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BLUESQ.COM Blue Square encourages responsible gambling, gambleaware.co.uk
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The modern way: How to make the best bets safely using the latest technology
BETTING ON THE MOVE
E-GAMBLING
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
Good oddsBetting exchanges have transformed the way people bet
On the goPlace your bet wherever you are using your mobile
INDEPENDENT BETTING ADJUDICATION SERVICE GLOBAL BETTING AND GAMING CONSULTANTS
A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT
No.1/September ’10
GUIDETO TODAY’S GAMBLING
THE COMPLETE
2 · SEPTEMBER 2010 A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT
Growing numbers take a punt on e-gambling
With easy access and a fun approach, e-gambling has come of age and probably accounts for around 15 per cent of the UK’s total gambling market
‘The betting exchanges have radically changed the way many people bet on sports’
Chris O’KeeffeChief executive,Independent Betting Adjudication Service
WE RECOMMEND
PAGE 6
Social Networking p41. E-Gambling isn’t as isolated as stereotypes suggest
Tips for mobile gambling p62. The safe way to use your mobile to place a bet
E-GAMBLING, 1ST EDITION, SEPTEMBER 2010
Managing Director: Willem De GeerEditorial Manager: Katherine Woodley
Business Development Manager: Chris Emberson
Project Manager: Matthew DemainPhone: 0207 665 4411E-mail: [email protected]
Distributed with: The Independent Print: The Independent
Mediaplanet contact information: Phone: 0207 665 4400Fax: 0207 665 4419E-mail: [email protected]
We make our readers succeed!
E-gambling is a main-stream activity in terms of its use and provides consumers with an accessible al-ternative to venue-based gambling. It is
well regulated and operators have cre-ated an environment where gambling is fair, safe, honest and fun.
The online gambling market is a fi ercely competitive one which forc-es operators to provide the best prod-ucts and the best service available if they are to thrive. It also means that they operate within tight margins. This is all good news for their custom-ers who for a sports event, like the Ry-der Cup, can shop around for the best prices. After a few minutes of internet browsing they can be sure they are getting the best value bet anywhere.
In days gone by odds would have been off ered only before an event be-gan and on a very limited number of options, most obviously, for example, a straight choice on whether to bet
on Team Europe or Team USA to come out on top. However, one of the fast-est growing forms of betting has be-come “in-play” or “in-running” bet-ting where the odds are constantly re-vised and updated during an event so that bettors have the option of wait-ing to see how things are developing before getting involved, or even more involved.
The range of bets has also expand-ed dramatically because the inter-net allows online betting operators the freedom to do that. Coming back to the Ryder Cup, far from it being a straight choice between which team might win, a quick look at an odds comparison website shows that be-tween them online betting operators are off ering over 50 diff erent markets, which should be enough to satisfy even the most ardent fan.
To make sure they get the best range of choice and benefi t from the many special off ers that are always available, it is very common for online gamblers to have accounts with fi ve
or six companies, but there is nothing wrong with starting in a small way with just one operator. They all have simple and secure registration proc-esses and even the novice, or casual gambler, will fi nd them easy to use. Customer services staff are there to answer telephone or e-mail queries if anything is unclear, but the websites themselves will all carry details about the types of bets available and the terms and conditions that apply.
Finally, whatever form of gam-bling people might be considering, or are already taking part in, irre-spective of whether it’s online, in a betting offi ce, a bingo club, or a casi-no, they should always remember to gamble responsibly.
And if, as the vast majority of cus-tomers do, they can stick to that rule then their biggest challenge will be making the right bets and picking as many winners as possible.
On that note it is worth pointing out that Team Europe are favourites to win the Ryder Cup...
CHALLENGES
‘It is very common for online gamblers to have accounts with fi ve or six companies, but there is nothing wrong with starting in a small way with just one operator’
Clive HawkswoodChief Executive, Remote Gambling Association
Online and mobile betting accounted for over 75 percent of the bets placed on the 2010
World Cup Final back in July, but punters haven’t always had it so easy. Just 12 years previously you could only get an interest on the
betting shop or were one of the few to have a telephone betting account. The pre-smoking ban fog as irritant as the 9p in the pound taxed on winnings or stake.
UK company to take bets via the internet barely 10 months after the euphoria of a French win had died down on the streets of Paris. On the information super-highway a new breed of gambler was evolving as quickly as the industry itself. By the time it was the turn of Japan and South Korea to host the tournament in 2002 a fully established and most importantly, regulated alternative to a trip to the betting shop was available.
Online betting it’s no snail race!
Germany predictably broke all kinds of records for online turnover on a
introduction of a raft of special markets not seen by the wider public, but originating from City based spread-betting. Markets on the number of corners and offsides stood side by side on the computer screen with the traditional selection
correct score.Back then it would have been
considered that there wasn’t much
Blue Square’s very own offering of streaming live snail racing was probably ahead of its time considering the lack of broadband. Customers lapped up the novelty factor and some
rapid progress, then the next eight saw a multiplication that was hard
500 clickable suggestions across a range of markets that just about stopped at predicting the colour of
the referee’s pencil! Coupled with new strides in mobile technology these opportunities to wager came
SPORT
in an easily packaged handheld
application experienced a record day for bets placed on the afternoon of England’s exit at the hands of Germany.
This football season, people are increasingly using the advances of the mobile brand to bet whilst in the stand before and even during matches they are attending. One acquaintance who
feet from his phone told me that he watched the whole of the Manchester United versus Liverpool game on Sunday, including placing a number of bets - all from the comfort of a children’s party he’d accompanied his youngest son to. How the other parents at the busy soft play centre reacted to that display of behaviour didn’t cross his mind as his correct score bet placed during the game for United to win 3-2 was secured in the last ten minutes.
The real pleasure can be had during those Champions League nights when, laptop at the ready, Blue Square customers can access bets on all the live markets they want whilst using
Blue Square’s new iPhone app - Betting on your mobile just got easier
“Blue Square’s iPhone application experienced a record day for bets.”
‘match choice’. No more nipping out in your lunch hour to place a bet in a shop hours before the teams have actually got to the stadium. Using one of many team news and statistics sites, all the information is accessible at the click of a mouse before parting with that hard earned cash. Of course this isn’t restricted to betting on the ‘Beautiful Game’. From traditional wagering on Horse Racing to bets on the World Series of Poker, even the General Election and who knows maybe even the return of the racing snails.
Visit bluesq.com now for a huge range of markets including this week’s Ryder Cup battle between Europe and the USA
4 · SEPTEMBER 2010 A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT SEPTEMBER 2010 · 5A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT
Mobile technology was hyped as the next big thing long before its time. Marketers created a cartoon WAP surfi ng at high speed through “in-formation space,” but the re-ality was not as great and the acid test was always whether gamblers used it.
They didn’t. The old No-kia and Motorola models were not user-friendly enough. “Screens were too small to allow easy scrolling, which made it hard to place all but the simplest bets,” said Warwick Bartlett, CEO of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants.
Since then, technology has ad-vanced. “Bigger screens on iPhones make it easier to scroll and see all the off ers. It’s also connected to the internet, which speeds it up.
The next generation of phones will be even faster than desktop-based computers.
“The iPad is a wonderful inven-tion. The bigger screen makes it easier to study complex odds. It works through Wi-Fi which is not available everywhere, but soon it will be connected to the mobile phone system and will have a big infl uence.”
Advancing technology facili-tates in-play betting. “Im-
agine being at a football match and Manchester United go 1-0 down to
Bolton. You fancy them to come back, so you study the
odds on your phone and place a bet.”
Mobile technology also opens up new markets, as Barlett explains, “In Nigeria, a country of 150m people, there’s no broadband so people use mobiles to gamble. In Ghana, they place lottery bets using mobiles.
“Basically it works well for quick bets, such as roulette and blackjack, but less well for a game like poker because it’s too time-consuming. The market will grow and grow as the technology improves.”
Question: Gambling is a
sociable activity, so how does
E-gambling help people to make
friends?
Answer: Many sites now
organise community outings
and also have forums where
members can get to know each
other
Gambling is an inherently social ac-tivity. Whether they are race-goers cheering horses at the Grand Nation-al, friends who enjoy a weekly poker game, or groups going to late-night casinos, gamblers are as much in search of human contact as the thrill of a punt.
For example, for many women the night out at the bingo club has traditionally been a perfect excuse for getting together in a fun envi-ronment.
The stereotypical image of online gambling doesn’t fi t this picture of sociability, but this perception is out-dated according to Lorien Pilling, Head of Research, at Global Betting and Gaming Consultants.
“The stereotypes about the indus-try are mainly untrue. There’s lots of good work promoting social activi-
ties,” Pilling said. “Online gambling doesn’t have to be an isolated activity and can be a way of making friends.”
Pilling said the development of the social aspect of E-gambling was part of the wider trend of social network-ing that has arisen in recent years through websites such as Facebook and MySpace.
“E-Gambling has been swept up in this trend. For example, Zynga’s Texas Hold’em Poker application for Facebook is one of the most popular on the site with 6m daily active us-ers and 33m monthly active users,” said Pilling.
Social networking has helped E-gambling appeal to females, too. In-ternet bingo has been marketed fi rmly at females: 888 Holdings’ Bin-go website has the URL “888Ladies.com; TV adverts for online Bingo tend to feature women, and many Bingo sites are predominantly pink.
Bingo websites also stress com-munity aspects and many have a specifi c “community” tab. Players can chat to each other and create profi les. The websites have a “mag-azine” feel, with blogs and a forum, and there are associated Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.
“Online bingo is a great way of making friends,” Pilling said. “Near-ly all 120 online bingo sites off er sim-ilar activities. Last year, for example, Foxy Bingo held a Foxy Ladies Day and a Foxy Bingo Cruise from Hull to Amsterdam.”
Before bingo sites took off , on-line gambling was male-dominat-ed through “harder gambling”, such as casinos and poker. But the pro-motion of online communities has changed the nature of the game.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES SHOW THE WAY
DAVID SMITH
‘The stereotypes about the industry are mainly untrue’
Lorien PillingHead of Research, Global Betting and Gaming Consultants
A SOCIAL EVENTThe social interaction that takes place when gambling has been adopted online with social networking features included on many sitesPHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
6
Warwick BarlettCEO of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants
The market for mobile gambling is set to soar as advancing technology makes it easier to study complex odds, gain faster access to the internet and place bets while you are at live games
Mobile gambling is odds-on to expand
DAVID SMITH
Get the right kit
1Choose a handset with good features for mobile gambling:
screen size, interface, internet technology, battery life
Explore your phone
2If it is a new handset take time to learn about its
features and capabilities to get the best experience from mobile gambling
Check the background
3Choose games, applications, and websites from reputable
licensed operators. Research who owns them and where they are based
Use free sites first
4Practise on free play sites or games before playing for
money, especially with new games
Get the best deal
5Seek out the best bonus deals for opening a new account
Be cautious
6Do not disclose your account details to others
NEWS
LORIEN PILLING’S TOP TIPS
FOR MOBILE GAMBLING
Let’s keep it funHelping you stay in control of your gambling
Advice and support
0845 6000 133www.gamcare.org.uk
6 · SEPTEMBER 2010 A SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE INDEPENDENT
Improving the odds
Once upon a time fi nding the best odds on a sporting event was so troublesome that most punters didn’t even bother trying to com-pare odds at di� erent bookies. They just went to their local high street and settled for what was on o� er at their local bookie.
The internet makes that ap-proach inexcusable. It’s possible to browse the odds at the click of a mouse and select the best ones. When it comes to searching for the best odds, however, the big-gest development has been the rise of betting exchanges, includ-ing Betfair, Betdaq, Betsson and World Bet Exchange (WBX). The biggest of them, Betfair, has a turnover of £50m a week.
“The betting exchanges have radically changed the way many people bet on sports. It’s the 21st
century approach,” said Chris O’Kee� e, the chief executive of the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS).
Rather than taking the indus-try standard starting price, they allow bets to be placed on the ex-
change. The Betfair Starting Price is determined by balancing bets from customers who want to back, say, a horse, or a tennis play-er, with those who wish to lay. As there’s no bookmaker’s edge built in, the odds are usually better.
Betfair claims on average 20 per cent better odds than traditional bookies.
Better odds are reason enough to bet online, but there are other rea-sons. “It’s more e� cient because there are no scraps of paper - a relic of the 1950s when bookies’ runners carried the slips around. Betting on-line is more e� cient and clinical.”
Convenience is another factor. “You can bet at work or home going into town, or use your mobile at a live match. There are now so many sports to bet on and so many types of bet, it’s easier to study online,” said O’Kee� e.
“The 25-35 year olds are in the habit of doing everything online, and many women are put o� by the bookie’s atmosphere, and feel more comfortable betting at home.”
The disadvantage is you don’t get the buzz of the bookie’s shop. “You don’t get all the talk about ‘the one that got away’. But online forums where gamblers exchange views, tips, and ideas, are popular and replicate that communal feel at the bookie.”
‘You can bet at work or home, going into town, or use your mobile at a live match’
Chris O’KeeffeChief executive, Independent Betting Adjudication Service
DAVID SMITH
Question: ■ How has E-Gambling made it easier to fi nd the best odds?
Answer: ■ Customers can browse odds on different sites, or use betting exchanges to get a better deal
LIVE BETTINGBetting exchanges allow you to bet on live games at better odds than you’d find in the bookiesPHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
INSPIRATION
HOW WE MADE IT
FACTS ON E-GAMBLING AND MOBILE GAMBLINGThe Gambling Commission ■
oversees E-gambling in the UK
to ensure it is fair. There were 382
remote gambling operators licensed
in 2009
The UK government ■ also
recognises E-gambling licences
issued by Antigua, Alderney,
Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Tasmania, and
EU member states like Malta
E-gambling websites ■ use
128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
encryption technology to transmit
private data
Betfair processes ■ over 5
million transactions daily, more than
Europe’s stock exchanges
The Independent ■ Betting
Adjudication Service adjudicates
in disputes between E-gambling
companies which are IBAS members
and customers
WARWICK BARTLETT, CEO OF GLOBAL BETTING AND
GAMING CONSULTANTS
NAME SURNAME
Bringing the casino into your homeTo make the home gambling experience more real, sites try to replicate the feel of a high-street bookie, and being in a real casino
Recent developments in online technology have made home gambling a more satisfying and sophisticated process.
Lorien Pilling, Head of Research at Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, says the home ex-perience now mirrors the feel of a high-street bookie, or a real ca-sino.
“On some casino sites, you cre-ate a character, choose their dress and give them a name. Your alter ego moves around in a full casi-no landscape, from roulette table to poker table, to slot machine. It gives a feel of a casino at home,” Pilling said.
Sports fans can gamble on events they watch live on-site. “It’s like a bookie where you watch events live. Ladbrokes’ online TV might show live racing or tennis. Some sites show basketball and Ameri-can football,” Pilling said.
Racing Post form guides help create the illusion of being at the bookie. “These are pinned on the wall at the bookie, but you just click a button and read the form online,” said Pilling.
Before taking advantage of online sites, it’s essential to make sure you have a reliable broadband in-ternet connection. “There’s noth-ing worse than being in a poker hand when connection is lost. You have to fold the hand,” said Pill-ing.
The second thing to do is re-search the sites. “You should like their graphics and games. Some specialise in minority sports. They have to be reliable, so read reviews and make sure they pay on time. Study sites comparing sign-up bo-nuses. You may fi nd one that dou-bles your deposit.”
DAVID SMITH
bles your deposit.”
DAVID SMITH
