The tweaking of state legislation to allow mobile betting in more US territories is great news for operators and a sign of things to come, writes Victor Sevciuc, Head of Sales for Sports Betting and Gaming at Xtremepush.
Looking at what Iowa has recently done in allowing mobile betting, or Rhode Island where they revised the original legislation last year to make a provision for mobile, it’s massively important for the future of the US industry.
I do believe that, eventually, states that are currently in-person only will follow suit. The revenue opportunities are too good to ignore.
In Europe, over the last few years we’ve seen many of our clients transition from ‘mobile-friendly’ to ‘mobile-first’.
There are several nuances there, but fundamentally what that means is prioritising the mobile experience as its own thing, and not simply trying to replicate your desktop experience on a smaller screen.
I think the US operators are in a position to draw on these learnings and launch to market with a quality mobile offering that really future-proofs their operations. And given that some European operators estimate 70 per cent of their revenue is now driven through mobile channels, it’s paramount that they get this right.
Even in Europe, the reality is that mobile usage isn’t even close to its peak. I read a report recently which predicted a 19 per cent increase in mobile betting by the end of 2021.
“as the next generation of bettors matures, we’ll see a corresponding spike in mobile betting“
As we’re seeing across other verticals, it’s the younger generations that are driving this increase. Because of the obvious age-limitations in place around betting, this industry is a few years behind some others, but as the next generation of bettors matures, we’ll absolutely see a corresponding spike in mobile betting.
All of this is in the context of general trends within the betting industry, with the average age of bettors falling every year. Where the average age of a land-based casino visitor is late 40s, online players are closer to 35.
And mobile bettors are younger again. I think the most recent figures suggest early 30s, and it’s falling year on year.
One question that we’re asked, because of our experience in mobile, is whether or not a native app is essential. The way we look at it, an app is almost always preferable but depending on the amount of resources you’re willing to invest, you may be better off without one.
A mobile-responsive website, one that’s optimised for the small screen, can be every bit as satisfying from a UX perspective, with a full suite of product offerings.
However, there is one exception and that’s poker. It’s very rare to find a strong mobile poker experience outside of a native app.
One of the fundamental challenges of creating a winning mobile offering is streamlining the UX. How easy you make it for the player to navigate through the various betting markets, browse live odds, edit their bet slip, and so on, will make or break the experience.
From our perspective, the major value of getting your mobile experience right is the way it relates to in-play betting. The two go hand-in-hand. So real-time mobile engagement and stimulating in-play activity is certainly one of the topics we’ll be focusing on in our webinar at next week’s Betting on Sports America – Digital.
I really recommend anyone attending BOSA Digital to join us live for that, where they can ask questions and dig deeper. And in the meantime, I’d encourage them to download the Gartner Magic Quadrant to learn a little more about what we do.
Betting on Sports America – Digital
Sevciuc was writing for SBC Americas ahead of next week’s Betting on Sports America – Digital. As well as exhibiting for the duration of the event, Xtremepush will be hosting the webinar focusing on the tips and strategies for enhancing your mobile betting experience.
Looking ahead to the event, Sevciuc said: “It’s another huge honour for us, having been included in last year’s edition. It really speaks to the depth of expertise we have developed. While we are a multichannel provider, we are exceptionally strong when it comes to mobile. We have a huge amount of campaign insight around acquiring mobile players, encouraging them back on-site and in-app, and making sure you retain their business for longer.”
Xtremepush was recently named as one of the top tech vendors in the world, featuring in Gartner’s 2020 Magic Quadrant for Mobile Marketing Platforms, which was released just last month. The report specifically calls out Xtremepush’s credentials in the sports betting and gaming industry.
