Mobile betting takes off
Smartphones turned betting into an always-on activity, reshaping how and how often people wagered.
Confidence: medium. Some details here are debated between sources, or the exact date isn’t fully settled — so we flag it rather than state it as certain. Weigh it accordingly, and check the linked sources below before relying on specifics.
As the iPhone (2007) and app stores matured, operators launched dedicated betting apps and mobile sites around 2010–2011. Paddy Power reported its mobile gambling revenues rose about 300% during 2010, and rivals such as Betfair saw comparable surges. Mobile access made in-play (live) betting a mainstream product.
The spread of smartphones moved gambling off the desktop and into users' pockets, making it possible to place a bet at any moment — including while a match was in progress. Operators invested heavily in native apps and mobile-optimised sites, and by the early 2010s mobile was the fastest-growing channel; Paddy Power publicly reported roughly 300% growth in mobile gambling revenue during 2010. Mobile's rise elevated in-play betting, faster settlement and features such as cash-out into core products, and it made app quality and user experience decisive competitive factors. Over the following years mobile would come to account for the majority of online gambling turnover.
Mobile shifted the industry's centre of gravity to always-available, in-play wagering — the format that now dominates online betting.
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