SPONSORED EDITORIAL
V E LT I
MOBILE FOCUS
Maximising conversions with mobile payments
As mobile gambling gains momentum, payment patterns and methods are taking centre stage. Nick Fitt of Velti explains the different payment tools available and recent trends in player preferences.
2013 looks like it will be a big year for mobile gambling – internet use on mobile devices will, for the ?rst time, exceed desktop use, according to Microsoft. In addition, legalised poker ?nally starts its long march across the US at an intrastate level, and smartphone and tablet growth, globally, is off the scale across all demographics. The growth of mobile gambling will continue to be huge and spread at an even faster pace: global mobile wagers are forecast to increase from US$11bn in 2012 to $48bn by 2015, according to Juniper Research, and historical barriers to mobile gambling such as access, speed and screen size have been blown out of the water. Rolling up all these recent changes, it is clear that we are set to enjoy a consumer-driven boom throughout online gambling. This time the industry is moving, quite literally, into the palms of our players’ hands. With sports and in-play betting currently representing the main industry drivers, bet in-play in particular is perfect for mobile - or maybe it is more a case of mobile is perfect for bet in-play? With the roll out of 4G gathering pace, our players are crying out for rich media and video content on tablets and mobiles. Live dealer will be everywhere; and it follows that casino play will have overtaken sports betting in terms of generating income by 2015. At the turn of the millennium, many lessons were learnt about understanding banks, card payment schemes, fraud, and players’ payment preferences. As mobile gambling gains momentum, payments will again take centre stage; only this time, players will be depositing through their preferred internet-connected device. The industry needs to support the ubiquitous nature of mobile gambling by allowing players to deposit safely, securely and conveniently while on the move. Velti believes operators with the appropriate mobile payment capabilities, and who incorporate these solutions, will have a competitive advantage. Surveys show that 38% of players would be comfortable using direct mobile carrier billing as opposed to traditional payment tools when it comes to using a smartphone or tablet device; and of course direct mobile carrier billing brings players to the tables without the worry of exposing card details in a public environment.
Surveys show that 38% of players would be comfortable using direct mobile carrier billing as opposed to traditional payment tools when it comes to using a smartphone or tablet device
So if direct billing unlocks mobile gambling, how does the industry incorporate this capability? How is it deployed? Is it regulated? What does the user journey look like? What are the pitfalls? Mobile marketing and advertising business Velti will be looking to tackle these questions in a live webcast. Join Velti and Mobile Operator O2 UK Ltd, part of Telefónica, on 2 May and discover how to pro?t from direct mobile carrier billing.
Nick Fitt has 13 years of online gambling experience. An established expert in electronic payments, he has worked globally and most recently using his substantial experience to improve the cashier environment. Fitt is now heading the efforts of Velti within gambling.
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