Betting on SMSSue Kern According to a recent industry study, gambling services will account for as much as a third of mobile entertainment revenues by 2009. The gaming industry sees the explosion in the use of mobile phones and online gambling as a potentially profitable marriage. Java-enabled graphics, color-filled screens, technology that invoices on the monthly phone bill and 3G networking combine to provide a service that rivals traditional gambling methods. The report goes on to report that more than 90% of the adult population in the United States has played the lottery at one time. Combining this huge market that is already familiar and accepting of the lottery in its traditional paper-form with the growing penetration of the mobile phone is a logical and lucrative proposition. Sports betting, popular in any setting, is about to explode on the mobile platform. Not only does it afford players the opportunity to place a bet on the final outcome of a sporting event, but also to dynamically bet through their mobile devices on particular events within the game. And the technology supports a 24x7 product, as there is no break in sporting events worldwide. Success of sports betting may depend on the availability of GPRS or 3G for the average mobile user, but with the rapid advance of these technologies, this hardly seems to present a problem for sports betting However, the industry is looking to implement stricter controls to prevent minors from gambling online. Almost all current gambling laws predate the Internet and legal controls on commercial gambling are being undermined by the new technologies. New controls being considered include secure billing, credit checks and age checks. |