Friday, April 28, 2006

As reported by the Telecom Asia: "Mobile gambling is touted as one of the
big revenue drivers for mobile data services in the next five years. But
it's not easy money, and the house is the big winner, so the real value for
cellos may be in 3G-based VAS packages that maximize 3G's multimedia
channels to deliver a rich experience "Mobile gambling isn't a new thing to
the wireless industry. It's been around for years in one form or another.
".Inevitably, the emergence of sophisticated handsets and advanced mobile
data services is already taking mobile gambling services and apps to new
levels. Today, users can download Java-based gambling apps over higher-speed
wireless networks.

"As 3G networks become mainstream and handsets with advanced Java and video
capabilities, many believe that such trends will help mobile gambling grow
sharply over the next few years.

"One source of optimism for mobile gambling enthusiasts is, of course, the
rapid rise of remote gambling on the Internet, which has opened up sports
betting and casino-style gaming to a mass-market audience.

".Estimates on the size of the mobile betting market vary widely. Figures
from Informa Telecoms & Media indicate that the global mobile gambling
revenues will grow from $1.2 billion in 2005 to $7.6 billion in 2010, split
across the chief categories of sports and spread betting, mobile lotteries
and scratch-cards, and casino and skill games. Juniper Research is even more
bullish, predicting that global mobile betting will grow from $2 billion
last year to $19.3 billion by 2009, with mobile lotteries becoming the most
popular form of mobile gambling.

"Either way, Asia is pegged as a key market for mobile gambling over the
next few years. Informa says mobile gambling in Asia will grow from $426
million to $2.7 billion by 2010, making it the second largest market for
mobile gambling after Europe. Juniper Research reckons that Asia will see
strong growth of mobile lotteries, due to the strong culture of lottery in
the region - and because most lottery apps don't require 3G capabilities to
succeed.

".The relationship between mobile gambling growth and regulatory climates is
clearly illustrated in Europe. Mobile gambling is gaining traction there at
rapid rates, largely due to more relaxed legislation."