On the field, the World Cup didn’t really tell us anything new. In fact,it highlighted the fact that Brazil are truly awful at the back, Germany are good, and England, well, they’re England. However, away from the pitch, the mobile betting industry is as popular as it’s ever been.Millions upon millions was placed on our favourite – and least favourite – countries this summer. 167 of those lucky punters betting on Luis Suarez to start eating opponents, whilst most were getting stuck into live betting.
Swedish operator Unibet saw huge numbers during the tournament with £51million of its £112million turnover coming from live betting, whilst walk into a pub during the summer and it was likely you’d see at least half a dozen men betting in-play on how many Germany were eventually going to put past Brazil.
It comes as no surprise really, the mobile industry itself is forever developing, where in the UK alone 72percent of people own a smartphones like the new iphone 6 and one third of the nation are tablet users, so it’s a lucrative market, and one method used effectively to the 4.3percent of iPhone users that have a betting app on their phone is push notifications.
Whilst still in their infancy, push played a big part in the way the World Cup was bet on. Bookmaker Coral saw some excellent results from their push notification campaign with significant spikes in activity directly after a push was sent out; whilst Paddy Power believes it is also a useful tool to have as the industry continues to grow.
Eoin George, SportsbookProduct Manager at Paddy Power stated in a talking mobile interview that “Some customers love getting reminders about upcoming events”.
He went on to say, “Long term I would see push as us giving customers control over what information they receive. Giving customers the power to tailor their betting experience should enhance it.”
Enhancement is going to be the buzz word over the next few years as mobiles switch to the next generation, with even wearables expected to become a more prominent feature in day to day life, and bookmakers are going to have to keep up with the game.
George added, “We had voice betting in our World Cup app and on a previous app you could scan a live game with your phone’s camera and get brought straight to the live betting page. Smart watches are very much on the way and we want to be at the forefront of not just what happens there but with other emerging areas.”
It’s an exciting time for betting, we’re blessed with being able to bet on Rooney to score first or Joe Root to hit 100 whether that be on the bus or lay on the sofa, whilst next generation devices will transform the industry beyond what anyone could ever have imagined.
