Being able to place bets on your computer in the comfort of your own home is always useful. It is certainly a step up from the days of needing to actually travel to a bookmakers shop to place a wager.
Nowadays, however, even firing up the computer seems a hassle, with 80% of users choosing to use mobile and smaller screen devices to access the internet in our leisure time.
Whether you use mobile betting to keep track of your bets when you are out and about or sat at home while watching a game on the TV, the platform has become the most important betting experience for many of us.
How Does Mobile Betting Differ from Desktop?
The big difference, logically, is the size of the screen that you will be looking at. Mobile phone screens are not as large as the screen on your computer and so most betting companies mobile websites and apps are a simplified version of the desktop site. In reality, however, there is not much between mobile and desktop these days apart from the look and the way we interact with the site.
The layout may well be simplified on mobile but it will still offer the same features and functions that you will be used to seeing when on your PC. That means important areas like live betting, live streaming (if available), cash out, banking, ante-post markets, offers, etc., will still be available.
Of course with smaller screens less information can be shown. Bookies do a good job of condensing menus on mobile with icons, but this still means that navigating the site on mobile requires more clicks or scrolling than on desktop. Some people love the simplified view of a mobile bookie whereas others prefer to have all the markets available at once on the desktop.
It is common to love certain sites on desktop but not on mobile, and vice versa. There are many sites I prefer to bet on when using a desktop but I can’t stand their mobile app, and others where I hate the desktop version and love the mobile app.
Some apps and mobile sites are also more graphic heavy and data hungry than others, and beause of this I even use different sites depending on whether I am on WiFi or a mobile network, preferring no-frills sites when the data is limited and I want to get a bet on quickly and richer sites when trying to stream over WiFi, for example.
As always, having a few different betting accounts allows you to take advantage of different bookies when using different devices in different ways.
Benefits of Mobile Betting
It’s ten minutes to go until kick-off but there is no need to rush down to the local bookie shop on the High Street, you don’t even need to get home and turn your computer on, just get on your mobile device and place your bets.
There are many benefits to betting on mobile, a lot of which are subjective and will be personal to you. Here are some advantages I find with mobile betting:
- Flexibility – Bet where you want and when you want, at home, on the train, inside a stadium, etc.
- Monitoring Markets – It is easier to follow markets on mobile than on a computer where you can be tied to one location.
- Subtlety – It is far more discreet to place a bet on a mobile, especially in the workplace. Not that I’m condoning anything other than working in the workplace, obviously…
- In Play Betting – Due to the lower graphics that mobile apps/sites tend to have it can be faster to load compared to a desktop site on WiFi, and useful for betting in play.
- Cash Out – Far easier and more useful on a mobile device.
- Double Up – You can be using your desktop to look at stats, form, tables, and other data, and then use your mobile to bet. This saves time and screen switching.
Disadvantages of Betting on Mobile
It’s not always the easiest of tasks checking everything on your mobile device. It’s a bit like checking your emails and then sending a reply, I always find that a lot more difficult than if I was doing it on my PC.
On the mobile there’s not as much screen space and going through the different markets available isn’t always the easiest of tasks, but the more experienced you become at using the service, the more natural it will become.
Keeping track of what’s on your betting slip can also be tricky. There are sometimes lagging problems too, it all depends on the area in which you are.
In general, I prefer to bet on mobile, but when checking bet history, account details or contacting the bookie I prefer to do this on desktop.
Top Mobile Betting Sites
The good news is that there are plenty of excellent mobile apps available that allow you to bet on the move. Even if there is no app available, every operator now will at least run a mobile site and these are way better than they used to be – often fully scalable mini-versions of the main site.
In terms of apps, I like Ladbrokes for the sheer range and depth, unparalleled on mobile. I love the Coral app too and I tend to do most mobile streaming through them, although I mainly use this on WiFi as it can be a little data hungry.
The most attractive and most stylish apps are Bet365 and BetVictor. These have the best interfaces in my opinion and so they are also the apps I use most often for in play betting. The BetVictor mobile app is recommended in particular due to the Bet Calculator available, allowing you to keep up to date with the odds on your bets. It has an excellent interface and is really easy to navigate around.
If you don’t want to clutter your device with apps then the above operators also have fully functional mobile sites that look and function pretty much the same as the app. Unibet have a fantastically simple mobile site that is very useful on the move as it loads fast and you can find things easily.
Mobile Offers
It’s a really competitive market out there and online bookmakers are keen to get as much custom as they possibly can. Many operators now will offer punters additional bonuses for the first time they bet on mobile and some give ongoing offers.
NetBet, for example, have a long running feature that gives all customers who use mobile for the first time a £10 matched free bet. This is in addition to the main welcome bonus.
Titanbet have the best mobile loyalty scheme. This gives you cashback monthly for betting on major sports such as horse racing, football, and tennis using mobile.
With over half of all bets now placed on mobile the landscape between desktop and the devices has become blurred. It is still possible to find mobile specific deals but you may need to shop around.