Gambling has come a long way since it began as one of mankind’s earliest activities – from casting lots and betting on property ownership, evidenced within Bible, Islamic and Buddhist scriptures, and within Chinese, Roman and ancient Egyptian cultures, to placing real money wagers from the palm of your hand on a sporting event taking place on the other side of the globe.
The prominence of gambling in Australian culture today has had both positive and negative influences, but without question, placing bets on certain events and games in the hope of earning back more money than one started with, is a practice that is here to stay. And one of the most popular methods of enjoying this activity is via smartphone and tablet applications – software which has revolutionised how people punt.
What types of gambling apps exist?
There are two different types of real money gambling apps worth discussing within this article:
1. The native application, which is typically available via app distributing platforms such as Android’s Google Play, Apple’s App Store and the Windows Phone Apps + Games Store.
2. The Web application, which is software built using browser supported language and technology such as HTML5, Flash and JavaScript, is rendered via the Internet, and can be created by the users themselves.
Note: Sports betting is the only form of legal online mobile gambling in Australia. Australians cannot legally gamble online at casinos as of September, 2017.
Sports and racing wagering applications
Licensed and registered Australian and foreign online bookmakers are able to offer their services to Australian residents aged 18 years and older, via betting applications. So long as the sports gambling operator holds the necessary licensing requirements within the jurisdiction it is offering its services to, then marketing a native app is permitted (app must be free to download).
Operators promote their apps via application distributing stores for phones and tablets utilising certain operating systems (such as iOS devices), while also advertising non-market applications which can be installed for free directly via the operator’s official mobile website (for devices using operating systems such as Android). Non-market apps are advantages for devices utilising open source software. Some of the highest quality native sports betting apps available for Aussies to install for free, include:
- The official Sportsbet application
- The official CrownBet application
- The official William Hill application
- The official Bet365 application
- The official Luxbet application
These apps can be installed onto all smartphone and tablet devices, and offer hundreds of the most popular sporting markets for punters to wager on. Access promotions, secure AUD deposit and withdrawal options, the new ‘click to call’ live betting feature, and global racing (thoroughbred, harness and greyhound) events.
Alternatively, you can sign up for an account at the above bookmakers through their fully fledged mobile Web browser interfaces, which are near identical to the native app interfaces, and becoming a more and more popular option as mobile Internet technology continuously improves.
- www.Sportsbet.com
- www.CrownBet.com
- www.WilliamHill.com
- www.Bet365.com
- www.Luxbet.com
From the Internet mobile site, punters can opt to create their own Web apps; browser based applications which resemble native apps, with custom-named icons positioned conveniently on home screens, allowing users to bypass accessing the Web and having to type in URL addresses and passwords, and compatible with all data-enabled devices.
