First Online Gambling App Comes to iPhone

Betfair is introducing the first online gambling application for iPhones, just in time to take sports betting on the World Cup.

After many rejections by the exclusive and carefully watched application process at Apple, the first official app featuring online gambling is now coming to the iPhone system. While mobile gaming is nothing new, Apple has been careful to weed out gambling applications, until now.

The new app has been developed by Betfair, and will allow users to place sports bets and other wagers from their iPhones. The Betfair gaming will only be made available to residents of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The application will employ the self-contained GPS in the iPhone to determine the player's location. Attempts to place bets from locations outside the presecribed area will be blocked.

The application was pushed through the vetting process to be available in time for next month's World Cup event. Gambling on this year's World Cup is anticipated to set international records on volume and amounts wagered.

US players are barred from using mobile gaming devices, and US telecommunications companies will not authorize devices to permit gambling applications. US residents seeking to entertain themselves may have a glimmer of hope, in that mobile gaming policies may likely change if and when US regulation of online gambling begins.