iPhone sports betting essentially means using your Apple-designed mobile phone to place sports bets. The story of iPhone gambling is fascinating if you’re a fan of Apple products. Years ago, Apple had a very firm policy against allowing the release of apps that provide real-money gambling. In recent years, Apple quietly changed that policy. Using geocaching techniques, Apple is able to allow customers in countries where gambling is legal to access gambling apps, while disallowing people from countries where gambling is banned to download and use the app.
Best iPhone Betting Sites
In the interim, sportsbook sites that wanted to tap into the mobile market had already moved on from the idea of releasing mobile apps and started designing mobile-friendly websites. Betting apps are costly to produce, require regular maintenance, and the fact that Apple bans many of their customers from downloading gambling apps doesn’t help. The result – iPhone users all over the world can access sports betting without the need for an app download.
How to Bet on an iPhone
You need three things to place an iPhone sports bet:
An iPhone
This one’s obvious – but which iPhone should you get if you plan to do some sports betting? Most sites are compatible with even the oldest still-active iPhones, but I’d recommend the 6+ (the current flagship of the line) simply because it has the largest display. If you’ve never held a 6+, you may be surprised at the size and clarity of the display. This will be a big help if you plan to do most of your betting on a mobile gadget, since they have notoriously small displays.
A stable connection to the Internet.
Whether you’re at home or a friend’s house on Wi-Fi or connected to a 3G or 4G network, you’ll need some kind of consistent connection to the web in order to place an iPhone sports wager. This is true whether you choose to bet via app or mobile-capable website.
An account at a sports betting site that provides mobile betting
Good news here – signing up for an account at a mobile-friendly book is free, and it takes just a minute or two. And if you’re worried that you’ll spend hours hunting down the best mobile sports betting service – all the world’s best books (and many of the worst ones) now run a mobile service. Such is the rising popularity of mobile wagering.
Advantages of iPhone Betting
The most obvious advantage of betting on sports on your iPhone is mobility. With an account at a mobile sportsbook, you can bet on sports and handle other account functions anywhere you take your iPhone (within reason – you’ll still need a connection to the web).
If you don’t own or use a laptop or desktop computer – you probably do own an iPhone. Hundreds of millions of people around the world do. Betting on sports on your iPhone may be the only way for you to wager on sports, period.
Another advantage – iPhone technology is among the best in the world. When you place a wager on your favorite NFL or NBA team on your iPhone, you’re at the top of the tech world. The display is gorgeous, the software is stable, and the hardware is a status symbol.
Disadvantages of iPhone Betting
You may find that iPhone sportsbooks aren’t as fully featured as their traditional web and desktop counterparts. Some mobile sites simplify the design and functionality in order to be compatible with display on a smaller screen and simpler hardware.
For people who don’t already own a decent iPhone, the transition to iPhone-based betting could be expensive. The best of the best iPhones aren’t cheap, even with a multi-year contract from a phone service provider.
You may have to do some hunting to find a mobile service that is compatible with your iPhone, compatible with your country’s laws, and offers the kinds of bets you like. Adding in mobile functionality as a requirement can make your decisions about where to bet more complicated.
iPhone Betting Conclusion
The transition to mobile betting from traditional desktop wagering is a side-effect of the new focus on mobile-everything. It appears that the transition to mobile will one day be complete, as desktop computers have all but disappeared, and laptops are now something of an also-ran in the development community. If you want access to the latest in features, design and accessibility, you’ve got to test out sports wagering via iPhone. It’s convenient, it’s cutting-edge and it allows you to place wagers and make important account decisions on the go. It might mean the difference between making a good bet and missing a good opportunity.
