Future of Sports Betting on Mobile

Is Mobile Sports Betting the Future of Gambling?

The transition to mobile has left an indelible mark on society, especially considering the unforgettably traumatic events of 2020. We stay home more, use our smartphones and tablets to communicate more, and constantly seek out more unique forms of entertainment. One pastime that’s gotten an incredible amount of attention lately is mobile sports wagering; a market that could easily dominate the global gambling industry for years to come.

Let’s take a look at some of the evidence supporting this theory. We’ll delve into each topic in much greater detail below.

1. Sports betting is the most popular form of online betting in Europe.

2. Steady progression of sports betting regulation is sweeping across U.S. states.

3. Canada is poised to expand sports betting laws to single-event wagering.

1. Sports Betting Already Dominates European Gambling

When it comes to online gambling, Europe has pioneered just about every respectable action along the industry timeline. The first form of truly strict, responsible iGaming regulation came out of the U.K. in 2014, providing the first honorable regulatory model for other upright jurisdictions to follow. Subsequently, Europe caters to largest active player base of online gamblers in the world.

According to a 2018 report by Statista, the world leader in market data trends, sports betting is the most popular form of online gambling in all of Europe. Their data concludes that 42.5%, nearly half of internet wagers, are geared towards sports betting. Online casino games make up about one-third of the overall market, coming in at 32.4%. The remainder belongs to online lotteries (12.6%), online poker (5%), online bingo (4.3%) and all others (3.2%).

No doubt, sports betting would be equally popular in North America (in a provably documented way), if only it were as universally legal to place sport bets. Which brings us to our next two topics, the United States and Canada.

2. Sports Betting Regulation Sweeping the U.S.

Since PASPA (the law prohibiting sports betting outside Nevada since 1992) was revoked in May 2018, the progression of sports betting regulation across U.S. states has been swift and steady. To date, 25 states (half of the entire country) have already passed the required legislation to launch retail and/or online sportsbooks. 22 of them already have sportsbooks up and running, with currently 3 pending launch. Nearly a dozen more have legislation in the works, or are at least debating the option, to legalize sports wagering.

Since 2018, the list of US states with legal sports betting has grown dramatically. At time of writing, these 25 states currently offer retail and/or online sportsbooks, or have already passed the necessary laws to do so in the near future.

• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Louisiana (limited by Parish)
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico (tribal only)
• New York
• Maryland (pending launch)
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Carolina (tribal only, pending launch)
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota (in Deadwood only)
• Tennessee
• Virginia (pending launch)
• Washington (tribal only)
• West Virginia

3. Canada Poised to Legalize Single-Event Betting

Canada – yet another great nation with millions of recreational gamblers – has catered to sports bettors for years now. It’s perfectly legal. However, federal law has perpetually limited Canadians to parlay style wagering. For the last decade, a multitude of pushes for single-event betting have been made by lower-level politicians, but none have come anywhere close to successful. Now, for the first time, it appears passage of a single-event betting law is imminent, and it could happen as early as the coming spring.

Last month, Canada’s Federal Justice Minister and Attorney General, David T. Lametti, introduced Bill C-13, otherwise known as the Safe & Regulated Sports Betting Act. It’s similar to all the legislative attempts before it, but with a few subtle differences that could be the key to this bill’s success.

First of all, it’s being introduced by one of the highest ranking members of the Canadian federal government. Secondly, the nation, and its gambling industry, are both in dire need of revenue. And third, Lametti’s introductory speech to the media was short, sweet, and ultimately flawless, hitting all the right notes.

“The amendments we are proposing today will help create a safe and regulated environment for Canadians who wish to participate in single event sport betting. This Bill would also protect Canadians by taking profits out of the hands of organized crime and will help our economy by supporting jobs. These changes also create the opportunity to work with Indigenous people to strengthen their participation in the gaming industry.”

Only time can tell the path set out before us, but the evidence clearly supports the theory. Mobile sports betting is the future of the global gambling industry.