Most Mobile Gambling Revenues are from Sports Betting

The Ofcom Communications Market Report revealed that 40 percent of British adults own a smartphone device. This is a 13 percent increase from 27 percent last year.

The growing number of smartphone owners is crucial for the mobile gaming industry. Thanks to the favorable British gambling laws, mobile gaming in the United Kingdom is regarded as one of the fastest growing areas in the world, with operators reporting record numbers in the past few quarters.

Mobile sports betting generates revenues

The study also showed that at the moment, UK sport betting generates the vast majority of mobile gambling revenues in the country. This is corresponds to the worldwide trend, where 76 percent of all mobile wages are put for sportsbooks.

The total worldwide mobile gambling is valued at EUR 2.2 billion in 2011. It is estimated to be around EUR 5.4 billion in three years, resulting from an annual growth rate of around 19.3 percent.

Mobile casino games are not as popular as sport betting, but they are gaining a foothold. End of 2010, mobile casinos created less than 10 percent of the total interactive casino market, and around 0.6 percent of the total (online plus land based included) casino market worldwide.

According to the research, mobile casino games will be responsible for at least 3 percent of the total interactive casino revenues next year, with the chance to grow to as much as 12.9 percent in the same year.

Smart devices are spreading everywhere. 45 percent of the adult US population owns a smartphone. In the European Union, 44 percent of adults own smartphones. The number of adults owning a smartphone was increased by 8 percent in the countries of Spain, Germany, France and Italy alone last year.

What about the future? Mobile sports betting will still be the number one thing, but mobile casino games are up. Researchers say that sportsbooks will still account for half of the mobile wagers, and mobile casinos have a chance to cover as much as 40 percent.