Betting used to be something that was, in a way, a bit of a closed shop. Anyone could go to a bookie’s to put a bet on, but because of the necessity of knowing what to do and where to go to place a bet, there were probably millions of people who just thought that it wasn’t worth the bother. Today, things are very different and the fact that you can bet online or on your mobile whenever you want to, means that the number of people who place bets has risen enormously.

There are very few people around today who would place a bet anywhere else but online or via a mobile betting app. It makes a lot of sense. There’s no need to make a special trip to the bookmaker’s in town when you can get better odds at online betting sites.

Also, if you like the idea of in-play betting, then using an app on your mobile means that you can get fresh bets on really quickly. The mobile gambling industry is absolutely booming at the moment, with predictions from Juniper Research suggesting that the global online wagers on casino, gambling and poker websites will reach $62 billion by 2018. This would represent an increase of more than six times the amount wagered in 2013.

The time when mobile betting can come in really handy is when you’re out watching a sporting fixture and want to get a bet on. A great example is if you’ve gone for a day at the races. A big part of the day for most race goers is to have some bets on the horse racing that they’ve come to watch.

If you’re headed to Cheltenham this March to watch the Cheltenham Gold Cup, for example, rather than queuing up in the betting ring, where the odds are not overly competitive, generally speaking, it’s much easier to get out your phone and get a bet on using your favourite betting app.

by  Florian Christoph 

A day out at the races more often than not involves a few bets.

Which mobile apps are the best?

As a user, ease of use and the ability to place bets quickly should be the first priority. If you’re down at the pub watching a footie game you’ve already bet on, for example, and the team’s fortunes change, it’s great to be able to adjust your bets using your mobile. There’s a lot to be said for the sheer convenience of being able to organise your bets that on your mobile phone – you don’t need to miss out on any of the action to get a bet on.

With the Betfair betting exchange app, there’s also the possibility to lay other people’s bets as well as placing your own, which means you can take advantage of sentiment. For instance, if you were watching Andy Murray play at Wimbledon this summer, the chances are that lots of people will be betting on him to win, even if he’s not been on the best of form in the months building up to it. You could take the opportunity to lay those bets yourself if your gut feeling is that Andy will come crashing out of the tournament.

With most mobile betting apps, it only takes a couple of taps to get a bet on. Check out the different app reviews to make sure that the app delivers what it promises before you download it.

Another tactic when choosing a betting app is to choose a brand name that you’re familiar with. If you’ve always placed your bets with William Hill, for example, it might be that that’s the app that you try first. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t have a number of different betting apps on your phone; especially as so many of the different bookmakers and betting exchanges offer a free bet when you first sign up.

At the moment, when you join Betfair’s sportbook, if you bet £10 on a single sportsbook bet, you get £30 credit, paid out as three £10 free bet tokens. All the bookies have similar promos – for example, if you join Paddy Power and place a £10 bet, the site will give you £20 in free bets in return.

While opening a number of betting accounts will mean you can benefit from free bets and special promos, remember that you’ll have to keep track of your spending in a number of different accounts. So once you’ve enjoyed the free bet benefits, you may well want to use only one of the betting apps for regular betting purposes.

Three popular betting apps

Betfair is one of the most popular betting apps around and the app has recently gone through a makeover which means that it’s even easier to use and get bets on whatever fixtures you’re interested in. The breadth of betting markets covered by Betfair is phenomenal and includes the classic sports that people bet on, such as horse racing, football, golf and cricket, as well as some more niche sports like mixed martial arts, floorball and chess.

by  roland 

Floorball – one of the many sports you can bet on with the Betfair app.

The Betfair app scores highly for its user interface and attractively clutter-free screen, which means you can get your bets on quickly and easily. The speed at which the app functions is one of its best features – there’s no sense of hanging around while you wait for your bet to be placed. It’s now also possible to deposit and withdraw using PayPal which is always handy.

If there’s a particular sport you’re interested in, then this may influence which betting app that you use.  For instance, the fact that William Hill has an affiliation with The Racing Post is handy for horse racing fans. This means that with the William Hill app it’s possible to access detailed and extensive information on the runners in a particular race, such as the Grand National at Aintree in April, before you make your betting decisions.

However, you can also bet on all kinds of other sports using the same app, so if you’re a general sports fan, the app should cater to all of your betting needs. Aside from the sports it covers, the William Hill app also has a professional and high quality feel to its user interface, so it’s easy to use – which is always an advantage.

Coral is another good all-rounder when it comes to sports betting apps. One slight complaint is that it takes a few seconds to load, but once loaded the betting app functions quickly. With a clear home screen you have instant access to a menu which includes racing, football, A-Z sports and gaming.

For users of the Coral website, the app layout will feel familiar and Coral account holders can log in to their accounts on a mobile, check their balance and bet slip, as well as add funds and make withdrawals. Coral’s sign-up bonus is a £20 free bet, so it is similar to what’s on offer with the other main sporting apps.

by  Tracy O 

Global online wagers are set to reach $62 billion by 2018.

Gambling operators know that the easier they make it for consumers to place bets on their mobiles, the more they’ll do it. Therefore, it makes good business sense for them to create the most attractive and easy-to-use apps that they can, so we can expect that betting apps will become ever more sophisticated.