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The biggest gambling trend we have seen in the past few years is the growth of gambling via mobile devices. Android betting apps along with iPhone compatible apps are now used by 40% of people placing bets and they will soon be responsible for 40% of the total number of bets handled online. It’s a figure which will continue to rise.
Not only do online sportsbooks see a strong app which offers their full portfolio of products (casino, sportsbook, keno etc) vital, they are now looking at making wagers placed via mobile their primary concern, ahead of PC and traditional telephone betting.
The ability to bet quickly and conveniently from anywhere has all but reinvented sports betting. One-tap betting means bet placement takes seconds and when you consider the majority of live televised sport is subject to a ‘lag’ those with quick fingers sat in a stadium can take advantage of information both bookmakers and other bettors do not yet have.
Of course prices are formulated as a consensus of opinion, this is true for both pari-mutuel and fixed-odds wagering. Betting trends result in price fluctuations and there is now increasing evidence that ‘the trend’ has equal importance to ‘the price’ when trying to assess if a contestant represents a value price.
A weight of money will see the price of any selection shorten. Naturally that does not mean it will win but it is clear this has a major say in the probability stakes.
To clarify: Ladbrokes has recently introduced a bonus for players who take a fixed-price about horse and watch it win at a bigger dividend. They will not only agree to pay the price at which it returned, they will also give you the next highest price. For example, should you accept a price of 6/4 (2.5) and your horse wins at odds of 7/4 (2.75) they’ll pay your bet at a return of 2/1 (3.0).
After trawling through the figures the reason for Ladbrokes generosity became apparent. Few horses which are subject to a price drift win; most winners were available at a bigger price earlier in the day.
So, if the betting trend is an indicator to the outcome of a race is it related to the bigger picture which is the trend of more people betting via mobile devices? Probably yes.
An unruly horse in the parade ring is rarely caught by the TV cameras or majority of sit-at-home bettors. It’s behaviour, which essentially hinders his chances in the race, results in money for its rivals who shorten in the betting and are more likely to win.
