Mobile gaming tipped for biggest growth in 2009 new report claims

Posted on | December 3, 2008 |

A new report predicts tips mobile gambling to be the major growth area for gaming services in 2009. Juniper Research expects total wagers via mobile phones will more than double to over $3.6bn (£2.4bn) even though spending on mobile TV and games will be adversely impacted by the global economic downturn.

Report author Dr Windsor Holden says online gambling is an essentially “recession-proof” industry, adding: “While there may be marginal reductions in the level of stakes amongst casual users, the overall appetite for gambling per se will be unaffected. Furthermore, with the growing availability of betting services on-portal, the mobile is an increasingly convenient and user-friendly means of placing a bet.”

Holden’s report also notes an overwhelming majority of leading European bookmakers now offering mobile platform betting services, many partnered with leading network operators.

One shadow on the horizon is regulatory restrictions which he warns are a key impediment to mass adoption even in countries where mobile betting services are permitted. The report argues for national and state governments to implement a clear and transparent framework governing all forms of mobile services for the benefit of both consumers and service providers.

Looking back over the last 12 months, the report says sports betting will eventually account for 75% of all gambling on mobile handsets in 2008 with casino-type gambling the second-largest sector. UK players alone will place more than 30% of all mobile bets globally in 2008, although it predicts this proportion will decline to just 8% by 2013 as services are increasingly deployed elsewhere. Looking forward, it predicts the annual global gross win from mobile betting services will exceed $1bn (£675m) by 2012.

Juniper Research, a telecoms analysis consultancy specialising in the mobile and wireless sector with particular emphasis on business models, applications, content and device strategies, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, used interviews, case studies and analysis from representatives of some of the leading players in the burgeoning mobile gambling industry.