The World's Most Popular Betting apps - November 2019 Update!

Betting apps have been around for some time now and like most things, they are constantly evolving around their environment. Faster mobile devices with more processing power offer the opportunity for developers to heighten graphics, add more features and also offer more in terms of betting events and markets.

Apps are offering a greater level of choice and flexibility than ever before and bookmakers are continually battling with each other to make their betting service and offerings the best there is. The pace of change can be quite daunting as offers and promotions are constantly being updated in preparation for the next big sporting event. Whether it’s NBA betting or the Super Bowl there’s always going to be an offer for new customers to sink their teeth into!

With this in mind, you may understandably be a little confused as to which app is right for you and which one will provide you with the best value for your particular style of betting. From our experience sticking with only one sportsbook and sharing your loyalty solely with them is no way to achieve the best level of choice or value possible.

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.

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)