@SVLotteries's Gambling App coming October 2015 - How to launch Mobile Money and beat @NCBja, @GraceKennedyGrp and @Digicel_Jamaica in Mobile Money Remittance Pie

Happy day for gamblers who own a smartphone in Jamaica!

SVL (Supreme Ventures Limited) President and CEO Brian George has announced that they're planning to launch an App that will allow gamblers to make bets via the Internet by October 2015 as reported in the article “Mobile Lottery Platform To Roll Out By October”, Published Wednesday June 3, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.  

For most gamblers with SVL toting a smartphone, it's already common knowledge that SVL has Apps for their Lottery games on both Apple iTunes Store and the Google Play Store. But these Apps only tell you the results of each draw; they are not e-commerce enabled to allow you to place bets and receive your prizes from the comfort of your own phone.

Testing will begin in August 2015. So look out for SVL announcing the availability of their App in the Apple iTunes Store and the Google Play Store.

The purpose of this testing is to sort out all the bugs, such as how to spot teenagers to quote SVL President and CEO Brian George: “......go through its iterations and integrity processes to ensure that ... things such as under age gambling”. 

But more excitingly, it will also herald the coming of Mobile Money, a service similar in nature to Snapchat's SnapCash or even Facebook's Cash Transfers as explained in my blog article entitled “@Facebook's Cash Transfers in Messenger – How sending cash using Facebook’s Messenger is playing Catchup with @Snapchat”.

Once fully rolled out in October 2015, you'll be able to play all of the SVL's Lottery games via the internet. It may see the first true wide scale launch and Application of Mobile Money Platform.

So how exactly will this work?

SVL's Gambling App coming October 2016 - How to launch Mobile Money with a popular Gambling Product

This idea is a long time coming, having been suggested by SVL as far back as 2013 and given the blessing of the BGLC (Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission) as noted in my blog article entitled “BGLC to introduce i-Gaming via smartphones - i-Gaming heralds Supreme Ventures Mobile Money Cashless Society dipping directly in Church Tithes”. 

However, development of the software to be foolproof in terms of handling all bets transactions and ensuring customers are alerted via the App when they win is a complex affair to quote SVL President and CEO Brian George: “The most important aspect of it is the software development”.

The developement of the App is drawing upon the technical expertise in three (3) different countries:

1.      India

2.      Greece

3.      Jamaica

But what has me interested is the SVL’s Mobile Money Platform to accept payments for bets and possibly to pay out prizes, again quoting SVL President and CEO Brian George: “The mobile platform has to be connected to an electronic wallet, which is funded by the player. That is why mobile money, as Approved by the BOJ [Bank of Jamaica], was a critical component of being able to implement mobile wagering”.

If this rings true, then it fulfills the promise that SVL made in 2013 to go the Mobile Wallet space as noted in the article “SVL Boss Sees Growth Prospects In E-Wallets”, Published Friday July 26, 2013, The Jamaica Gleaner respectively.  

It also eliminates Credit Cards or Prepaid Debit Cards such as Scotia VISA Debit Card or CIBC VISA Debit Card, as not everyone may have access to these transaction instruments, albeit having a Mobile Money Wallet will require joining a Bank or Credit Union.

Customer will be able to use SVL Mobile Money Platform not only for gambling but also for regular Mobile Money Transactions such as purchasing items in stores as well as sending money to relatives across the island 24/7/365 without ever having to visit a bank.

Already the main Mobile Money Platform in Jamaica, CONEC Mobile Wallet, the brain child of the JCCUL (Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union League) and Mozido Jamaica Limited, has partnered with Paymaster to process transactions as noted in my blog article entitled “JCUES now CONEC Mobile Wallet - Why CONEC Mobile Wallet still inconvenient despite Paymaster and Remittances in the JCCUL-Mozido Jamaica mix”.

Others are coming into the Mobile Money market, mainly to make money from Remittances, which represents possibly 80% of Jamaican with limited access to banking Facilities as noted in my blog article entitled “Min. of Finance, Dr. Peter Phillips to implement ATM Withdrawal Tax - Jamaica's Unbanked means Cashless Society coming with Digicel Mobile Money”.

SVL Mobile Money Competitors – NCB, Grace Kennedy and Digicel interested in Mobile Money Remittance Pie

Other competitors have already entered the fold.

Alliance Financial Services Limited's ePay Prepaid Card is once such service, having been in operation since 2010 before CONEC Mobile Wallet as noted in my blog article entitled “Alliance Financial Services Limited's ePay Prepaid Card – Barbarian at ScotiaVisa and NCB's Gates as Mobile Money will spark Cashless Society”.

NCB (National Commercial Bank) and GraceKennedy, two (2) of the largest Remittance companies in Jamaica, have plans to enter the Mobile Money Space as noted in my blog article entitled “NCB Under Pressure cuts ties with Remittance Agent MoneyGram - NCB using innovation Edge to plan Mobile Money, Remittance and E-Commerce Triple Play Services by September 2014”.

Finally and not surprisingly, Telecom Provider Digicel will most likely announced their version of Haiti's Tcho Tcho Mobile for Jamaica later in the Fourth Quarter of 2015 as predicted in my blog article entitled “Digicel to roll out Mobile Money Service in 2014 - Haiti Tcho Tcho Mobile Love is Bringing the Boom with ScotiaBank heralds Cashless Society by 2015”.

SVL may not be the first to enter the Mobile Money Space. But combined with their popular Gambling Products, theirs is most likely to be the most commonly used one by the time their competitors launch their Mobile Money Platforms.

Here’s the link:

Supreme Ventures Limited App on Apple iTunes Store

Supreme Ventures Limited App on Google Play Store