The internet has changed just about everything about our everyday lives. From how we work to how we bank to how we communicate; the internet has effectively consumed everything. Another aspect that has changed rapidly thanks to the advent of the internet is the gambling industry. While land-based casinos are still doing just fine, the fact that you can now log onto your home computer and gamble from your own home has changed the trajectory of the industry as a whole.
SCOTUS Paves the Way
While many choose to gamble online using computers, advances in smartphone technology have advanced so quickly that users can now place bets from their mobile devices. Nowadays, all you have to do is download an app to your smartphone and you can bet or play casino games as often as you’d like. The United States Supreme Court essentially gave states the green light to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting with their decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May of 2018. Since then, a number of states have legalized sports betting, and many are expected to follow suit.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision, we have also seen a number of new online gambling apps enjoy a successful launch. Daily fantasy sports giants like DraftKings and FanDuel gotten in on the action already, and a host of others are expected to do the same in the coming years as the industry continues to expand.
The proliferation of sports betting apps has caused many consumers to move away from traditional brick-and-mortar casino sportsbooks. Land-based casinos aren’t exactly declining at this point, but the fact that users are able to bet easily via mobile device nowadays has certainly changed the way many people approach sports betting.
One aspect of sports betting that has been enhanced by mobile apps is live in-game betting. Live betting certainly isn’t a new concept, but the quickness with which consumers may place bets on their mobile devices has made it easier than ever to place an in-game wager. Instead of having to wait in line to place your bet at a real-life sportsbook, you can now get up-to-date odds and bet instantly within a matter of seconds with a mobile app.
The odds are constantly fluctuating, and the convenience of betting on a mobile device is far greater than doing so at a traditional casino. As a result, in-play bets have become a massive part of the sports betting experience, and they’re only getting bigger and bigger.
Bonuses Keep People Coming Back
Bonuses are also a huge part of the mobile betting experience. Gambling sites want your business, and the best ones are willing to sweeten the pot in order to keep customers happy and coming back for more. Part of keeping customers happy involves making sure they have enough funds with which to wager on a company’s site or mobile app.
Sites will offer new customers a first deposit bonus that will match the initial deposit up to a certain percentage. They will also offer things like a “reload” bonus that works for additional deposits, and various sports betting sites will promote special bonuses for big events like the Super Bowl or the World Cup.
New Jersey was the first state outside of Nevada to fully legalize sports betting after the Supreme Court’s decision. DraftKings and FanDuel are among the companies to have launched sports betting mobile apps since then, and both have enjoyed quite the surge in revenues ever since.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that bettors placed $213 million worth of bets via mobile apps in the month of July alone. That comes out to about 85 percent of the total handle generated in the state for the month. In 2019 as a whole, about 80 percent of all legal sports bets placed in the state have been placed via mobile app.
As gambling gets more and more popular in the United States, it’s safe to say that mobile betting apps will continue to grow, as well. Gambling as a whole seems to be coming out from under the shadows as more and more grow open to the idea of betting – specifically sports betting – being a viable pastime in the U.S. The internet cleared the way for mobile betting to prosper, and it’s only going to keep growing and growing from here.
