Bwin Launches First Real Money iPhone Poker App

Mobile poker apps have been gaining ground across all the smart phone formats, and as further proof this week the Apple Store got its first real money online poker application compliments of the sports betting, poker and casino brand bwin. Bwin’s new mobile application may be far from the first poker program, but it’s still the first iPhone app that gives players access to real cash games. Mobile apps are old news for bwin who already offers sports fans live betting opportunities via their Blackberry app. 

Who can get the new bwin poker app?

As you might have guessed, the new bwin app is exclusive to iPhone users, and not just any iPhone users but specifically those who reside in the United Kingdom and Austria. While the application is expected to be sold in several other European nations in the near future, it goes without saying that poker fans living in legality-challenged locations like the United States are still out of luck.

How does the new bwin poker app work?

Once you’ve downloaded the bwin poker application, you’ll log on and enter a lobby setup that’s very similar to what you’d see at their full download online poker room. From there, players can choose their betting format (Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit), stakes level (up to $3/$6 for NL), and table size. As of now, players can’t choose a specific table. There are also currently no tournament offerings, and Texas Hold’em is your only ring game option.

How will bwin players deposit money for mobile play?

Unfortunately, the bwin iPhone application doesn’t currently allow players to make deposits via their mobile devices. You’ll still have to go online and deposit through the main poker room’s cashier every time you run out of money.

It will be interesting to see if bwin and Apple address the depositing issues as well as the lack of playing options. Some early users have also complained about lag when playing on 3G networks, but overall the initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.

In related news, Microgaming announced Thursday that they plan to release a real money poker application for the Android platform. While Lydia Melton, head of Microgaming’s poker division, has already announced that the application is complete, it won’t actually be available until later this quarter. Let’s hope they learn from their competitor’s mistakes by addressing the above concerns before they release their own real money poker app.

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