The increasing importance of mobile to the online gambling sector has been borne out by new research showing that dedicated PC gamblers are now the minority.
Gamblers only using traditional PC devices such as desktops and laptops to bet online represented 49% of users during the second quarter of 2013, down from 67% in the comparable quarter a year earlier, according to Kantar Sport GB Syndicated Online Gambling Research.
This means that more than half of online gamblers are now also using mobile, with the percentage of gamblers using mobile and a range of other devices to access gambling websites rocketing to 51% in the second quarter from just 33% in 2012.
While PC devotees remained the largest single category of users, the strongest growth came from the section of bettors only using smartphones, which more than doubled in number to 15% from 7% of the total, outstripping the number whose preference was for using both their PCs and smartphones to get a bet on, which fell to 14% from 15% a year earlier.
The increased penetration of the online gambling market by tablet devices such as iPads was also reflected in Kantar’s finding that 23% of online gamblers used a tablet for this purpose during the period, with 5% of players only using this method to place a bet during the second quarter of 2013.
Gamblers using all possible channels to gamble – PC, smartphone and tablets – also expanded to 10% from 5%.
The Kantar figures were published as part of a William Hill analyst and investor session on Friday, which saw MD of online Andrew Lee present alongside the directors of sportsbook, marketing, mobile and customer experience/innovation.
The bookie said the demographic profile of mobile users was now closer to PC users, with 59% of these being ABC1 (PC: 59%), 87% male (PC: 78%) and 62% aged 18-34 (PC: 47%). Irish bookie Paddy Power last year launched standalone casino app and brand Roller aimed at the well-heeled “sweet spot” of 350,000 ABC1 males in the UK who own an iPad and play online casino games.
Article written by Stephen Carter
