1 billion smartphones
1,000,000,000

1 billion smartphones are sold in 16 years, and the big gambling explosion is still ahead of us.

At some point in the third quarter of this year, the worldwide sales of smartphones passed the one billion benchmark. Coincidently, this was roughly around the moment when Apple released its iPhone 5.

The first device that could be called a smartphone, the Nokia Communicator, was introduced in 1996. The gadget pretty much secured Nokia a dominant place in the smartphone market until the iPhone came in 2007. Coming to think of that, the iPhone does seem like ages ago, but it has been only five years…

The first billion smarthpones to be sold took 16 years, but experts predict that the 2 billion mark will be passed as early as 2015, in just three short years’ time.

It is not an exaggeration to say that smarthpones changed our lives. We use these devices for everything from booking a flight to reserving a table or calling a taxi. We also increasingly use smartphones for playing blackjack or other cards games.

Smartphone betting has revolutionized the sportsbooks industry as much as smartphone wagers changed the mobile casino industry. The keyword here is ‘instantly’. You don’t have to wait to place a bet or to put a wager, you are not bound to your computer or anything. You can do what you want anywhere: the freedom given by these devices is enormous.

China, India and Africa are to see a smartphone gambling explosion

And the growth is not about to stop. Emerging markets such as China, India and Africa are just beginning to experience the smartphone revolution. These areas are home to some of the world’s most passionate gamblers, so we can expect a huge growth in smarthphone card game applications and other mobile casino features.