One Billion Smartphones Sold Will Change Mobile Gambling

Sometime in the third quarter of 2012, worldwide smartphone sales passed the significant one billion milestone. Most of the billion devices run on iOS or Android.

The first device that one might call a smartphone, the Nokia Communicator, arrived in 1996. Soon, the first mobile gambling applications rolled out. Nokia dominated the market until 2007, when the arrival of Apple’s first iPhone changed everything.

After iPhone revolutionized the mobile industry, smartphones sales skyrocketed. More and more companies started developing applications, including casino and other gambling apps, for iPhones after Apple opened its platform. Google came out with Android, and by mid 2011, over 700 million smartphone units were shipped worldwide.

China and India to become top player in online gambling

Strategy Analytics Global Wireless Practice executive director Neil Mawston wrote in his blog: “Most of the world does not yet own a smartphone and there remains huge scope for future growth, particularly in emerging markets such as China, India and Africa.”

Given the fact that these regions are home to almost three billion gamblers, the prospects for growth are huge, especially in India and China. The only thing needed for the gaming explosion is a favorable change in the gambling legislation.

According to a research by Strategy Analytics, the next one billion smartphone devices will be sold in just three years. The regional spread will change: China’s smartphone sales will overtake those of the United States, with 27 percent to 18 percent share in the worldwide shipments.

There will be hundreds of millions of first time users in the developing areas, opening new opportunities for manufacturers and developers. However, sales in the US and Europe will not slow down significantly, as the lifecycle of smartphones is short, and users are always eager to upgrade their devices.

iOS and Android are expected to stay the two main platforms, with Microsoft and Samsung coming up in market shares. Some analysts also count on html5 to be more widespread.