Having recently read that a boost to gambling online is being experienced by means of mobile devices, and that this is a bad thing, we couldn’t resist putting in our tuppence worth, because gambling is not the problem. If you have ever been known to drop a few bob on the ponies, while playing a game of poker, or at the local bingo hall, and don’t find this to be a compulsive activity, then you will know that it is people that gamble compulsively, and not the game that force them. Gambling games are inanimate, while people are animate, and should be able to control their addictive urges, or get help for them.

Mobile devices such as phones and have made it easier to gamble online, but no easier than when we only had lap-tops and 3G. So, why do some pontificators call mobile gambling a “worrisome trend”? It is simply because most of these people are offering their opinions, in many instances, even when they have not been asked for an opinion. But then that is the human condition, and many human beings would rather judge, than live and let live. When people judge others, this makes it easier for them to not have to take a long hard look at themselves.

The increasing popularity in gambling online bothers some people a lot. They say it is simply to easy to lose money when all that has to be done is open a website or app. Mobile gambling apparently makes things even easier.

This broad generalisation is a bit narrow minded we believe. We are exposed to online gambling websites continually when reviewing these sites for customers, and have never been tempted to drop money, because losing money is just not our scene. Some people like gambling, others do not, and having gambling available wherever one is and whenever, has never once increased the temptation to play.

That does not make us any better than a person who loses their shirt when playing online, but unfortunately some of us have to learn life lessons, and choose to do this the hard way. If online or mobile gambling were banned, as it purportedly is in the USA, we would still find a way to do this, and it has been proved throughout history that prohibition just does not work.

Most cultures are hardwired to take a risk on something or other, and gambling for money, is a modern-day form of entertainment that millions of people partake of. It is what it is, no more and no less!

We don’t really know what online payment method was the first to come along, but have a suspicion that it might have been Neteller or Paypal. We suppose if we researched this we would know who came along first. But the online gambling industry has seen a great many of these virtual wallets come into being. Some are specific to certain countries, while others such as PayPal are global, now we find a new payment method that has been specifically designed with the mobile gambler in mind.

There is nothing that precludes us from making use of any of the normal payment methods that we have traditionally used to gamble online, when gambling on the go. We are talking about Skrill (which used to be Moneybookers), InstaDebit, EziPay, ECO, Clickand Buy, and so on, there is a very long list, as long as my arm. But this particular method called PugglePay only requires a Mobile number in order to make a deposit.

The design comes from Scandinavia, and we are pretty certain that it is going to be popular as well as reliable. Most software products and solutions that come out of this cold corner of the world, are of an incredibly high quality. Many people from Scandinavian countries are huge fans of gambling online, so, it makes sense that they would also be keen on the mobile form of these games. Must be the snowy cold weather, and dark long winters that keeps players in-doors, and needing to be entertained!

Now mobile entertainment has been made so much more simple to pay – PugglePay is an über secure payment method for funding mobile, and even online gambling accounts. It is an instant cash device – virtually speaking – for phones which allow us to transfer funds at any time, from any place without requiring private data or the use of credit cards, debit cards or other e-wallet. FYI – a “Puggle”, is baby echidna, if this means anything at all to you.

Some forward thinking casinos online have already taken up this product, and rolled it out to their customers, we believe it is only a matter of time until others follow suit. Both Betsson and Mr. Green have partnered with this new payment solution, understandably so, as both of these casinos offer gaming to the UK and Europe, but enjoy an extra high market share in Scandinavian countries.

This socially responsible payment system works with simple information that the user already knows – money is deposited with a few clicks on the keypad of the mobile device, and the payment pops into the mobile gambling account. The user is identified only by their mobile number, with no cost to the phone account. The invoice is confirmed by an SMS code, and the gamer can go on to play and win.

When we see expos, conferences, and summits scheduled for specific industry sectors, we have to assume that there is a great demand for knowledge regarding that industry sector. Mobile gambling is growing exponentially in popularity; keeping in tune with mobile social media, as well as more advanced technology. Taking an iPhone or android phone out of your pocket and making a punt, now sees industry leaders willing to share their experience and knowledge in this field. Recognition awards will also be given away at the end of the day.

The first "Mobile Gaming and Gambling Summit" is going to be held on the 11th September in London – a brand new event from Dot Media. This company is part of Mobile Marketing Magazine, and online publication that has also been available in print, and on iPad since 2010. It is designed to address engagement within this growing industry, which means we as consumers will benefit too.

In the UK in particular, we consumers are a sophisticated audience – in other words – we know what to expect, know what we are entitled to, and expect superior products as well as great value for money. We love gambling online, and we love making a wager by mobile, and are taking part in this form of social gaming entertainment every single day.

The social gaming revolution has seen every online gambling product worth their salt, developing social gambling apps, and platforms for the mobile gaming fan. All the biggest brands have had these applications available for quite some time, and are adding new games, new ways of playing, and upgrades constantly.

William Hill which is one of the biggest betting brands in the UK, also has an online presence and coincidently enough recently launched a Mobile Sports App for Nevada (USA) Residents. This is a newly opened up market, and the app offers a range of new features to attract more punters into this game. The app can only be used intrastate, which means only in the State of Nevada. But this could be perhaps a very small foot in the door of what potentially could be a massive marketplace, should other States follow suit, or Federal Legislation be change to legalise online gambling games.

It is interesting to note that punters who wish to use this real money gambling applications, need to register in person. This is obviously a brilliant idea to counteract any underage shenanigans, and to facilitate the process, there are seventy-five William Hill full service locations in this US state. Will Hill amongst other providers are seriously excited about expanding into this fast growing sector (mobile), they believe theirs is the best product, so, if you want to take a flutter on the Horses at Saratoga, and you live in the State of Nevada – check them out. All UK and European players can get as much mobile gambling as they like, from a whole slew of great online brands.

It is only recently that we have been online gambling games, and getting them in three D. Now, because technology changes so quickly in the well… technology business, a new generation of games is already being released by probability. When we talk about game, we mean in the sense of online gambling games that can be played to win real money.

It is all over the press that Probability is "Supercharging the player experience with HD graphics, responsive interfaces, smooth animation and crystal clear sound", and all of this is for mobile gambling which is the largest growth sector that the online gambling industry is taking advantage of right now. These are the best in their class products for mobile gambling, and are compatible with many Android tablets and smartphones, as well as the iOS platform.

Now that mobile gambling is HD (High Definition), other software developers are going to have to come up with similar products, and come up with these aggressively. There are six HD slots for iOS, Android and Blackberry users that have already been released in the next generation format.

These games are developed and based upon new HTML5 and server frameworks which have been developed in-house by Probability during the last twelve months. The technology is as good, if not better than native apps, and can be used on the most sophisticated smartphones and tablets available today, over all major operating systems.

We immediately took note of scale accurate, much sharper graphics, with synchronised sounds to screen action. These high resolution displays offer much smoother animation, as well as a highly responsive interface, in much faster download times than we have ever experienced before. Customers are going to love this, and won’t want to play any other games, of this we can be reasonably sure.

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Probability – Charles Cohen – commented that customer expectations have become that high, while HTML5 has not necessarily been able to deliver. Not in comparison to native apps. However, upgrades to the iOS and Android systems in the new breed of smartphone, have allowed for this company to deliver a product that is arguably even better than native apps.

They call this new technology the Slot-O-Matic development platform, which allows them the ability to offer the highest quality of games in even more markets than any other developer/provider. New releases include; Poseidon’s Kingdom HD, Long John’s Silver HD, War Zone HD, Way of the Slot HD Pots of Plenty HD, and Samurai vs Zombies HD – under license from Glu. All that is left for you is to simply give them a try.

The fundamental concept of any online business, is that business can take place on a global scale, and this concept applies to online gambling. This type of business without borders is also a model that is intrinsic to the freedom of trade principles adopted by law-makers of the European Union (EU). However, when it comes down to online gambling and EU free trade principles, many EU countries still practice monopolistic approaches. This is frowned upon by the EU.

Now Dr Christos Dimitriadis – Intralot’s Head of Information Security has spoken at a Berlin conference, and said that “it is inevitable that new types of mobile games that could incorporate gambling features will become legal across the European Union”. Intralot builds lottery systems, terminals, and so on, and has a presence in fifty-five countries globally.

He was a guest speaker at the ISACA Insights World Congress 2013, when he made clear that their firm would be both keen, and able to investigate new business breaks, if the entire EU were to make mobile gambling legal. The gambling sector is currently merging mobile services and the cloud, which is proving to be incredibly popular with punters, and is showing exponential growth with many UK-based operators.

The problem with this form of gambling for EU member countries, is that they are not all on the same page, when it comes down to legalising games of chance that are internet based. As we said in the first paragraph – even though the European Commission has drafted an across-the-board framework for the online gambling industry – member states are being very reluctant to come to the party. It is unfortunate that regulatory changes have to be made country-by-country, but it is what it is.

The belief is that eventually there will be a way in which each member state controls e-gambling. They must play a regulatory role because of the “responsibility” factor. Gambling is believed to be best when it is controlled by law, or otherwise unscrupulous operators are able to take advantage of the public. The problem is that the EU has a great business model to follow in the UK, but don’t seem to be able to apply the lessons learned by the UK into their own situation.

Great Britain is home to the most mature sector of the global online gambling industry, and their legal framework seems to work, although like times, technology changes, and laws should be tweaked to compensate for this change. Mobile gambling in the UK, has hit the ground running in the past couple of years, and consistently appears to be enjoying an exponential growth swing.