The growth of the global online betting industry has been phenomenal since the turn of the century. But in the early days, all access to sportsbooks was through web browsers, which, in turn, locked the user into needing to find a computer to get their sports wagers done.
But technology advances rapidly, and one of the biggest factors driving the growth of online gambling has been the surge in mobile technology. Gambling sites are now accessible from any place, any time, and the way in which people access these digital sportsbooks has changed as well.
Bookmakers naturally saw the huge opportunity to push for extra engagement through mobile betting, and many took it further by developing dedicated mobile betting apps. Not all sportsbooks have apps, and a good way to find those that do is to utilize the research power of expert review sites.
Platforms such as https://www.wsn.com/sportsbooks/, that are dedicated to providing expert sportsbook reviews, provide lists of reputable platforms and review features like bonuses and mobile app availability. For many sportsbook users, an app embodies the user-friendliness and convenience they are looking for in mobile betting.
Anyone with a smartphone and a connection can place a bet from wherever they are. This instant access has led to a huge rise in the number of active gamblers, which in turn has sparked a boom in the industry. But most phone users will look for an app to access a service rather than use a mobile website.
Apps are more efficient in that respect and are a big upgrade in convenience. A quick tap of an icon will fire up the app and provide a much quicker login process than having to find a username and password on a web browser.
Having app access locked behind biometric security checks like face ID or fingerprint ID is a superb layer of protection. Apps are a lot more secure than web browsers when it comes to that important account credential storage, so they deliver the double bonus of convenience and security.
The influence of mobile gambling on sports has become increasingly visible to the public over time, as the practice of bookmakers teaming up with sports teams from the MLB to the NFL and beyond for advertising has become commonplace. This has filtered into many areas, from shirt sponsorships to advertising boards around professional stadiums.
A number of sports broadcasts on TV commonly feature betting lines, or at least talk about which teams are favorites in terms of general odds. There are even some broadcasts that get a little deeper by having dedicated segments within their shows that are specifically for talking about betting, with odds from a sportsbook they have partnered with.
This kind of advertising is important for sport because it is a way in which teams and organizing bodies generate money. This is money that will flow back through the system for upgrades in facilities and investing in young players for the future.
A big feature of mobile betting is live in-game wagering, which is the opportunity to bet while the action is ongoing. This already existed before mobile betting apps, but it was a bit more cumbersome to pull off when having to use a home computer.
The whole process is made easier on a mobile device, because whether you are sitting in a bar watching the big game or at home, whipping out a smartphone and looking at the latest odds on a secure app offers tremendous convenience.
This is not just a great feature for bettors, but the mobile betting app revolution has had a great impact on the viewership of sports as well. When people place wagers on a game, whether that’s pre-match or in-play, they are more inclined to watch to see what the outcome of the fixture, or more specifically, their wager, is going to be.
That boosts viewing numbers across the board, because people don't just bet on their teams. If a gambler has placed a significant wager on an NHL match, for example, and it’s a game that their team isn’t playing in, they are still likely to view the action. So, the streaming numbers and TV ratings surrounding sports broadcasts have benefited from mobile betting apps.
Ultimately, everything comes back to the bettor and what they get from using apps. Betting apps are designed not just to give long listings of odds but also to promote enticing betting options by personalizing the user’s experience based on their usage history.
A mobile betting app is essentially a sports companion, and some include up-to-the-minute scores, league standings, have statistical integration and provide links to blog features like previews and insights. This is far removed from more static and generic experiences that were around when online sports betting started making waves back in the early 2000s.
Mobile betting apps now give users everything they could want, from easy payment and withdrawal options for account management to live streams in some cases. Apps have undeniably changed the entire iGaming industry, and they have also been impactful on sports, as sportsbooks are content to direct sponsorship money and viewership over to the very thing that helps them generate more business.
