You might be wondering: But wait a minute, Apple doesn’t allow gambling on its devices, right? That used to be true, but not quite. Apple isn’t able to restrict access to mobile websites, just mobile apps. While Apple now allows people from certain countries to download real-money gambling apps, most of the industry has moved away from the app model toward mobile-capable websites instead.

Since iPads are nothing if not web-capable entertainment devices, they’re a perfect fit for sports betting. iPad owners can point their mobile browser to any number of sportsbooks that have designed a mobile-specific version of their site and software. The fact that iPads have larger and better displays than even their top-of-the-line iPhone 6+ means that this may be the perfect Apple gadget for online betting.

How to Bet on An iPad

In three simple steps, you can be placing sports wagers on your iPad:

Acquire a late-model iPad with decent specs

Before you go buy the cheapest used iPad you can find in order to bet on sports, consider that the better your device, the better experience you’ll have. Betting on sports is an investment in entertainment, and if you save a hundred bucks now, you’ll probably hate yourself for it later.

Open an account with a sportsbook that offers mobile betting

Any sportsbook worth your business offers either a mobile-capable website, a purpose-built app for sports bets, or both. Do your research before you join, especially on the quality of mobile services, since there is a ton of difference between the world’s big mobile services and their promos and other offers for mobile bettors.

Stay close to a stable Internet connection

There’s nothing worse than going to make a quick bet or change to your account while you’re at the bar and not having a web connection to pull it off. You can’t check the whole world for web connectivity, but you can make sure that the places where you tend to wager have a decent connection.

Advantages of iPad Betting

Mobility is the main benefit of placing sports bets on your iPad. This one should be obvious – you can take your iPad just about anywhere you’d go and log in and place bets, perform customer functions, and whatever else you can do with a traditional sportsbook on your home computer.

Lack of accessibility is another issue that iPad sports betting solves. Maybe you have a laptop, a smartphone, and an iPad – if you are a sports bettor, incorporating a mobile account makes it easier to access your various sportsbook bets.

Disadvantages of iPad Betting

The main disadvantage of betting on your Apple tablet is a potential lack of features. This is only true in comparison to the full-fledged version of a betting service. You may have to sacrifice access to some features – no live streaming games, limited markets, etc. – in order to gain the mobility and accessibility of iPad wagering.

Another disadvantage is cost. If you don’t own an iPad, you’re going to have to make a pretty hefty investment in order to place iPad sports bets. If you decide to buy an iPad brand new, you’re going to pay anywhere from $300 to $900, and that’s without a data plan. Of course, if you already own the device, and you’re just a guy who wants to use it for sports betting, this isn’t a big deal at all.

iPad Betting Conclusion

If you own an iPad and you like wagering on sports, iPad sports betting is a natural fit. But there’s other ways that this method of gambling may be useful to you – maybe you don’t want to buy a laptop or desktop computer, but you still want to place sports bets. Or maybe you’re just looking for the increased convenience available with a portable tablet. Whatever the reason, plenty of sportsbook websites are now mobile-capable and therefore a perfect fit for the iPad. If you live outside North America, you’ll probably be able to use special purpose-built apps for sports betting services as well.