My latest piece in the Las Vegas Business Press takes a look at why Leroy’s Blackberry sports-betting application is a big deal:
The year is still young, but 2011 has already been groundbreaking for Nevada’s gaming industry. The Gaming Control Board approved an application that lets players make bets from their own mobile devices, pointing the way to a future in which gambling will go mobile.
via Las Vegas Business Press :: David G. Schwartz : BlackBerry to the future: Gaming takes step ahead.
At its core, the app is just old-fashioned account wagering updated for mobile devices, with a raft of security and geo-location protocols that ensure a) the data is secure and b)the person making the bet is in Nevada.
Anyone can download the app, whether you’re a Nevada resident or not, but you have to physically be within the state to place bets. In addition, you have to open your account at a Leroy’s sportsbook, and if you are lucky enough to win, you either pick your winnings up at one, or arrange for a wire transfer.
This is really where the future of sports betting is going to be. With people using apps for an increasing number of information and commercial services, it’s only logical that they be able to bet on sports with one.