35 percent of the 101 million Americans mobile gamers have paid to play, and the vast majority of that money is being spent on iOS devices.
That's according to market research firm Newzoo, which bases its figures on a survey of 17,000 respondents and its own data on game revenue and downloads.
The showdown
Newzoo's survey of the US market shows that out of the 101 million mobile gamers, 21 percent play on tablets, while 69 percent play on smartphones.
And while 28 percent of those smartphone gamers are playing on an iPhone, the iPad commands a 60 percent share of the tablet gaming space.
But Apple's products aren't just selling well - it would seem that iOS users are spending more too.
In all of the markets that Newzoo has so far surveyed, iOS has dominated in terms of revenue share, and the US is no exception.
In March 2012, iOS devices earned 84 percent of the total revenue generated by the top 200 grossing apps on iOS and Android.
IAP 4EVA
Commenting on the figures, Newzoo CEO Peter Warman reasoned a simple explanation for Apple's dominant share of mobile gaming revenues.
"Apple requires users to connect their credit card information directly to their account, thus creating a seamless purchase experience," he said.
"I can hardly imagine any other company in the world that would be able to get away with this, including Google and Microsoft. Facebook can come a long way, but Amazon clearly has the best chance and is proving this as we speak," Warman said, referring the Kindle Fire's US success.
Finally - and predictably, some might say - Newzoo's report shows that the majority of money spent is not being spent on buying titles, but rather on in-app purchasing. On both iOS and Android, Newzoo reports that 91 percent of the money spent on mobile gaming is spent in-app.
[source: Newzoo]
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