MOBILE CASINOS MARKET KEEPS GROWING

MOSCOW, May 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian largest mobile operator MTS has signed a contract with Jupiter Trade content provider to expand the range of mobile casino games, Biznes economic daily reports.

"We shall create a number of Java games for MTS, including the Slot Machine, Dice and Horse Race," said Jupiter Trade President Yan Barinshtein.

The sides do not disclose the sum of the deal. However, experts consider it insignificant and doubt sms-gambling development because of limited technical possibilities of mobile phones as compared to computers. "Mobile phones have a small screen, therefore, it is difficult to make a comfortable interface for mobile casino games," said Sergei Marevsky, Globo.ru general director. His company accounts for 40% of the Russian Internet casino market.

Mobile casinos came to Russia in 2002. The market is estimated at $7 million (in comparison with $20-30 million of the Internet casino market). Its annual growth is 20%. The main reason is the growth of the subscribers' number. According to ACM Consulting research agency, in April 2005, mobile subscribers in Russia reached a total of 89.2 million. The penetration of mobile communication in Moscow has already exceeded 100%.