Ladbrokes sees boost in mobile betting

Bookmakers Ladbrokes has already taken four times as many mobile bets during this summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa, compared to the European Championships in 2008, it has been revealed.

The company has used the launch of an iPhone application to break the 100,000 barrier for mobile bets taken on a single event for the first time.

Ladbrokes said the upturn in the market was down to the amount of people who now own smartphones, allowing customers quick and easy access to betting opportunities from any location.

According to the company, its iPhone application has helped mobile internet overtake traditional telephone betting for the first time at a major football tournament.

Betting turnover on Ladbroke’s mobile channels has doubled over the past 12 months, with a six-fold increase in the number of customers that bet exclusively via mobile internet.

Ladbroke’s managing director of Remote Betting and Gaming, John O’Reilly, said: “Mobile betting and gaming is a significant growth area and smartphones, especially the iPhone, have dramatically improved the user experience.

“We’re delighted to be the first major bookmaker to launch a full betting application in the app store and we’ll follow this World Cup product with a range of other applications tailored to different betting and gaming audiences – the first being a tailored application for the next domestic football season.”