Mobile sports betting in Nevada continues to show growth and could account for half of sports wagering in the state within five years, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
What we know about Nevada mobile sports betting
As a percentage of handle in the state, mobile sports betting has grown from 13 percent of the market in 2012, to 29 percent of the market last year.
Eilers — a research firm that tracks the gaming equipment, technology, and interactive gaming sectors — projects that mobile sports betting will continue to grow linearally in the coming years.
That growth may lead to more than 50 percent of the handle coming via mobile apps by 2020, according to Eilers. Here is a chart from the company’s iGaming outlook for 2016:
Where is the mobile sports betting growth coming from?
The growth is coming mainly from the increasing availability of mobile products in Nevada. William Hill US, CG Technology, Station Casinos, Aliante, Boyd Gaming and South Point all have mobile sports betting apps available to bettors.
The newest entry will be Wynn, which hopes to roll out its sports betting app next month. MGM has also reportedly been in development of mobile sports wagering.
The simple availability of mobile technology from Nevada properties should continue to foster growth in the segment.
Laying groundwork for mobile sports betting?
If sports betting becomes legal in more markets within the U.S. in the coming years, as some predict, Nevada properties could be laying the track for other states down the road.
Many states would certainly like to offer sports betting in land-based gaming properties — if the climate allows them to do so, either by court challenge or a repeal of the federal law banning sports betting, PASPA. The immediate future of U.S. sports betting likely hinges on the outcome of New Jersey’s court battle to allow sports betting in the state.
Mobile sports betting might be a bit further off, because of the reluctance of states to regulate online wagering.
However, an increasing number of state legislatures are already considering generally unintrusive regulation of the daily fantasy sports industry based on the idea that it is a game of skill.
