He points out that the mobile gaming market grew 22% over the year to the end of the second quarter, figures from Sensor Tower Intelligence reveal, with the social casino segment of the market delivering even more rapid growth of 28%. Lewis-Smith is convinced the investment is worth it. The company has set up studios in California and London, from which its games are broadcast. They include some well-known names, including YouTuber Brian Christopher and Kelly Miyahara, a former host of Jeopardy on US television. Live Play Mobile has invested heavily in its production, with a team of more than 20 hosts to front the games. “It is a bit like trying to run a gaming company at the same time as CNN,” says Lewis-Smith. Still, the business has to generate significant amounts of cash – running a show that is streamed live 24-hours-a-day is a very different proposition to simply offering a game that needs no management at all once it is downloaded. Live Play Mobile then makes its money through in-app purchases – for example, players can spend money on gifts for one another. Offering the app and game entry for nothing encourages plenty of people to sign up and take part. The company’s “freemium” business model is a familiar one in the mobile gaming industry.

Real live bingo online