Sports Betting Apps – World A to Z
Around the world there are different approaches to the legality of betting and mobile betting options. We’ve scoured the world to find the best legal apps for your country. We only focus on apps that operate legally and with the appropriate licenses to protect you, the customer. There are inevitably less reputable companies around most of which operate offshore. We do not recommend using these companies as you have no protection if anything goes wrong, or they bankrupt and keep your money!
Australia
In Australia gambling online has been legal for a number of years and the Australian gambling market is one of the most developed in the world. The market is worth an estimated $23 Billion (Au Dollars) per year. In the most recent figures, there was a drop in land-based casino revenue and 15% rise in sports betting revenue. We would put this down to a rise in betting on Legal Australian betting apps.
Smart Phone betting in Australia
Australia has one of the highest rates of smartphone penetration in the world and it is no surprise to see a huge rise in mobile betting over the previous years. When Australian betting apps were first becoming popular, in 2013, they saw a 163% rise in mobile betting revenue. In 2017 it was estimated that over 70% of all bets in Austalia were placed on phone and tablets.
In a 2018 report, we saw that 22.7% of over 18s in Australia placed a bet in a 12 month period. The market leader was TAB Bet followed by Sportingbet and then crown bet, who owns Tom Waterhouse, William Hill Australia, and Centrebet.
Responsible Gambling
In Australia, they have a responsible gambling information and support site that is run by the government – https://problemgambling.sa.gov.au/
Canada
Sports betting in Canada is very popular but laws around the advertising of gambling mean that you don’t see companies advertising all around sports, unlike some other companies. With the changing of laws in the USA, you will start to see more as gambling sponsorship comes into sports like the NBA and NHL. This will increase brand awareness across sports fans and is likely to see an increase in gambling among Canadians.
Gambling is legal in Canada for licensed operators such as Sports Interaction who operate from the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. Worth an estimated 15 Billion a year gambling is regarded as the largest revenue generator of the Canadian entertainment industry. There are variances of what is available in each province with Newfound Land, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick having no casinos. However, all territories allow licensed Canadian sports betting apps. There are restrictions in certain provinces with some not allowing single bets and some blocking other events such as entertainment betting and E-Sports betting.
There have been recent attempts to get single sports betting allowed in Ontario and for a standard regulation to be put in place across Canada. This has failed to get past a vote to be put into law though. So in some provinces, you can smoke Marijuana but you can’t place a single sports bet, only multiples!
Gambling wins by Province
We are sure you’ll want to know which province has the biggest winnings from gambling?
– Ontario 37.8%
– Quebec 21%
These are the 2 main winners from gambling with the rest going from 13% down to 2%.
A guide and information about Responsible gambling in Canada can be found here – https://www.responsiblegambling.org
Europe
Across Europe, betting regulations vary by country and there is not 1 standard across the Union. These rules vary from tight government control in France to the more open markets in the UK. All countries have their own licensing requirements to make sure companies comply with their rules and taxations. Across Europe, we only feature companies who are licensed in that region.
In 2018 Europe accounted for 24% of the worlds gambling markets followed by Asia. As time goes on and the USA becomes more online we would expect that to change.
Our guide covers the main gambling nations of the EU
Betting Apps in Denmark
In Denmark, there are numerous mobile betting sites and apps with the major players of Europe accepting Danish customers.
All companies have to have a license from the Danish Gambling Authority to operate there. You will find betting apps from bet365, William Hill and Paddy Power on the app store plus lots more. you will also find licensed casino apps and betting exchange apps.
Based on tax figures sports betting accounts for 38% of the Danish gambling market and online casinos is 32%. Since 2012 the sports betting market has remained around the same level whilst online casinos have grown and almost doubled revenue. (Source)
Our recommended betting app for Denmark would be the bet365 app. In our opinion, it is an excellent stable app that will not let you down.
Betting Apps in France
Betting in France is limited to state-operated sites and a small number of licensed operators. Despite this, the French sports betting market continues to grow year on year. Despite some websites saying the bet365 and William Hill operate in France, they currently do not have a license (Source – list of licensed companies).
Our recommended legal betting app for France is the Unibet app, a quality app from a big company with a wide range of markets. As a second option, BetClic & Bwin also have a license to operate in France too.
Betting Apps in the United Kingdom
The UK has one of the most established licensed betting markets in the world. Bookmakers such as William Hill have been operating since the early 1900s with gambling being legal for a long time there. As well as a wide choice of UK betting appsthe high streets are packed with betting shops. In 2018 there were over 8,400 betting shops in the UK.
This means that there are over 100,000 people employed by the gambling industry in the UK across the shops, race courses and offices. Major employers include bet365 from their head office in Stoke, William Hill in London and Sky Bet in Leeds.
All UK operators do so under license from the UK Gambling Commission and their registration number should be visible in the footer of the website or on the bottom of the app. We only cover apps that have a UK license on our UK betting apps guide as these offer the safety and security that players expect.
Betting apps in Russia
Betting in Russia is frowned upon and also classed as illegal across the majority of the country. Therefore we do not encourage Russian citizens to gamble within the country. However the management of this from a regulatory perspective is next to none. This has led to online gambling operators only too pleased to welcome new Russian customers on board.
The Russian government have been seen to close down ip addresses of services found to be accepting Russian customers in non-legal areas. However this does not seem to have dampened down the quantity of online bookmakers from targeting potential Russian players.
Betting apps in Spain
Betting in Spain has been commonplace for some time and was pretty much an unregulated market prior to 2011. Then the Spanish Gambling act came to fruition, legislating what can and can’t be done.
Some of the key points to the act were that licenses were a necessary requirement and that online operators needed to run from a .es web domain. This led to some operators leaving the market. However, over 70 licenses have been granted, with 40+ offering online sports betting services.
Popular bookmakers
bwin is one of the most well known online bookmakers in Spain. This was aided massively by being the shirt sponsor for Real Madrid between 2007 and 2013. bwin are also looking to raise their profile further by being the official shirt sponsor for Valencia after signing a three year deal in 2019. They are also Valencia’s official partner for online betting and gaming.
Other big names in the industry include Betway, William Hill, Betfred, 888 and betfair.
Betting apps in Italy
Betting apps in Italy are available, although they may be more difficult to locate than other regions. This is due to a blanket ban on advertising by the Italian government. Unlike other countries, shirt sponsorships, stadium advertising and online advertising are all banned under current law.
Italy’s AGCOM have set out strict advertising restrictions. These limitations include restricting internet searches from displaying betting apps, unless users are searching specifically for Italian gambling services.
Therefore, our recommended advice is to vigorously search for betting apps and to go with the companies that are well known and trusted. Due to the restrictions in place, Italians are forced to trust user reviews and work with a method of rest and see, rather than benefiting from a betting comparison site like ourselves, offering specialised expert advice.
The law on betting has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent times that has swung the balance between tax revenues, customer protection and company profits. Larger tax rates, greater customer protection and lower company profits have forced some big name online companies out of the marketplace. However there are still many that remain.
South America
Colombia
The Colombian gambling market is regulated by Coljuegos, whom have issued over 15 licenses to online gambling operators. Only betting with licensed bookmakers is permitted, but the amount of licenses issued continues to grow in numbers.
There’s a good range of choice between the legal Colombian betting apps in terms of sports and markets. All licensed online bookmakers in the country operate fairly and within regulatory guidelines.
These are the bookmakers we recommend betting with in side Colombia. You can find the full list from our Colombia betting apps page.
Africa
Betting Apps in Nigeria
Nigerian law categorizes gambling activities simply as legal and illegal. Sports betting and lottery games are classed as legal, whereas Roulette and dice games are deemed illegal. The laws set up to prevent regulated casinos and lotteries within the country to operate an online service.
However, there is no mention in law about the use of international betting apps that operate outside of the Nigerian border. Therefore Nigerian residents are freely able to download and install off shore African betting apps to their mobile phones and tablets.
Gambling is a huge market in Africa. According to translationroyale.com 70% of Nigerian youths are betting on football. Problem gambling has also been raised as an issue within Nigeria, especially with the younger population. Please remember to gamble responsibly.
Betting Apps in Kenya
Betting is legal in Kenya and widely available through betting shops or online. Advertising billboards and betting company Sponsorships can be seen throughout the country, especially within the capital, Nairobi.
Premier League betting is very popular in Kenya and with live coverage becoming more widely available, this trend is expected to continue to grow.
Therefore there are plenty of Kenyan betting apps that can be downloaded and installed. These apps offer betting markets across a wide variety of sports, not just football.
The legal age limit for betting in Kenya is 18. However, it has been widely reported that Kenyans under this age are getting access to gambling and becoming addicted.
Our advice is simple – stick to the law. Only look to bet if you are over the legal age and please remember to only bet with what you can afford to lose. Keep gambling fun and not a means to an end.
Betting apps in Egypt
Although Egyptian residents are prohibited from gambling in physical casinos around the country, there is nothing stopping them from placing bets online. Lots of international bookmakers offer their services online to the Egyptian market. There are no regulations in place across the country. Therefore there is no Egyptian specialist online bookmakers available. Neither is there a regulatory service to complain to if you feel you have been mistreated.
Egyptians have to rely on the bookmakers operating outside of the Egyptian border in order to place sports bets. Not to worry though, as there are plenty of them! Big name Multi-national brands tend to be the safest and popular choices throughout the country. Significant infrastructure upgrades have led to online gambling becoming more available than ever before. The introduction of 4G Networks now means that faster speeds and enhanced graphics can now be achieved across all urbanized regions.
Betting apps in Ghana
Betting apps in Ghana are legal under the Gaming act 2006 and is regulated by the Ghanian Gaming Commission. As long as the bookmaker in question has obtained the necessary license, they can legally offer a sportsbook (online and land based) to the people of Ghana. The mobile network infrastructure continues to improve, now offering mobile services to millions of residents within the border.
With more people connected due, the more demand grows for mobile gambling services. There are also specialised sportsbook retail outlets that can be visited in order to place bets. These tend to be popular with those who are yet to be connected to an online internet service.
The most popular sport to bet on in Ghana is football and this tends to be where the focus lies with the online bookmakers. However other sports are widely available including tennis, cricket, baseball, American football, boxing, basketball and golf, amongst others.
Asia
Betting apps in India
Gambling in India is strictly speaking illegal. Laws prevent the existence of physical betting houses. However, the laws surrounding online gambling appear to be very sketchy and unclear. There seems to be nothing stopping Indian residents from benefitting from the services of online bookmakers who operate outside of India. Therefore these international online specialist bookmakers are only too willing to open up their services to those Indians who seek it. Therefore there are plenty of online Indian betting apps available, giving you the ability to place bets on the move. (with a valid mobile data service)
USA
The USA is set to become the fastest growing gambling economy in the world after finally legalizing sports betting in May 2018. Each state will have different rules and regulations so we’re covering each state individually. If your state is not listed below then mobile sports betting is not yet allowed in your state.
New Jersey
Here at bettingapps.com we love New Jersey! They were the state that lead the case to overturn the laws and get gambling legalized. They are also the first state to offer online betting and there are over 10 NJ Betting apps available already.
Whilst some states rules seem very controlling NJ has opened the doors and the revenue is showing. At the end of the first year there was over $300m in betting handles in March (Helped by #MarchMadness betting and offers). Long established DFS provider FanDuel accounts for almost 50% of the gambling revenue in New Jersey.
Pennsylvania
One year after the bill was passed Penn State went online with the first sports betting app in the state. There rules and regulations lead to only a small number of operators applying for a license. There is also rigorous testing that they must go through before launching their sites and apps.
Payment methods
Depositing and withdrawing cash from betting accounts has become a lot more simpler for Indian Residents over the last year or so. A popular method used seems to be using e-wallets, such as Neteller. However online betting companies have set up specialised divisions to offer direct depositing and withdrawing from an Indian bank account.
Market worth
The Indian Online betting market is expected to be worth in the region of $1 Billion by the year 2021. – (pg 104 of Report 276 of the Law Commission of India).
Betting apps in China
Gambling is an illegal activity across mainland China. However, Gambling is possible from Macau and Hong Kong, with Macau gaining a reputation similar to that of Las Vegas in the USA.
Steps have been taken by the Chinese government to ban online poker apps and the likes from appearing in app stores across the mainland. Therefore, we would only recommend Chinese nationals gamble in the territories where it is actually permitted.
Gambling made up a significant portion of the tax revenues generated by the Macau government, with it being estimated as high as 84% of all tax revenues back in 2014 (source)
Most used betting app in China
The most popular online bookmaker in the region is bet.hkjc.com, which is owned and managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Betting apps in Japan
Gambling in Japan is very limited in choice compared to other countries around the world. This is due to strict laws set by the Japanese government.
However as gambling has proven to be a nice government revenue earner, there are some exceptions. Betting can be legally performed across certain sports, games and lotteries.
There is a legal football pools system in place as well as legitimate betting opportunities across horse racing, bike racing and motor racing. These sports can be bet on in local establishments and online.
Japanese bookmakers
The biggest online bookmaker in Japan is bet365 by some distance. Other available bookmakers in the region include Hong Kong Jockey Club, Bodog Asia, Betfair and Betway.
Which platform is best?
We often get asked this question but if you’re using an up to date phone there will be no major differences between Apple and Android. The apps are usually made from the same code and designed to look the same as the mobile sportsbook or casino. If you want to save space in your mobile you can use the mobile sites instead (where available)
There’s nothing stopping you from having multiple betting accounts set up across multiple sports books and you don’t have to deposit money or keep betting accounts topped up with a balance at all times. By being account holders of multiple mobile sportsbooks, we then find we have more choice as well as control over our betting. Some are better than others in certain areas so it is wise in our opinion to utilize the apps that have features or promotions that suit.
We wouldn’t recommend registering with multiple betting apps at the same time for a number of reasons. Firstly it is best to get a full understanding of an app works in terms of the layout and how it behaves. The only real way of doing this is by spending time on it and navigating through the menus. If you are trying to get to grips with more than one at the same time, it can get quite confusing and may lead to you not exploring apps in enough depth.
There is also the fact that new customer promotions normally come attached with time limitations on bonus amounts and rewards, meaning you only have a certain amount of time to claim rewards or use bonus funds. Registering for multiple accounts at once would force you to deposit money into each in order to get maximum value from each company. This could well easily lead you over your allocated budget.
Try not to get suckered into a bookmaker just because it is offering a mind-blowing new customer offer. By all means, take advantage of them if the offer is that good, but from our experience, there is normally a long list of terms and conditions that accompany such offers that make the overall ‘reward’ not as attractive as first thought. We do detail bookmaker offers that we think do indeed offer value and always include the fine detail as to what each offer actually entails.
Also be aware that just because an online gambling operator has a license this doesn’t then indicate a certain standard of service.
Different gambling operators are cropping up all the time in all directions and we do a good job here at testing all newcomers to the industry – See our latest review of the Sugar House app for example (A Legal New Jersey sports book).
The online bookmakers that are credible and offer a decent level of service get a worthy mention on our site and a review – the names that do nothing but bring shame on the industry by offering a half working effort do not get any mention so not to give the bad betting apps extra publicity and to also save your time by getting you to focus on those you should be checking out.
Top 10 Apps?
Here are the top 10 apps in the USA currently – When the regulation changes could we see a gambling app making the top 100 charts?
From our research into gambling and apps we’ve seen sports betting apps make the iTunes top 10 in the UK on numerous occasions – Usually the Cheltenham horse racing festival and the Grand National horse race.
In the US we’d expect to see a surge of downloads happen when Super Bowl betting is available as well as the World Series Baseball, NBA finals and maybe the college football playoffs.
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