Mobile apps have revolutionized the gaming industry. Although football betting is a multi-billion dollar market on its own, the more expansive, generic mobile gaming market could become a trillion-dollar market over the next couple of decades.
Given how betting on sports could become a trillion-dollar market on its own, too, the combination of mobile gaming, apps, and football betting has proven to be the catalyst for the protracted, explosive growth we’ve seen in football betting over the last decade and a half. Sports betting companies have been exploring this avenue for nearly 20 years now.
While online betting originally opened the door to the market we currently see, it wasn’t until the early 2010s that mobile apps really started to elevate all types of sports betting markets, including football.
A New Level Of Convenience
When sports betting companies made the leap from land-based shops to websites, the potential became clear pretty quickly. The only thing that was missing in the early 2000s was the mass adoption of people moving their gambling online. Sports betting companies, as long as they could guarantee site security, offered a way to bet that made betting more convenient.
Ultimately, as much as experts might like to discuss site specifics, technicalities of website security, and everything else that comes with it, the main factor was that it was more convenient for people to play online. It was to get ready, throw on a new outfit, and make their way to a sports betting shop.
If we apply that same theory to mobile betting, which took online gambling from PCs and laptops to markets you could access 24/7 and on the move, then this further convenience was a huge part that elevated the market to a new level.
In-Play Markets
Now that sports bettors can place wagers on the move, there has been a spike in the number of in-play markets. Greater access to live markets means more eyes and, ultimately, more wagers. Traditional pre-game markets, such as both teams to score, have become markets people look for during the game.
However, the world of in-play markets exploded due to the rise of mobile apps. It meant that a whole new dimension of markets that never existed started generating millions of dollars worth of revenue for sports betting companies. Some of these markets include which team will get the next corner, the next player to get booked or to score, how many throw-ins there’ll be, etc.
So, not only has mobile betting opened up a world of possibilities, but markets are seeing a wave of new action that didn’t even exist a decade ago. For football betting platforms, more markets lead to more wagers and, ultimately, a more significant profit potential.
In-play markets also revolutionized the cash-out options for existing bets that are still live. I remember when the Spurs scored a 96th-minute win in the Champions League semi-final against Ajax in 2019.
I had Ajax to win, and my cash out at halftime was about 75% of what my total payout would’ve been—they were 2-0 up (automatic cash out wasn’t an option)—but a spirited second-half comeback took away my winnings. I also found out when the cash out was suspended as Tottenham went forward for one last attack—typical!
Embracing New Markets
With the rise of other betting markets, including eSports, professional video gaming, and football games like FIFA, new markets have also been able to embrace football betting platforms.
The access and influence over other subsidiary markets have resulted in games like Counter-Strike 2 becoming a huge hit and many sports betting platforms jumping on board with the idea of offering outright and in-play markets. However, since football betting really highlighted how much potential there was in mobile apps and betting markets, eSports and niche markets picked up on the trend quickly and adjusted their markets accordingly.
Incentivizing Promotions & Bonuses
We won’t say that mobile apps have totally changed the sports betting world by offering promotions. In fact, bonuses and promotions were a significant part of why the online sports betting market first exploded around a quarter of a century ago.
Back then, online casinos were considered promising but small, niche businesses operating on the periphery of the broader casino industry. However, by implementing the ideas that turn small businesses into successful operations, they incentivized bonuses to focus on their websites, and mobile apps have been doing the same thing for well over a decade now.
Final Thoughts
It wouldn’t be completely fair to say mobile apps have done all the heavy lifting. It’s been a collective effort from a number of key companies within the sports betting ecosystem: tech experts, software designers, and app developers who know how to create apps that are more convenient betting platforms while keeping the overlapping gambling platforms secure.
Ultimately, it is down to the convenience of mobile apps, and once platforms could show they were just as secure and more convenient, they would inevitably pick up a lot of traction quickly.