Smartphones today are everywhere. It’s impossible to escape them, and virtually impossible to function fully in society without one. Although it might seem like a cliché, the fact is that the emergence of these small computers has revolutionized the way we live in many ways, and one area it has had a huge impact is the world of online betting. Let’s look at some of the major ways that mobile usage has impacted online betting.
1. Convenience
The simplest way is in convenience. Whereas access to the internet 30 years ago required a desktop computer and wired home connection that most of us didn’t have at the time, nowadays we’re never disconnected from the internet. According to the CSO 91% of households had internet at home in Ireland. Whether we’re on our home WiFi or outside on data, we have constant access to the internet.
This has meant that all sorts of gambling games can be enjoyed from the comfort of the home, while on the commute to work, or any other place you might be waiting. Whatever else you might be doing, a bet is only a few taps away on your phone.
Having this much access to the internet has, in many ways, made more people bettors. Even if they only bet small amounts for fun, they can now do so in privacy, without having to go to a casino or sports event.
2. Accessibility
Leading on from this notion of added convenience, the internet is inherently more accessible than physical spaces. For this reason, mobile usage has made online betting more accessible to millions of people who otherwise would not have been able to participate. Companies like Topbettingsites have shown that mobile apps are available in abundance, for both Android and iOS devices.
By this, we mean a few different things. We could be talking, simply, about things like wheelchair access, or general accessibility of places like casinos and sports events. If the betting can be done from a smartphone, the practice is open to countless more people.
And this doesn’t just apply to physical disabilities, either. Social anxiety and other forms of mental health problems can make it very difficult for some to attend physical locations, and so, again, the mobile does away with this problem.
3. Faster communication
From the point of view of the bookmakers and online casinos, with the lightning speed of the internet betting can take place at a faster pace than ever before. While games are going on, every individual detail can be bet on, bespoke offers put together with remarkable speed, and indeed readily available customer service often 24 hours a day.
This faster communication has been beneficial to both bettors and bookmakers, as it has essentially made the practice more equitable. Everyone has much more up-to-date information on what’s going on. There can be no deception from bookmakers anymore—everyone can look up anything on their phones.
4. Wider variety
In a broad sense, then, the final way we might think about the impact of mobile usage on betting is the variety. Things like online slots games, for example, have become one of the most popular kinds of apps available—as a result, there are simply countless versions of it. This is the same with virtually any kind of betting.
Although you might think this a bad thing, in which the few good apps get lost in an ocean of terrible ones, in actual fact it has just meant that standards are much higher. As it is often said, when there is competition in the market, that is good for consumers.
We have more choice of games today than ever before, and it’s largely thanks to the proliferation of games online.