GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 18 - October 2011

FROM THE GPWA FORUMS Hodgeyboy The dilemma that Muppet outlines is one that we had been considering for a long time at Betfred . . . should it be an app or a web platform? We recently launched mobile betting but chose to do so via a mobile-optimised web-platform as opposed to an app precisely because it gave us the freedom to include affiliates in the marketing of this. We can now offer affiliates the chance to refer players via regular websites, mobile-optimised web sites and even reverse SMS by texting an allocated keyword in to us. We can also track players to affiliates whose first-time registration is via a mobile device. In my opinion, the future of almost everything involving data exchange of some form or another will be mobile. The growth of these devices is increasing at an exponential rate and crucially it is also growing in the U.S., which has traditionally lagged behind Europe in terms of mobile device usage. And it doesn’t only apply to online transactions, either. The arrival of payment via Near Field Communication is also going to revolutionise the way customers pay for their everyday items in shops and businesses. Some of you mentioned that you can’t imagine anyone wanting to do ‘x’ on a mobile when they can still do ‘y’ on a desktop but the same was said in bookies’ shops when the idea of online gambling first became possible. For example, at Betfred I am told that way back when, when the idea of moving online was first discussed years ago, the prevailing view was that it would never surpass betting shops and they would not need more than 5 or 6 people to run the online operation! It was a failure of imagination. If things had stayed the same then bookies’ shops would never have installed TVs in their shops to show the races, even radio. They would have stuck with a man and a chalkboard writing up the results for the gathered punters. The arrival of the Internet was just the next step in that process of change and it’s the same with mobile. There is the potential threat that brands will look to save money by only releasing their product via places like an app store, but if we agree that the future seems certain to be dominated by mobile then the only response for the likes of you and me is get thinking, innovate and look for those gaps and niches where we can step in and provide a service to potential customers of these products and platforms. 21 July 2011 4:51 am #11 EugeneK For sure [the] mobile trend will be developing, especially in betting, especially in live betting. BTW, Google recently released a survey where it is stated that most of users use their iPads at home. Another point is that I am finding more and more players who play via their mobiles and deposit more than 1,000 USD. 22 July 2011 9:21 am #12 TheGooner Originally Posted by EugeneK Recently Google released a survey where it is stated that most of users use their iPads at home. This I could understand. Although the iPad is portable - it’s not really a pocket appliance - but it is an option for simple browsing or gaming around the home. It also has a reasonable screen to base a gaming platform. So is it really mobile gaming? Or just a mini-laptop? 26 July 2011 6:49 pm #13 Muppet Exactly. When I talk mobile gaming I am talking phones, not mini-laptops or tablets, which are more or less the same thing as a computer. 26 July 2011 7:09 pm #14 From the GPWA forums