Pointed out that Apple is trying to get involved in ``sports betting''



On February 21, 2024, Apple released the sports information app ``

Apple Sports '' for iPhone users in North America and the United Kingdom. However, while this app lacks data on important sports events, it does have plenty of betting odds information, leading to an American monthly magazine, The Atlantic, saying, ``Apple may be leaning toward gambling.'' ” he pointed out.

Did Apple Just Make a Gambling App? - The Atlantic
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/technology/openai-copyright-suit-media.html



The reason Jacob Stern, a writer for The Atlantic, downloaded Apple Sports was because it provided faster information than a TV broadcast of a basketball game.

According to Mr. Stern, who actually used Apple Sports, Apple Sports differs from other general sports information apps in that it does not have match highlight information or sports-related news, but it does not have the schedule for the previous match or the 1 There is also no information posted, such as game results from more than a day ago, what games can be watched on which TV channel or streaming service, etc.

The most prominent feature of Apple Sports' simple and sophisticated screen is betting odds information.

It is possible to hide information about bets in the iPhone settings, and there is no link to sports betting services, but there is a lack of data and functions related to watching matches, and there is no information about matches distributed on Apple TV+. According to Stern, ``Apple Scores would be a more appropriate name than Apple Sports.''



Although there is little information on sports events, it has plenty of betting-related features, and the fact that the loading speed is exceptional supports Stern's claim that the app is designed with sports betting in mind.

If the intended users of Apple Sports were just sports fans, it wouldn't really matter whether game information was updated every 2 seconds or 2 minutes. If you want to enjoy the match in real time, you can simply watch it on TV or watch it streamed on your smartphone.

But if Apple Sports is a gambling app, the difference between two seconds and two minutes makes all the difference. Because by the time you get the information two minutes later, the team's star player you're betting on might have stolen the ball from the other team, or he might be out with a concussion. .

None other than Apple itself has ruled out the possibility of giving Apple Sports access to sports betting services like DraftKings. 'We'll decide later if we want to be able to go to DraftKings from within the app,' Eddie Cue, Apple's senior vice president of services, said in

an interview . 'For now, we just want to see the odds and see what happens. It is,” he said.



Apple has traditionally been extremely tough on what it considers to be vices, so it's surprising that Apple would be dabbling in gambling services, notes The Atlantic. For example, Apple has rules that prohibit 'apps that promote tobacco, e-cigarette, drug, or alcohol abuse' and 'use or purchase of weapons or dangerous substances, or explicitly sexual or obscene content' as inappropriate content. It is also specified. Regarding gambling apps, it also states that 'illegal gambling tools are not allowed on the App Store.'

The reason Apple no longer considers sports betting a vice may be because American society has become more tolerant of sports betting. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can lift their ban on online sports betting. Since then, it has become commonplace for game commentators to refer to odds and use gambling terms such as ' parlay ' and ' prop bet .'

On the other hand, Meredith Ginley, a gambling addiction expert at East Tennessee State University, wrote an article for a news site warning that ``Sports betting app notifications encourage risky behavior.'' Some people still show strong resistance to gambling, with an article saying 'Sports betting is a gateway drug' being talked about on the social news site Hacker News.

The Atlantic says, ``If Apple Sports is indeed an up-and-coming sports betting app, it would have passed the first hurdle for gambling to be accepted into mainstream American culture, making gambling even more mainstream.'' Apple Sports, despite its limited features, is already at the top of the App Store rankings. Perhaps the world's 1.5 billion iPhone users can bet on the outcome of a match with just a tap. There may even be a possibility that we will be able to do so.'

in Software, Posted by log1l_ks