue in the first quarter came from mobile channels, while suppliers recorded 50 percent on average.

But the study also noted not all operators report mobile casino revenue, including Sky Bet, since it is predominately a betting site.

Leo Vegas recorded the best performance in regards to online casino revenue with 67 percent derived from mobile channels. William Hill came in second with 53 percent.

When it comes to reviewing the development of mobile betting, the study makes it clear that “it’s difficult” since figures have only recently begun to be reported. Still, the study presented its findings using companies which have been reporting figures over the last three years.

On average, mobile betting revenue appears to increase one to two percent per quarter, with Ladbrokes recording a huge 35 percent increase from the Q1 2014 to Q1 2017.