Betfair has launched its next generation iPad app into the Apple store.
The bespoke native application is an enhancement of previous products and is the first to come out of Betfair's development office in San Francisco, US, where the company has recently relocated key parts of mobile development. The app offers an improved iPad experience to Betfair customers, bringing fixed website functionality to a betting product that is specifically tailored to the tablet device.
The key features include: an intuitive landing page with easy access to the most popular events along with live scores; trader focused betting experience with betting functionality mirroring that available on the fixed website; seamless access to Betfair's betting site, which includes insight and analysis from Betfair's content team and ambassadors; and the ability to deposit and withdraw funds from anywhere within the app, enabling easier betting.
Raj Vemulapalli, vice president of mobile engineering and head of mobile technologies at Betfair, commented: "This app is a game changer for our customers, offering them a seamless betting experience that replicates the fixed web, while making use of the unique features available on iPad. Mobile is the coming force in the betting industry and the shift from online to mobile is in many ways more exciting than the shift from offline to online."
Tony McAlister, CTO at Betfair, added: "Mobile is increasingly important to Betfair's bottom line and product launches such as this are now key strategic milestones. In addition, the fact that this app was developed in just two months out in San Francisco shows that our decision to launch a US technology office in Silicon Valley is already paying off. I hope this is the first of many US-developed products which will extend our lead in the online betting space."
The release comes against the backdrop of dramatic growth in mobile revenues last year. Around 10 per cent of Betfair's exchange activity is now conducted via mobile phones and the company expects this figure to rise even further. At its interim results announced in December 2011, Betfair said that it had seen over £800m of bets traded through mobile in the six months of the financial year, enabling the company to record first half mobile revenues of £9m, up 88 per cent.
The company has seen that mobile usage leads to an increase in average revenue per user and also that mobile customers have lower than average churn rates. In October, Betfair launched an improved iPhone app which has driven further increases in usage and average revenue per user. Around 40 per cent of Betfair's customer base has now placed a bet via a mobile device.
