A report published today by Juniper Research says $48 billion (£31 billion) will be gambled using mobile phones in 2015. The growth will be driven by a combination of mobile casino, lottery and betting service launches in major emerging markets led by China along with liberalisation of remote gambling legislation across the US and Europe.
The Mobile Gambling Markets report notes that the Japan Racing Association's IPAT (Internet Personal Access Terminal) service has been responsible for most mobile gambling transactions in recent years, with casino & betting services in the UK also accounting for a significant proportion.
Mobile lottery services are now expected to increase their share, with China's VODone lottery gaining many new users and the US market preparing to introduce its first mobile lottery services next year.
Dr Windsor Holden, author of the report, said "State lottery providers are anxious to explore new distribution channels, with US lottery sales from traditional outlets in decline. The upshot is that several lotteries are in the latter stages of discussion with mobile technology providers with a view to launching mobile lottery services in 2011."
The report also notes that mobile gamblers favour occasional casual use rather than multiplayer mobile gambling apps and that most gambling services aren't apps but are provided via mobile web browsers.