Top Sports Betting Apps for Windows Phone
Microsoft and Nokia Lumia devices are becoming increasingly popular, especially amongst business users who need tight integration with Microsoft Windows. Online sportsbook have responded by making their sports betting software compatible with any smartphone or tablet running Windows Phone 10 or earlier.
Most bookmaker apps for Windows Phone come in the form of a HTML5 app that can be accessed via the Microsoft Explorer or Edge browser. These Windows Phone sportsbooks offer all the same features and look identical to versions developed for iPhone and Android. You can bet in-play on the English Premier League, NFL football, boxing or golfing tournaments from your Microsoft Lumia. Horse racing fans can check the racing form, place a wager and even watch a live stream of every horse race from racecourses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Live scores, cash-outs, betting tips and audio commentary are just a few of the features now available from Windows Phone bookmakers.
Most bookmaker apps for Windows Phone come in the form of a HTML5 app that can be accessed via the Microsoft Explorer or Edge browser. These Windows Phone sportsbooks offer all the same features and look identical to versions developed for iPhone and Android. You can bet in-play on the English Premier League, NFL football, boxing or golfing tournaments from your Microsoft Lumia. Horse racing fans can check the racing form, place a wager and even watch a live stream of every horse race from racecourses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Live scores, cash-outs, betting tips and audio commentary are just a few of the features now available from Windows Phone bookmakers.
BOVADA U.S. FRIENDLY
Bovada, the sister company of betting giant Bodog, is by far the best United States friendly sportsbook for Windows Phone. Bet on the NFL, NBA, NHL, UFC and MLB from your Lumia. >> Full Review |
PADDY POWER WINDOWS
Paddy Power have built up a reputation for cutting edge software and their Windows Phone betting app is no different. Take advantage of every Paddy Power betting offer on your phone. >> Full Review |
BETONLINE U.S. BITCOIN
BetOnline is a U.S. online sportsbook that lets US-based sports bettors wager on football, baseball, boxing, soccer, hockey and more. Option to bet online anonymously with bitcoin. >> Full Review |
Mobile Sports Betting On Windows Phone - The Basics
While most mobile bookmakers have been optimized for devices like the iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6, most sports betting apps will also work perfectly on a Microsoft Lumia 535 and Nokia Lumia 520. Bookmaker apps not only allow you to place a bet on Manchester United or Barcelona F.C. but you can also follow soccer games via their live betting area. Some Windows Phone betting sites also live stream major sporting event like the NBA playoffs, European Championship Finals and the Wimbledon tennis championship.
Horse racing punters are also well catered for on Microsoft Lumia smartphones. Most U.K. and Irish bookies now let you watch live horse racing from Australia, England, Scotland, France and Ireland. You can also get horse racing betting tips and advice via mobile racebooks to help you pick winning horses. Mobile form guides and race cards contain all the betting information racing punters could possibly need.
While most mobile bookmakers have been optimized for devices like the iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6, most sports betting apps will also work perfectly on a Microsoft Lumia 535 and Nokia Lumia 520. Bookmaker apps not only allow you to place a bet on Manchester United or Barcelona F.C. but you can also follow soccer games via their live betting area. Some Windows Phone betting sites also live stream major sporting event like the NBA playoffs, European Championship Finals and the Wimbledon tennis championship.
Horse racing punters are also well catered for on Microsoft Lumia smartphones. Most U.K. and Irish bookies now let you watch live horse racing from Australia, England, Scotland, France and Ireland. You can also get horse racing betting tips and advice via mobile racebooks to help you pick winning horses. Mobile form guides and race cards contain all the betting information racing punters could possibly need.
The Windows Phone Store does not permit any apps which allow real money gambling to be hosted there. There are many 'play money' betting apps, and apps designed to provide betting tips and to track your gambling activities, but no actual apps exist where you can sign up for an online sports book, deposit funds and then place a few wagers.
The online sports betting world is split right down the middle. Google were initially happy to allow real-money betting apps to be placed within Google Play, but then in August 2013 they did an abrupt about-turn and banned them. Apple had always resisted allowing real-money sports books to be hosted via iTunes, but in response to Google's decision in August 2013 they completely changed their minds and started to allow them.
Microsoft has always sat on the 'no playing here' side of the fence, despite the fact that millions of people across the globe use their Windows PCs to place bets at sports books, or play at online casinos or poker rooms. It is Microsoft's belief that it is not in their best interests to allow Windows Phones to be used directly for online sports book wagering. Of course, Microsoft is a US-based company, and the USA's relationship with online sports wagering has always been fractious, to say the least.
This is not as big a problem as you might think, especially with the advances made in HTML – one of the main languages used to create web pages – since 2013. For a while, some sports betting companies did host their own, Windows Phone apps. These could be downloaded from their site and installed on any user's phone who wanted to use them. Most sports books these days go the full HTML route. This means that when you head to their site on your Windows Phone using a browser, a special, mobile-optimised version of the site downloads to your phone.
By using the mobile-optimised version of the site, you can use the full functionality of the site that's offered, just as you would if you downloaded and installed a dedicated mobile app. Such is the success of mobile-optimised sites, most sports books have now ceased developing mobile sports betting apps completely, even for iOS and Android.
Windows Phone Gambling Apps in the U.S.
If you love to wager on sports, then being based in the US is not a happy place to be if you want to wager 'on the go'. Any form of online sports betting in the US is extremely difficult. It is not illegal to place bets online in the US, but it is illegal for a US-based company to offer online sports betting opportunities – in the vast majority of states anyhow.
This harks back to the 1961 US Wire Act which made sports wagering by phone illegal. Legislators in the US use this act to outlaw internet gambling.
You may feel the solution to US sports wagering is to go online and use a company that's not based in the US to place your bets on the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB, or on any sport, but there's another problem – most leading non US-sports books ban US-based players, simply to reduce the fear of any form of prosecution being brought against them by the US lawmakers.
Happily, a handful of companies now are perfectly willing to allow US-based players to lay sports wagers via their sites. The biggest three of these are BetOnline, Carbon Sports and Canadian based sportsbook Bovada. All three of these companies operate with Antigua and Barbuda licences, and all provide mobile-optimised versions of their site for use on mobile devices, including Windows Phones.
Windows Phone Sports Betting Markets
The main markets for Windows Phone users are precisely what you'd expect – football and horse racing. All mobile betting apps offer these two markets, and often have extra features such as video streaming of matches and events, audio commentary and graphical displays that inform you of the up-to-the-second action in real time.
All of the world's leading sports, including US sports such as baseball, football, hockey and basketball will also be available via any reputable sports book. If you prefer to bet upon less popular events such as volleyball or showjumping, then many of the larger sports books will offer these more oblique markets to bet upon.
Windows Phone Bookmaker - Final Evaluation
Despite Windows Phone's dwindling market share, Windows Phone owners are typically more than satisfied with their mobile devices, and praise their consistent performance and compatibility with other, Windows-based platforms.
For a while, sports betting via a Windows Phone has been something of a difficult activity, but with the rise of mobile-optimised sports wagering sites written in HTML5, sports betting via a Windows Phone sports betting app has never been easier.
The online sports betting world is split right down the middle. Google were initially happy to allow real-money betting apps to be placed within Google Play, but then in August 2013 they did an abrupt about-turn and banned them. Apple had always resisted allowing real-money sports books to be hosted via iTunes, but in response to Google's decision in August 2013 they completely changed their minds and started to allow them.
Microsoft has always sat on the 'no playing here' side of the fence, despite the fact that millions of people across the globe use their Windows PCs to place bets at sports books, or play at online casinos or poker rooms. It is Microsoft's belief that it is not in their best interests to allow Windows Phones to be used directly for online sports book wagering. Of course, Microsoft is a US-based company, and the USA's relationship with online sports wagering has always been fractious, to say the least.
This is not as big a problem as you might think, especially with the advances made in HTML – one of the main languages used to create web pages – since 2013. For a while, some sports betting companies did host their own, Windows Phone apps. These could be downloaded from their site and installed on any user's phone who wanted to use them. Most sports books these days go the full HTML route. This means that when you head to their site on your Windows Phone using a browser, a special, mobile-optimised version of the site downloads to your phone.
By using the mobile-optimised version of the site, you can use the full functionality of the site that's offered, just as you would if you downloaded and installed a dedicated mobile app. Such is the success of mobile-optimised sites, most sports books have now ceased developing mobile sports betting apps completely, even for iOS and Android.
Windows Phone Gambling Apps in the U.S.
If you love to wager on sports, then being based in the US is not a happy place to be if you want to wager 'on the go'. Any form of online sports betting in the US is extremely difficult. It is not illegal to place bets online in the US, but it is illegal for a US-based company to offer online sports betting opportunities – in the vast majority of states anyhow.
This harks back to the 1961 US Wire Act which made sports wagering by phone illegal. Legislators in the US use this act to outlaw internet gambling.
You may feel the solution to US sports wagering is to go online and use a company that's not based in the US to place your bets on the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB, or on any sport, but there's another problem – most leading non US-sports books ban US-based players, simply to reduce the fear of any form of prosecution being brought against them by the US lawmakers.
Happily, a handful of companies now are perfectly willing to allow US-based players to lay sports wagers via their sites. The biggest three of these are BetOnline, Carbon Sports and Canadian based sportsbook Bovada. All three of these companies operate with Antigua and Barbuda licences, and all provide mobile-optimised versions of their site for use on mobile devices, including Windows Phones.
Windows Phone Sports Betting Markets
The main markets for Windows Phone users are precisely what you'd expect – football and horse racing. All mobile betting apps offer these two markets, and often have extra features such as video streaming of matches and events, audio commentary and graphical displays that inform you of the up-to-the-second action in real time.
All of the world's leading sports, including US sports such as baseball, football, hockey and basketball will also be available via any reputable sports book. If you prefer to bet upon less popular events such as volleyball or showjumping, then many of the larger sports books will offer these more oblique markets to bet upon.
Windows Phone Bookmaker - Final Evaluation
Despite Windows Phone's dwindling market share, Windows Phone owners are typically more than satisfied with their mobile devices, and praise their consistent performance and compatibility with other, Windows-based platforms.
For a while, sports betting via a Windows Phone has been something of a difficult activity, but with the rise of mobile-optimised sports wagering sites written in HTML5, sports betting via a Windows Phone sports betting app has never been easier.
Windows Phone Background
- Introduction Despite efforts by Microsoft, when it comes to the league table of mobile platforms, Windows Phone lies in a very distant third place behind Android and iOS. According to figures released by IDC, the market share owned by Windows Phones when it came to mobile devices was a paltry 2.8 percent, trailing behind Android at 76.6 percent and iOS at 19.7 percent.
- It's not all bad news for Windows Phone though – Microsoft's model has knocked BlackBerry (0.4 percent) into fourth place, and that 2.8 percent figure is at least better than the 1.5 percent figure reported at the start of 2013, but it's still way down from the 7/8 percent reported at Window Phone's peak in 2011.
- The journey of Microsoft's mobile operating system began in 1996 with Windows CE (mainly designed for PDAs) and then PocketPC in 2000, which was renamed Windows Mobile three years later. Initially aimed at the business end of the market, by 2007 it had become the most popular smartphone OS in the US. The release of the iPhone and eventually Android saw Microsoft's market share plunge dramatically.
- In 2015 Microsoft announced the forthcoming release of Windows Phone 10 where new units will finally be branded as Microsoft rather than Nokia, the former Finnish mobile phone giant that Microsoft partnered with in 2011 and then bought outright in 2013. Most industry experts, however, still feel that there's little chance of Windows Phone gaining any ground on its Apple and Google Android rivals any time soon.