iPhones To Carry New Mobile Casino Platforms

iPhone users will soon be able to enjoy mobile gambling with real money wagers on their favorite slots games.  All they’ll have to do is swipe their index finger in their iPhones in order to access the games.

Big Fish Games Inc., a Seattle-based company, has announced that it will introduce a new version of its gaming app, Big Fish Casino, in the U.K which will allow players to make real-money wagers on their favorite games. All of this, of course, is legally permitted in the U.K.  Apple Inc. will obtain the new app and will distribute it via the App store in the weeks to come so that gaming enthusiasts don’t have to wait much longer.  It’s also important to mention that Betable Ltd., Big Fish’s London-based partner, will provide the program through which all bets will be processed.

According to Juniper Research, companies that devote their efforts to developing games are creating digital versions of the Las Vegas casinos so that smartphone and tablet users can enhance their overall gaming experience. This means that by the year 2017 $100 billion per year will go towards betting, while just last year players only wagered $20 billion.   Despite existing limitations for U.S. gamblers, this is what has prompted Big Fish to begin offering real cash apps instead of the virtual currency apps gamers have enjoyed until today.

In a recent interview, the Chief Executive Officer of Betable, Christopher Griffin, stated that since the inception of the Internet, this is truly the biggest opportunity game developers have come across so far.

But Big Fish may also face competitors like Zybga Inc. (ZNGA), which known for creating social games, and just last month announced the introduction of real-money apps we should likely be released by the beginning of 2013.

In fact, critics say that this may prompt the U.S. to ease up on its gambling restrictions, especially in states like California, New Jersey and Nevada.

Game Developers

Mr. Griffin went on to say that today, in the U.K., companies like Betfair Group Plc. (BET), and William Hill Plc (WMH) already offer casino gambling apps to iPhone Casinos users.  Beta is working with other game developers to introduce the innovative real-money wagering games this year.

Big Fish Casino allows gamers to use credit cards for placing bets.  Betable and Big Fish split the “take” or the earnings from each wager made on the slot machines.  And according to Tom Neumayr,  a spokesman for Apple, even though Apple hosts a wide range of casino applications, the company out of California doesn’t get a cut from the sales made with its gambling apps.  He also suggested that all games allowed by Apple’s Stores comply with local laws.  Mr. Neumayr refrained from any comments regarding Big Fish.

Paul Thelen, CEO for Big Fish, commented that Apple “wants to remain at arms-length” from this.  He indicated that Apple doesn’t want to become the “middle-man” in any gaming operations.

In the past year, Apple stopped Big Fish from offering a subscription service that would have enabled iPad users to play a number of games for a set fee.

Mr. Thelen said that Big Fish, which was founded in 2002, earned $180 million last year.  He added that the company expanded to online gaming by acquiring Self Aware Games, a new enterprise out of Oakland, California.

Gamblers already wager real money for virtual currency Big Fish games such as Poker and Slots; however, they can’t obtain cash when they win.  It’s likely that these players will be more than happy when they’re able to make real money wagers in the near future, said Thelen, who believes that this poses an extremely profitable opportunity.