Siemens launches live betting handset

NEWS German software start-up Scaraboo and telephone equipment maker Siemens are making inroads into the live betting market through a new joint venture. 'Betting in running' has become increasingly popular since it became an integral part of many online bookies' offerings. Pure play dot-com bookies update their odds dynamically as contest progress - for instance offering far longer odds on a football team whenever they go behind in a match. Now Siemens and Scaraboo are trying to pinch a piece of the pie with technology that was trialled during the World Cup in Japan and Korea. During the World Cup O2 subscribers in Germany were able to use Siemens handsets to bet on matches once they were under way. The Scaraboo software measure the amounts of money being placed on each team and altered their odds accordingly. For example - as soon as England scored in the semi-final against Brazil bookies would expect more money to start being put on England - assuming (wrongly) they were more likely to win. Shrewder punters may chose to take advantage of longer odds on the pre-match favourites and put some money on the Samba boys. Now Siemens and Scaraboo have started marketing the technology to other wireless carriers. For a full analysis on this technology, read: http://www.silicon.com/a55100