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A new report released by Textlocal, one of the UK’s leading SMS platforms, reveals today that mobile gambling is set to revolutionise the industry as operators increasingly embrace the SMS platform to help drive activity and integration. The report also highlights how an estimated 4m people already use their smartphone to gamble and that that figure is growing by more than 10% year on year.
The scale of the opportunity is highlighted by Ofcom figures that estimate there are now more than 80m mobile phones in circulation in the UK for the first time. The report highlights how 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes of receiving them and how on average consumers look at their smartphones 150 times a day, with the majority keeping them to hand for more than 16 hours a day.
Already more than 30% of people claim to use their smartphone to gamble, however the popularity of the SMS platform is growing rapidly as it’s proven to help companies engage with customers, deliver real time updates as well as offer the latest odds and availability. The platform, developed by Textlocal, is also fully integrated with Optimove and Playtech, two of the industry’s leading CRM providers and can play a pivotal role in two factor authentication.
The growth in smartphone usage and technological advancements have radically transformed the way British consumers behave and how businesses engage with them. Online gambling accounts for just one third (32%) of total gamblers (excluding national lottery players) and the industry has already encouraged 40% of online gamblers onto mobile, suggesting that there is massive scope for smartphone growth.
Jason Palgrave-Jones, Managing Director of Textlocal, comments: “The smartphone has fundamentally changed the gambling landscape in the UK and increasingly represents the future of the industry. The access that mobile provides, coupled with its ability to integrate with CRM technologies, allows gambling companies to deliver a mobile gambling service that is second to none. With continued technical developments, coupled with increased mobile usage, we expect gambling organisations to increasingly adopt a mobile strategy in the future.”
As a further benefit, SMS is proven to enable ongoing customer engagement through the pushing of promotions and updating of accounts in real time. The research suggests that in 2018, nearly 3.5m gambling adults in the UK will opt to receive at least one message per month from their gambling providers, an important opportunity for gambling and gaming companies looking to develop relationships and retain customers.
About Textlocal
Textlocal was founded in 2005 and employs 38 people in Chester and a further 26 in Malvern. Since 2005 over 165,000 users have used the system, sending more than a billion SMS messages. IMI Mobile group bought Textlocal in 2014 to complement its current suite of IMI products, including IMIchat, IMIconnect, IMIsocial, IMIdigital, IMIcampaign, IMIbot.ai. The company has more than 1,000 5star Trustpilot reviews and direct connections with all the main mobile networks, to ensure messages are delivered immediately. The business has been recognised by achieving the following awards. For more information visit www.textlocal.com
