When you combine one of the forerunners of modern technology (the smartphone) with one of the oldest and most trusted, recession-proof industries in the world (gambling) you’re surely onto a winner. Well, that’s exactly what’s happened over the last five years, as more and more people have been drawn to smartphone gambling. The latest figures, from November 2013 to November 2014, suggest a rise in user expenditure of 55 percent, and that just relates to iOS. Safe to say, most gamblers over the age of fifty are holed up in their real-life Bridge rooms, blissfully unaware of the seachange that’s occurring in their beloved hobby. By that token, logic dictates that the rise of mobile gambling can be mostly attributed to the young. But why is this?
Of course, by ‘young’ I’m talking about over-18s. No one here is condoning underage gambling. But the facts are that the 18 – 35 demographic account for a whole lot of smartphone usage, globally. Cast a glance around any street in any major city in the world and chances are strong you’re going to see a lot of smartphones waving around. Looking closer, we find that, in a survey conducted by YouGov in May 2015 which polled 1,016 18 – 24 year olds, a whopping 73 percent of young males who had placed a bet in the past twelve months did so over a mobile phone app. Clearly, traditional bookies are a thing of the past and the smartphone bet is here to stay.
As explained on NyeCasino.ninja, the most obvious reason for this is convenience. Like most things these days, placing a bet, no matter how big, can be achieved by simply whipping out your smartphone and pressing a few buttons. It’s easy to see how young people could get together at weekends and start placing bets as a group – and let’s face it, they’d all be on their smartphones in some form or another. Another reason is exposure. Back before smartphones, betting must’ve seemed like a bit of an alchemic art to young people; bookies mysterious places full of nonsensical numbers, ecstasy and agony, real money disappearing for no discernible reason. But now, gambling has been absorbed as part of online life. There’s no threat, nor is there any difficulty in placing a bet.
The decade-long rise in online poker can no doubt be attributed to the younger generation’s interest in gambling. It’s usually a first glimpse into the online world, with the allure of Hold ‘Em holding sway over many. Also, there’s very large sums of money to be won, no doubt enticing to a young person with a very small bank account. As the pots go global, the money keeps on rising and rising, making it easier and easier to click an online tenner or two into the abyss in the hopes of striking big. Whatever the reasons, smartphone gambling amongst young people certainly isn’t going away anytime soon – though there is a danger to starting so young. Luckily, despite evidence to the contrary, many young people are sensible about how they pay and play, allowing mobile gambling to be embraced the way it should – a fun, fast thrill.
The article originally appeared on the Norwegian website Nyecasino.ninja:
http://nyecasino.ninja/casino-news/hvorfor-unge-mennesker-gambler-pa-smarttelefone-sine/
