Gambling Applications Coming To Mobile Phones

Positive outlook for mobile gambling at industry conference

The market for gambling services on mobile phones is set to see significant growth in 2009, it has been claimed.

Delegates at the 5th Annual Mobile Gambling Summit in London this month heard several industry executives discuss the prospects for gaming on mobile devices in the next 12 months.

The general consensus was that mainstream acceptance of mobile gaming may still be several years away, but the market is expected to make progress in 2009 as more technology-savvy consumers reach the legal age for gambling.

"In the past year our clients have taken more than £100 million in bets through mobile devices, which suggests the market is developing very quickly," said Charles Palmer, co-founder of mobile gaming software developer Mfuse.

Bloomberg reports that Mfuse has already signed deals to develop mobile sports betting platforms with major bookmakers such as Ladbrokes, William Hill and Bet365.

"We see real evidence that users are very enthusiastic about mobile gaming," Mr Palmer added.

Jake Pollard, editor of E-Gaming Review, recently claimed that increased use of high-end handsets such as the iPhone and BlackBerry is likely to boost the mobile gaming market.