Paddy Power is aiming to take mobile sports betting to the next level with a new mobile app that takes advantage of secret-screen technology. Released yesterday the app allows users to bet on any of the upcoming weekend’s games with all the usual odds you’ve come to expect from the main site. This is in addition to countless stats and tables as well as lists of any of Paddy Power’s Money Back Specials or other promotions they might be running at the time. We’ve left the most impressive part for last as you’ll now be able to point your phone at the TV to bet on the teams that are playing in a given match. The ‘TV Bet’ feature means that once you point your iPhone’s camera towards the TV, it will allow you to bet on the game in front of you on the TV. Even though Betfair have spoken about augmented reality in the past year, Paddy is the first to launch their an app using second screen technology. Teething problems are likely at first but this goes to show just how sports betting firms are using mobile to their advantage.
Betfair is still top dog in the sports betting market after making it six months at the summit of the Oddschecker Top 10. Summer vacation was kind to the betting exchange as their market share went from 19.8 percent in June to 20.2 percent in August and meant that bet365’s 18.8 percent wasn’t enough to put them back atop the standings. Paddy Power took third on the podium with 9.4 percent and that could grow in the coming months thanks to their new Premier League app. William Hill kept fourth place with 7.2 percent with BetVictor narrowly behind them on 6.9 percent. The remainder of the top ten was made up of Stan James (5.7 percent), Betfred (5.3 percent), Ladbrokes (4.3 percent), Boylesports (3.7 percent) and Skybet (3.5 percent).
William Hill has been given until November to decide whether to buy out Playtech’s 29 percent stake in William Hill Online. Discussions continuing between the two sides as they continue to work towards a resolution, with a William Hill spokesperson telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Our chairman and chief executive continue to meet regularly with their counterparts (at) Playtech ahead of this. Discussions have been amicable and continue.”
The publication didn’t get any comment from the firm’s UK office and Simon French, analyst at Panmure Gordon & Co., said that Hills would need to pay around $590.8million to seal the deal.
