Despite the challenging economic climate, gambling via mobile phones is expected to perform well in 2009, contrasting greatly with the rest of the entertainment and leisure sector.
A study by Juniper Research found that total wagers on mobile phones are expected to double in 2009 to over US$3.6bn, while spending on mobile TV and mobile games is likely to be hit by the global economic downturn.
“Gambling is essentially a recession-proof industry, as while there may be marginal reductions in the level of stakes amongst casual users, the overall appetite for gambling per se will be unaffected,” report author Dr Windsor Holden said.
“Furthermore, with the growing availability of betting services on-portal, the mobile is an increasingly convenient and user-friendly means of placing a bet.”
The report predicted that mobile betting would account for 75 per cent of all gambling on mobile handsets in 2008, with casino-type gambling likely to be the second-largest sector.
