Social betting is the latest trend in two burgeoning markets – social media and Internet-based betting. The idea behind social betting is to create a community of gamblers who can wager against one another rather than against the sportsbook industry’s existing market.

This style of wagering takes place in a variety of apps and social media platform games with real or virtual money gaming elements and other rewards. Because this type of gambling is brand-new, it exists in many varieties as of this writing. Some social betting apps provide totally new ways to wager, like peer-to-peer betting in groups. Others are little more than sports betting markets with added social features like chats and head-to-head statistics.

Social betting sites and apps are like the Twitter or Facebook for sports betting fans worldwide, a place for them to connect and wager in ways not formerly available. With social-based wagering, players can place and manage their wagers, watch streams and live scores, read analysis by other bettors and experts, and interact with one another in a totally new format.

Here are the five best peer-to-peer gambling apps currently available, as determined by their overall user-friendliness, popularity, and range of available wagering styles and social features.


YOUBETME - WWW.YOUBETME.COM

The first truly social gambling app was youbetme, created as a means of allowing wagers on anything in the world. Yes, people use the platform to make prediction about the World Cup or the NBA Finals. But they also use it to set up friendly bets around a reality TV series’ outcome, a friendly game of softball between rivals, or just about anything else people may want to connect and wager over.

The youbetme system currently works on three platforms – Web-based, SMS, or the service’s native app. The system allows users to challenge their social media contacts to wagers and even remind people on the losing side of a proposition that it’s time to pay up. Revealing the brash style of youbetme’s creators, users reminding losers to pay what they owe can choose from three pre-formatted SMS messages – a “nice” version, a “firm” version, and a “dick” version.

The most appealing thing about youbetme is the fact that it was the first widespread release of this type of gambling platform. Another plus in its favor is the fact that it allows any user of any device, be it a smartphone, a laptop, or a tablet, to challenge any other user to a betting contest, regardless of what device or platform either customer uses.


GAMBLINO - WWW.GAMBLINO.COM

Designed specifically for iPhone users interested in social betting, Gamblino is similar to a tournament version of sports betting. This app’s intention was also to develop a community among sports bettors, but Gamblino goes about it much differently than the competition.

For starters, the app’s developers host competitions for all customers that pay out real prizes, such as tickets to major sporting events or even cash rewards. This app utilizes actual odds from real sportsbooks (point spreads, moneylines, game totals, etc.) and real-time score data to allow players to track their wagers real-time.

But Gamblino goes further, allowing users to create their own custom wagering pools. Unfortunately, bettors have to choose from a select list of pools from a select list of world sports – so it cannot be said that customized bet pools at Gamblino are 100% user-controlled. Still, the app’s user interface for custom wagering of this variety is attractive, easy to use, and easy to invite new members into.

One of the most popular features among Gamblino’s customers is the ability to track user statistics across all wagers or within a specified time frame. Stats include overall and situational win and loss numbers and percentages, leaderboards based on point totals, data on current wagers in action. This allows competition between friends but also between sports betting fans who’d otherwise remain strangers. That’s the driving force behind social betting – connection among like-minded punters.


FAVOURIT - WWW.FAVOURIT.COM

One of the only such systems to specifically identify as a social network, Favourit’s stated goal is to “help [customers] bet smarter.”

An unstated goal that’s germane to the social gambling universe is the app’s ability to connect bettors from around the world on a social level. This app connects people betting on similar events and sports so they can share wagering tips, see what teams and outcomes other bettors are backing, provide a forum and showcase for expert analyses, and bet directly with a customer’s chosen sportsbook.

A popular feature at Favourit is the ability to test out any new betting tactic and wager just-for-fun with virtual currency. This is not unique to this particular gambling app, but is a highlight of Favourit’s somewhat-understated platform.

Because Favourit lacks flash, and is essentially a social network for bettors with links to live stats and scores and sportsbook wagers, it is a lightning-fast venue for sports bettors to connect and outline their strategies and wagers. Favourit is free to use, and is not technically a gambling app. It has partnerships with bookmakers around the world and displays their information. Since no wagering occurs literally through the Favourits app, it is legal for customers in all markets to use.

With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil right around the corner, we will be looking to see which apps you need in your betting armory to make some serious money from the competition. We have included a mix of apps that include betting apps to make the bet but also apps that should help you with your selections.

Whilst each app is obviously independent of each other, we think that used as one 'tool' they will accompany each other quite nicely. It's also worth noting that all the apps are free to download and won't require any sort of subscription to use; a feature we were keen to include.

OFFICIAL FIFA WORLD CUP APP 2014 FOR iPHONE & ANDROID

Our first port of call comes with the official FIFA World Cup app as it's probably the most comprehensive when it comes to seeing as much information as possible for each game. It will allow you to check out team stats, form, player guides and team line-ups before most games, plus with it being an official product of FIFA, it's pretty much flawless.

First up is how good the app looks, and you will quickly see that it looks polished, modern and something that you will love to use for the duration of the tournament. Aside from the World Cup, the app does include a ton of information from leagues around the world, so it should last you way beyond betting on the World Cup.

The World Cup section can be found by clicking on the menu button in the top left corner. From here you can find out all the latest news on the tournament whilst also being able to flick between the different groups, schedules, qualifiers and destinations that the countries will visit.

Each team will have a little synopsis about them with information on their World Cup history, current crop of players, key players and best performances. The key players section is especially useful for countries that you might not be as familiar with, especially if you looking to have a punt on top goalscorer markets or similar. The match centre will allow you to keep track of the game as its taking place whilst also being one of the first places you will hear about any team news and starting line-ups.

Overall, an essential app for keeping up to date with everything going on in the World Cup!

FILMON/BBC iPLAYER - WATCH THE WORLD CUP ON YOUR PHONE OR TABLET

These two apps will allow you to stream the games live via your mobile device. Again, they are free to use and require no subscription, but may restrict you depending on which country you are in. Having said that, it's likely at least one of them will cater for most countries around the world, hence the inclusion of them both.

The world of mobile betting is one that's seen a vast amount of change and improvement over the years. It's pretty much safe to say that mobile betting is here to stay and it's actually been quite interesting to hear bookmakers mention that a large percentage of their bets are now taken via mobile devices.

This is all well and good, but we still feel that this is a market that is in its ascendency and to be honest, some bookmakers just haven’t moved quickly enough with the times. Whilst the majority of bookmakers do have horse racing targeted apps out there, a lot of them feel rushed, poorly designed and just outright unusable.

But, we can't tarnish all horse racing apps with same brush as there are some simply superb ones to choose from, should you decide to bet with your mobile device. Below we have chosen two apps that we think will give any bookmaker in the world a run for their money in terms of horse racing coverage and also given you guys from the US an excellent option for mobile betting.

PADDY POWER MOBILE - WORLD'S LARGEST ONLINE RACEBOOK

The first thing we want to speak about in terms of the app is just how good it looks it. The app has actually had a much needed face lift in 2014 and to be honest, before that - in terms of design - we could take it or leave it. Surprisingly, what the company have decided to do is almost strip back the app with graphics now being much simpler but making everything run a lot smoother. It feels much less dated than previous versions and we have seen a significant improvement in loading times.

Their horse racing coverage has always been quite stunning on their website, and the app is no different! The first thing we look for with horse racing apps is what does the app offer us that others don’t? Well, live streaming is on offer and whilst this innovation isn’t exactly ground breaking in the gambling industry these days, there are still very few that allow you to stream direct from your mobile. On top of that it's worth noting that we were able to stream the races in almost HD via just a 3G connection. One requirement of their streaming service is that you to have placed a bet on the race you are trying to stream before doing so. Bets start from just 50p a race, so it's good value for money.

In terms of market coverage the app is again head and shoulders above just about everyone. There is a strong bias towards races from both the UK and Ireland, which is understandable due to the number of users from this area. But they do include an impressive international portfolio which includes Australia, New Zealand, France, South Africa, America and a number of smaller meetings as well.

The 'top coupons' seems to be a new innovation that’s come with the re-design and you can select from some of the more popular markets taking place that day. It does include any promotions or markets in which they have offers on as well and are highlighted for ease of use.

The race card is just another massive tick for Paddy Power as again it looks superb but also functions brilliantly. We loved the fact that you could click a 'show info' button which then gave you a breakdown taken from the Racing Post of each race. It gives additional information on the horse such as weight, age and form. Most of the races include free to stream live radio and you can access this by clicking the little speaker in the top right of the race card.

CORAL UK HORSE RACING FOCUSED BOOKMAKER

Coral are another huge shout when it comes to horse racing apps. Whilst their design is pretty clean and tidy, it's not as polished as say, bet365's. There isn’t actually anything wrong with it per say, it just feels a little bit dated with the direction that the majority of betting apps are taking.

Let it not be said that the guys at Paddy Power take a complicated view of life or like to get in the way of a man, his horse racing and his footy. Having already single-handedly shaken up the sports betting world, firstly through their innovative online presence and then through their apps and social media, they now bring to the market the Paddy Power Messenger app.

Designed to make placing a bet even more instantaneous and straightforward, the app effectively enables you to send and receive text messages to and from Paddy Power without the need to access the Paddy Power website or mobile app. Essentially, Paddy Power becomes your mate, albeit one with a lot of information on your favourite football team, players, race meetings and horses, and who is prepared to accept wagers from you on said teams and horses. Oh, and who’ll provide you with regular updates and news on your bets and preferred teams and horses. Not bad, eh?

How it works is this: download the Paddy Power Messenger app free of charge from iTunes to your iPhone. If you’re a new customer then merely complete the simple registration form and away you go. If you’re already a Paddy Power registered user then handily your login details will be the same and away you go too.  An Android version is currently in development and will be available for Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Google Nexus devices shortly.

Next up: tell Paddy Power what your favourites are.  This can be anything from broad likes such as ‘The Premier League’ and ‘The Cheltenham Festival’ to specific teams, players, horses or jockeys. Grade your favourites as well according to your level of interest and Paddy Power will accordingly alter the level of information and updates you receive. Naturally you will receive more text messages and betting information and news on your preferences with the highest priority. Adding to your preferences or amending the level of your alerts is simple too and can be done at any time.

After that, punting is a breeze. Just text your bet to Paddy Power, e.g £10 win Man City, £20 each way Danny Boy, and it’s done. Couldn’t be easier. Once you’ve placed your bet you’ll then receive live commentary updates on selected football matches and races to keep you informed/on the edge of your seat/smug in the pub. If you’re not sure what bets you fancy placing and want to have a gander at the odds first, simply text ‘odds’ to Paddy Power followed by your match, team, horse etc and they’ll text back with all you need to know. For more complicated bets simply text Paddy Power with your combinations and you’ll receive odds and quick links to add to and customise your bets. 

Fans of Spanish football will be delighted to hear that they can now watch their favourite La Liga team play live on their smartphone or tablet.  What's even better is that the games will be streamed for FREE thanks to a deal between SkyBet and the Spanish Division One league.  SkyBet Mobile works on virtually every type of table and smartphone, including iPad, iPhone, Nokia Lumia Windows Phone and Android devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, Nexus 5, LG G2 and the Motorola Moto G.  What is unique about this service is that you don't need to place a bet to access the live soccer games on your phone, just create an account at www.SkyBet.com and you're in business.

SkyBet mobile have won the rights to stream any game that is not already being broadcast live on Sky Sports, which means if you have a SkySports subscription and a SkyBet account, you will never miss another Read Madrid or Barcelona game again.  Live streams of every game can be found in the Inplay betting section of the SkyBet app.  The live video streams will replace the current pitch visualizations which are currently available for every game.  

We don't have a full schedule of games at present, although we do know that the first teams some of the first teams you can watch via the app will include Osasuna, Villarreal, Real Betis, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Malaga, Elche, Sevilla, Levante and Real Valladolid.  At present these soccer matches are only available via the SkyBet app and cannot be viewed from your desktop.  Live streams of La Liga games will be available to watch via their main website next season.

You can also take advantage of SkyBet's free £30 matched bet and £5 weekly free bet by CLICKING HERE or on the ad below.

In recent years Paddy Power has revolutionised the online wagering and gambling world, both through its adoption of mobile betting technology to advance online betting possibilities and, perhaps most pertinently, through its innovative approach to marketing and promotion. At times falling foul of regulators and, arguably on occasion, taste, Paddy Power has been at the forefront of marketing, a key aspect of which has been its’ use of social media.

In order to compete with the larger, more traditional bookmakers, Paddy Power has had to take a unique and novel approach to marketing and wagering and has done so spectacularly. The company has more than one million followers on Facebook and has launched a number of ground-breaking campaigns from the celebrity endorsed initiative to kick homophobia out of football to more controversial marketing tools such as deciding to sponsor Dennis Rodman’s trip to North Korea (admittedly thought better of at the last moment). The company has freely admitted that a desire to ruffle feathers and court controversy is a specific aspect of their strategy aimed at ensuring the brand is both talked about and constantly on the lips of people from all walks of life.

PADDY POWER ARE THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL MEDIA BOOKMAKER

As a consequence, a feature of Paddy Power has been a focus on live interaction with fans and punters, both through in-play betting and social media (the company has been so successful in fact that it frequently generates much more media chat than many leading multi-national brands). Customer interaction has so far seen Paddy Power consult with followers on everything from what to cover next to input on viral videos and ads. In fact, in 2013 the company had a social footprint of nearly 1000% and saw over a 50% growth in new customers. Its Ryder Cup Tweets alone reached an audience of a mind boggling 31m people.

Continuing the upward trend in innovation and interaction, Paddy Power is set to break new ground with its’ forthcoming in-play Facebook app. The app, which is still in development and currently only available to its United Kingdom customers, promises to push the boundaries further of in-play wagering and create a first in the fusion of real money betting and social media.

Aside from being able to place bets via Facebook, the key aspect to the app comes from linking your betting activity to that of your mates. The aim is to recreate the situation of being in one big room with your mates talking about the game or event and challenging each other via the app.

PADDYPOWER IN-PLAY FOR FACEBOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

If you are a resident of the United Kingdom, you can sign-up for the new Paddy Power In-Play Facebook App via their ad below.

Back in October (2012) Apple released iOS6 for the iPhone and iPad that sported some cool new features.  Among them was a Siri upgrade that allowed the personal assistant to answer sports betting questions for the first time.  Sports fans could now ask Siri a variety of questions relating to american football, soccer, baseball, basketball and ice hockey fixtures, stats, scores and betting.

To find out just how well Siri copes with these type of questions, we’ve put together a selection of videos that demonstrate the depth of Siri’s newly aquired sporting knowledge.


VIDEO DEMO 1

Question: Did the Brewers win yesterday?

Siri: OK sports fans let’s take a look. The Brewers were soundly defeated by the Nationals yesterday.  The final score was 10 to 4.

Question:  Did Ryan Braun get any hits yesterday?

Siri: Ryan Braun had 1 hit in this game.

VERDICT:  Full marks to Siri on this occasion.  It handled these baseball questions with ease.


VIDEO DEMO 2

Question:  Did the Seahawks win last night? 

Siri: The Seahawks lost to the 49ers yesterday: the final score was 13 to 6. (Siri also produces a scoreboard for each quarter and the final)

Question: What upcoming comes does the Carolina Panters have?

Siri: The Panthers – Cowboys game is Sunday at 1pm.

VERDICT:  Again Siri answered these questions without breaking a sweat.  10/10.


VIDEO DEMO 3

Question: Who’s on the roster for the Buffalo Bills?

Siri: OK, this is the roster for the Buffalo Bills (Siri produces the complete roster)

Question: Who scored the most points in the NBA?

Siri: Carmelo Anthony leads the league, averaging 26.8 points this season.

Question:  When is the next Buffalo Bills game?

Siri: The Bills – Dolphins game is tomorrow at 8.20 pm.

Question:  Who is taller Kobe Bryant or Lebron James?

Siri: If you squint, you can see that Lebron James is slightly taller.

Question:  What was the score for the last inter-Milan soccer game?

Siri: Here are the scores for the Italian Serie A last Sunday.

VERDICT: Again Siri performs awesomely with these more complex questions.  It easily answers questions relating to team rosters, league stats, results and even comparative questions between different players.