If you’re thinking of developing a mobile gambling game, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it’s important to decide which platform you’ll use. The two main options are iOS and Android. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s best to do your homework before making a final decision.
Mobile phones have become increasingly powerful and capable of supporting high-intensity games. The newest phones are essentially mini-computers with a full operating system, heavy-duty processor power and high-resolution displays. They also have fast Internet connections that can support data-heavy games. The latest software also supports multi-core processing units and a lot of RAM, which helps speed up game play and render graphics. The new mobile devices are well suited to playing casino games on, and most online casinos have optimized their websites for the platforms.
Until recently, mobile gambling was largely an experiment in a few markets. Several state-regulated mobile casinos allow players to bet real money on sports, horse races and other events. The industry is expected to continue expanding as more people gain access to the internet on their mobile devices.
However, mobile gambling may have its own unique risks due to the ways that smartphones are used. The recent study by Parke and colleagues explored how participants interacted with a simulated gambling app on their smartphones. The researchers observed behavioural and location information, as well as a variety of contextual data such as the participant’s proximity to a physical gambling venue. The results showed that engagement with the app predicted perseverative behaviour during extinction, even when there was no chance of winning. It also predicted a greater likelihood of responding to near-misses, which have structural and aesthetic similarities to wins, and increased latencies between reinforcements.
These findings suggest that the smartphone’s features can lead to a different associative pattern of behaviour than other computer-based gaming. Moreover, this research suggests that the design of mobile games with a gambling context may need to be considered carefully to ensure they do not lead to harmful behaviours. Currently, much of the research on new gambling technologies has relied on self-report measures and markers of addiction that have often been inappropriately translated from other types of technology.
The new technology of mobile gambling will have to be studied closely to determine whether it carries some distinguishing psychological characteristics that make it particularly risky for gamblers, either as an additive risk to current problem gamblers or as a gateway for a whole new population of gamblers. It is important to consider these issues, as models of disordered gambling frequently identify availability and accessibility as early stages in the progression from recreational to problem gambling. These factors are critical for the success of any new gambling technology, but they must be balanced against the potential for other potentially harmful features that are specific to mobile gambling. These include the ability to rapidly replenish a player’s balance by purchasing additional credits, or ‘chips’, through in-app purchases, and the ability to place bets at any time of day.
