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About a decade ago, some forward thinking entrepreneur devised a way to harness the power of the quickly expanding Internet to bring gambling into the home. At last, players were no longer at the mercy of distance, schedules or obligations. As long as they had a computer with Internet access, they could play 24/7 and never leave the house.
Not satisfied with that level of convenience, the gambling industry has yet again taken a giant step forward and introduced into the mainstream vernacular an even more accessible method of gambling: wireless gaming. More and more, betting sites around the world have started to embrace the growing potential associated with offering gamblers continuous access to casino games, sports betting, bingo, lottery—almost anything. Never before have gamblers been able to play from home, during their lunch break, on the way home from work—wherever and whenever it suits them.
What is Wireless Gaming?
Java-enabled. RIM Blackberry. Bluetooth technology. SymbianOS. To the uninitiated, these words, common to wireless gaming, are alien, incomprehensible, and more than a little bit daunting.
While it may initially seem somewhat intimidating to gamblers completely unfamiliar with the topic, wireless gaming is really no more difficult or groundbreaking than using a mobile telephone. Just as with conventional online gambling where you download software you play through your PC, wireless gaming is simply an advanced method of enabling players to gamble remotely. But with wireless gaming instead of being tied down to a desktop, the software is downloaded onto a mobile device and accessible from just about anywhere. It’s just like downloading special tones, e-mail or even games like solitaire onto your phone, but instead you are wirelessly connected to a gaming system that enables you to access casino games and play for real money. In short, it’s simply another medium whereby gamblers can conveniently increase their playtime. But nothing’s perfect.
Although wireless gaming is a fantastic step forward in terms of gambling freedom, it’s not wholly without certain drawbacks. For starters, at the current stage of development players have only limited gaming options. Only a small fraction of online gambling sites are currently active in the wireless gaming market, forcing players to literally take what they can get. Further compounding the problem is that of those sites offering wireless gaming, many provide fewer than a dozen games. That’s quite a difference compared to the repertoire of 50, 100, or more games that online players are accustomed to.
In addition, there are often carrier problems, connection limitations, and poor graphics quality. Add to that the added expense of having to purchase a wireless device capable of handling the software and it’s clear that wireless gaming has some challenges to overcome.
However, things are getting better. In many cases, technical limitations have been lifted and coverage has steadily been expanding to allow access all over the world. Also, the cost of mobile devices has started to decrease, while at the same time becoming more powerful and allowing graphically rich representations of the games on smaller footprints (screens). While not always realistically comparable to PC gaming, the differences are slowly become negligible. In addition, Wi-Fi connectivity now allows players to play games in areas where no data wireless connectivity is available—the only requirement is that the mobile device must be Wi-Fi-enabled.
Going Wireless
If you’re sold on the idea of gambling anytime more than likely you’ll need to get a few things together first. Below is a basic overview of everything you’ll need to do to get started gambling wirelessly.
Step 1: Get a mobile device that’s up to the task. While it may be obvious, it has to be said: to gamble wirelessly you need a wireless device. But not just any run-of-the-mill cellular phone will do the trick—it must be powered by a mobile operating system, such as PocketPC or PalmOS. While the newest smartphones (integrated phone/PDA) are essentially mini-PCs complete with full operating systems and high-resolution color screens, many of the older model phones lack the ability to handle the casino software.
Step 2: Connectivity.Another consideration for your wireless device is connectivity. Wireless gaming involves real-time data connections, and older devices that sport special serial cables that connect your device to a cellular phone may simply be too unwieldy to be worth the trouble. If you plan to purchase a wireless device, consider the newer solutions such as integrated Bluetooth wireless technology, integrated wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) or slot configurations, all of which simplify the whole process.
Step 3: The data wireless plan. If you have a cellular plan, you’ll need to sign-up for a data wireless plan, but be sure to look for a carrier that supplies coverage in your local area. If you plan on using the device globally, you’ll need a “world phone ready” device as well as the appropriate coverage. An example of an integrated smartphone device (phone/PalmOS® PDA) with world phone ready international roaming capability is the Tungsten W. With AT&T Wireless the Tungsten W delivers international roaming to 85 countries through data wireless networks
Step 4: Open a gambling account. Now that you’ve got the mobile device and are all set up with the appropriate wireless plan, what’s next? Before you can download the software and play from your wireless device, you must first sign-up for an account at your selected casino. Once you have opened an account, you must login through the site’s secure area and visit the download page of their wireless section. If you’re already a member of the casino, you need not re-register—simply enter in your member information and select a version of the wireless casino software suited to your device and download.
Step 5: Fund your account. Finally, once your player account has been created, you can fund your account (if you wish to gamble for real) by visiting the site’s “Banking” section. Note that not all gaming sites allow players to fund their accounts via their wireless device, so be sure to verify which method your site’s software allows.
If the idea of wireless gaming appeals to you, but want to wait until more sites are involved, you probably won’t have long to wait. It’s only a matter of time until almost every site offers players the option of downloading the software onto a wireless device. Indeed, industry estimates show that by 2008, over 450 million wireless subscribers worldwide will play some form of mobile game, generating over $16 billion in revenues. And that’s a figure that few sites will be able to ignore
J. Phillip Vogel is an online gambling expert and the author of Internet Gambling: How to Win Big Online. Now available at Amazon.com.
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