All About Mobile Gambling

Important advancements in cell phone technology and software have led to a whole new industry of late: mobile gambling. This new industry is poised to explode in the coming years, with experts predicting profits well into the billions, with some even going as far as to predict that mobile gambling will one day eclipse regular online gambling in popularity.

Gaming software that could be used on cell phones and PDAs first began appearing in 2000, utilizing a protocol called WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). It enabled people to not only access the Internet with mobile devices, but also to play games at online establishments. At that time, however, there were significant limitations in WAP for graphics and functionality in game play and thus, mobile gambling did not take off.

However, in 2002 new advances in technology began to draw more attention to the prospect of gambling on cell phones and other hand held devices. As color displays became larger and better and Java capabilities came to hand held devices, the prospects for wireless gambling looked good.

So, now that the technology is out there, developers have begun to take on the challenge of making mobile gambling software that is easy to use and install on mini-PCs, cell phones and the like. As a result, there are now a variety of gambling games available for Java supported mobile devices. In a November 2005 report, Industry research company Visiongain predicted that mobile gambling will break into the mainstream in 2006

One hurdle that is quickly being overcome is the cost of mobile Internet services. This has been one of the major setbacks of mobile gambling thus far, but many wireless Internet providers are now investing quite a lot of money in creating wireless, high speed network capabilities throughout the world. As cities begin installing wireless network technology, and wireless “hot spots” increase throughout cities due to residential and business networks, individual satellite connections will no longer be the only way to get a consistent mobile Internet connection.

The first gambling to become popular in the mobile world will no doubt be sports betting due the simplicity of placing bets and the limited software needed to do so. Likewise, lotteries and bingos are prime candidates for taking advantage of their relative simplicity. However, bigger and higher quality screens, quality sound and Java functionality has ensured that major online casinos now offer adequate mobile software for other popular games such as slots, video poker, poker and blackjack as well.

Although mobile gambling is illegal in the US, it is hard to imagine that it will not become as popular or more popular than traditional online gambling. Despite this too being illegal it has continued to grow in popularity. Furthermore, this illegality of online gambling in the US is certainly not indicative of the status of online gambling in the world in general. Most countries do allow online gambling. One reason analysts site for the resistance to legalizing online gambling in the US is the pressure from the established gambling industry, which fears a noticeable decline in attendance if online gambling were freely permitted.

If you aren’t based in the US, however, you can test some of the first mobile gambling software right now at goldenpalacemobile.com. Just be sure not to let the convenience and ease of gambling with a mobile device get to you. This is a serious concern, as many people who never thought they could get caught up in gambling have seen their lives ruined by getting too heavily involved and mobile devices make this all the more easier. We at AllAboutGambling.com encourage responsible gambling, so check out our Gambling Addiction section to learn some of the signs to tell if you or someone you know might be at risk of a gambling addiction.