Getting ahead in the mobile betting market

Josh Cottell, Journalist

Mobile betting is becoming a big business – but which apps are cashing in?

Mobile apps are playing an increasingly important role in how we gamble. Online gambling is the largest gambling sector in Britain, accounting for 33% of all gambling, and mobile is set to play a leading role.

Apps have offered consumers the chance to win big without leaving the house, and those that have kept up with technology changes give a sleek experience which guides consumers seamlessly from sign up to withdrawal.

With just the touch of a finger, dozens of apps are at your disposal – allowing you to bet on sports or interactive casino games. If you’re not sure which company is offering the best deal, an odds comparison website will tell you. Tech is enabling bettors to feel in control and informed about their decisions – and that’s powerful stuff.

In such a competitive market, how can betting companies cut through the noise? Here are three ways apps are standing out from the crowd.

In-Play Betting

Bet365 have designed a particularly sleek app which makes it incredibly easy to browse games across different sports.

Caption: Bet365’s match simulator allows users to watch the match live without a stream, and tucks into the corner to allow browsing.

Each page is clutter-free and easy to navigate. The in-play section allows users to make bets on games as they happen. This is common among betting apps, but Bet365 offer a particularly engaging virtual display of games from baseball to ice hockey. The screen shrinks to the top corner as you browse other bets so you can keep track of the game.

Price Boost

Several of the major bookmaker brands use price boosts which increase the returns on bets which are often likely to win. For instance, a betting company might increase the odds of a team winning by twenty or thirty percent, grabbing users’ attention.

Earlier this year SkyBet paid out to the tune of £1.6 million when West Ham beat Burnley in a match featuring boosted odds.

Caption: SkyBet’s boosted odds grab users attention by offering bigger payoffs.

Gambling Gameified

A less established app, SnapBet, is capitalising on the excitement of sports.

It does this by allowing users to make bets only on what will happen in the next 60 seconds of a live football match.

For instance, a user can bet that in the next minute that a goal will be scored or a red card handed out. It further differentiates itself from other apps by utilising the vibrate function and speakers to alert users whether they’ve won or lost.

Caption: SnapBet offers users the chance to bet on what will happen in the next 60 seconds of a live football match.

By acknowledging the adrenaline rush of betting and gameifying the gambling process, SnapBet is making itself the fun younger brother of the betting app world and it’s a smart move. In the heat of the moment, users are more likely to start placing bets – especially on an app that amplifies the excitement.

While SnapBet’s app isn’t as polished as some of the others on the market, it offers an interesting, fun new approach to getting (and keeping) users’ attention.

A Social Future

Companies are going to need to continue to diversify to stay in the market, and not just in their apps. Features of the most successful companies are likely to include a strong social media presence to engage with consumers and influence decisions to bet and play.

This may evolve into social gambling, where social content games played with friends become increasingly monetised and success translates into payoffs. Apps which work across devices and are integrated into the retail betting experience in shops are likely to attract mobile customers who value the perks of socialising.

The future looks bright for consumers who face a competitive market where companies vie for their attention not just with competitive odds but with increasingly innovative apps.