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Mobile casino sites VS mobile casino apps

Published by Niki | April 1, 2019

Which is better - mobile casino sites or mobile casino apps?

Online casino gambling is a huge industry worldwide. The biggest segment of this market remains the online “desktop” segment, enjoyed by way of a PC or Laptop. However, the number of online desktop players is dropping annually, as the number of mobile gamblers grows year by year. In a few years, the mobile casino platform will almost assuredly overtake its online predecessors in popularity.

With hordes of players converting to mobile every month, each will have to face a few choices to make the transition. One of the primary decisions that will need to be made, is whether they will play mobile games via a downloadable “Casino App” or whether they should play via a mobile browser on a mobile casino site.

We at CasinoWow want to make the transition to mobile as painless as possible for you. As such, we have provided you with a guide that is designed to help you make your mind up. We will endeavour to define each kind of casino, as well as take a look into various performance aspects of both.

Mobile Casino Sites VS Mobile Casino Apps

What is a mobile casino app?

A mobile app is a software application that is designed specifically to work on wireless mobile devices. These software modules are designed with the constraints of the device in mind and are developed to take advantage of the specialised capabilities that the device offers. An app can gain the most out of the RAM, processors, and other device hardware of a mobile phone or tablet, in order to streamline the processing of involved data forms.

So, a Casino App is designed specifically with either iPhone platforms or Android platforms in mind and enhances the communication between the device and the gaming software on offer. This is done so that the device can run the programs seamlessly, to limit your frustration.

What is a mobile casino site?

A casino site is an online website that can be accessed via your mobile device’s web browser. The data is configured to the general way in which mobile devices process programs. Prior to HTML5 technology, mobile devices were feeble at processing web data. HTML5 is the latest version of Hypertext Markup Language (the code that describes webpages). In layman’s terms, it makes web data far easier for mobile devices to read and handle. This means that casino games can now be played seamlessly from a casino's mobile browser without the need for an app.

How to choose?

So, how do we choose which platform to use when wanting to play our favourite games? Below, we will discuss the two options under 5 helpful headings to shine a light on the question at hand.

Reach

Mobile applications are distinctively software exclusive. Android apps cannot run on iOS software platforms and vice versa.

Mobile web browsers are however untethered to specific software platforms, which means that any up to date mobile device will be able to read them (older devices may lack processing efficiency). This means that you can play on the same site with several of your devices, should you have a variety. This is also very useful when upgrading devices.

If you change from an Android to iPhone after your contract is up, you will be able to make use of the very same web browser. You would not be able to use the same casino app across casino platforms and may have to forgo your favourite site because of compatibility issues.

Speed

It is a fact that internet users since the year 2000 have a lower patience threshold when it comes to download and upload times online. The average person has a tolerance threshold of 8 seconds. If anything takes longer, it becomes a frustration.

Internet browser upload times can be quicker than many of the casino app upload times. This has a big part to play in the growing popularity of Mobile Casino Sites. While browsers can be faster to access, it is dependent on the network speed on offer at the time. Where poor internet speeds are prevalent, the app upload will be much quicker, because much of the start-up data is already accessible to the device.

Content management

Websites can be updated far more easily than apps can. In fact, mobile casinos can make changes to their sites within seconds, which will be available to all users, seconds thereafter. Native App updates take a while to do and then players must be notified that there is an update available and then need to download the update.

Websites links can also be shared more easily over social platforms, which most certainly boosts the marketing strategy of any casino, as well as giving you the ability to share your favourite games and sites with friends.

Quality and gameplay

The online casino industry is a standout example of how mobile browser technology has managed to close the gap in mobile app technology.

Mobile devices have special requirements when processing data optimally. Apps are designed to feed the data to the device in the most efficient way. HTML5 technology now does the same thing without the need to clutter your mobile phone with another icon that takes up more memory. When playing games from top providers, such as NetEnt and Microgaming, you can barely tell the difference in gameplay. Both platforms offer the best play available.

It is unfortunate that in some circumstances when playing games in “portrait” on your phone from a web browser, the browser bar cannot be shaken from the screen, as well as the battery and signal display bars. You will not ever have this problem with a mobile casino app.

Popularity

A recent poll in November 2017 determined that only 20% of mobile gamblers now make use of mobile apps. It stands to confirm that the remaining 80% are quite happy with mobile casino website browsers.

Most of the popular online casinos have a mobile casino equivalent to their site, which is obviously more of an attraction to gamblers that have come directly from the online desktop gaming circuit. Online casinos have built relationships with patrons and therefore keep their loyalties. Not all casinos offer a dedicated mobile app, which means that loyal users will most certainly make use of their very mobile-friendly and efficient browsers.

While mobile apps are used 80% to 100% of the time we are on our phones and tabs, the statistics cannot be used to support why mobile casino apps should be more popular. This is because the apps most commonly used on mobile devices worldwide include only a handful of favourites, including:

  • Social Media apps, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter;
  • Music apps, like iTunes and Spotify;
  • Messenger Apps, such as Email, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.

CasinoWow conclusion

While we are very thankful to online casino apps for the big part they have played in the infancy of the mobile casino arena, we cannot deny the overwhelming fact that HTML5 has redefined the Mobile Casino world, making it more convenient and efficient for day to day play.

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