Gambling games supplier betting on mobile

In an interview with The Australian newspaper this week the head of casino games and equipment supplier Aristocrat, Jamie Odell, reiterated his belief that the mobile sector is the next big thing in remote gambling.

He pointed to recent research from the independent Juniper Research, advising that the deregulation of online gambling in the US and Europe and the development of the Chinese market would push annual wagers on mobile gambling platforms to more than $US100 billion by 2017, with the most rapid growth expected to come from casino games like roulette, blackjack, poker and virtual slot games.

Aristocrat was making moves to ensure it was part of the mobile revolution, said Odell, revealing that his company is invested in developing new games and modifying its existing land games for mobile platforms, and is putting time and resources into assessing how the technology can be used inside and outside casinos, and in social media, and determining what information mobile platforms could deliver to help casino owners improve their business.

Last year, Aristocrat bought US-based Product Madness, one of the top operators of slot games on Facebook. The company also launched online casino games through its nLive range in North America, as it prepares for the legalisation on online gambling in a growing number of US states.

Real money mobile online gaming would grow as more governments allow casino games and virtual slot games on the internet, Odell predicted.

He said mobile gaming was unlikely to cannibalise casino gaming because land casinos – with their bars, dance clubs and restaurants – were viewed as social and entertainment venues by punters.

Odell said gambling games were becoming more expensive to produce as gaming companies sought licences from the makers of popular TV shows and movies, and revealed that Aristocrat spends more than $120 million a year on talent, technology and licences behind its games.