For a number of years Apple refused to advertise real money gambling apps in their App Store.  Many thought that this was due to Steve Jobs prudish nature as he was very outspoken against apps of a pornographic nature, stating that they would never be allowed into the iTunes App Store.

It turns out that Apple’s initial reluctance to allow casino, poker or bookmaker apps into the App Store had more to with the legality of online gambling in certain jurisdictions.  Thankfully Apple solved this issue in iOS 4 when they introduced a location authentication system that was able to disable gambling apps if they were used outside certain geographic regions.

It was hardly surprising that the first gambling apps to be given the seal of Approval by Apple was the Betfair betting exchange app and the Paddy Power bookmaker apps.  Both companies are we respected European operators with offices in the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

Online betting company Bwin followed within a few months when they got the green light to feature their Bwin iPhone poker app in the iTunes app store.  In the United States the Nevada based bookmaker, Leroy’s, even managed to get their sportsbook listed in the App Store.  The app, however, could only be used inside the Nevada borders.

Despite Apple approving a host of other sports betting and poker apps over the past couple of years, they had yet to approve a cash game casino app.  This all changed last week when Apple finally relented and approved a Blackjack and a Slots app from 32Red.

Red32 are a UK based online casino that also been offer a range of mobile casino games for Android’s, iPhone’s, Blackberry’s and Nokia’s.  True to form, Apple have approved the App in the United Kingdom so you will only be able to install it if you have a UK iTunes account and if you live England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The Bwin poker app was initially only made available in the Austrian and United Kingdom App Store and it is now available in almost 20 different European countries. Many hope that Red32 will have similar success in launching their native blackjack and slots apps in many more countries.

Anyone who has tried to watch sports on their iPhone, iPad or laptop while travelling abroad will know that their favourite TV channels are often blocked.  This can be very frustrating when you want to watch a big Champions League soccer game, an NFL/NBA game or a big horse race like the Grand National or the Melbourne Cup.

When TV Networks buy a particular sporting event (or TV Show or Movie) they are only buying the rights for a particular geographic region.  For this reason they are required to block users from other countries viewing that particular game, match or tournament.

What a lot of people don’t realise is that it is very easy by-pass these restrictions by using a VPN service.  VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and what these services do is create a secure channel from your iPhone or iPad’s internet connection to various locations around the world.  When you use a VPN you experience the web in the same way that people in those countries experience the web.

Two of my favourite sports are cricket and snooker.  Unfortunately, the BBC iPlayer is only available in the United Kingdom so I am not able to watch live streams in the United States.  To circumvent this restriction I use a VPN that will connect me to a network in the UK so that I use the BBC iPlayer or Channel 4 On Demand apps.  When I’m home in the UK I use a VPN to connect me to a U.S. network so that I can catch up on all my favourite TV programs on Hulu and Netflix.

This might sound very techy and complicated but believe me it’s not.  Setting up and using VPN services is very straightforward and easy to do.  There are literally hundreds of VPN services out there for you to choose from.  I have personally tried about 10 different VPN’s over the past few years but I would just like to feature the two best VPN apps that I’ve found so far.

TunnelBear - www.tunnelbear.com

This is my favourite VPN by far and here’s why...

Half a gig free every month - If you are only a very light user and would only need to use a VPN occasionally then this is the perfect option for you.  TunnelBear offer each subscriber half a gig of bandwidth free every month.

It’s really cheap -  TunnelBear is the cheapest quality VPN I have found so far.  An unlimited bandwidth subscription for a month costs only $5 while their yearly package comes in at just $50.  A real bargin.

It's simple to use - If you are a technophobe but you really want to watch your favourite boxing match or football game on your iPhone or iPad, then TunnelBear is for you.  The user interface resembles an old transistor radio and it has only 2 switches.  One to turn the VPN on and off and the other to select the country you would like to connect to.

The only downside to TunnelBear is that you can currently only connect to networks in the United Kingdom and United States.  If you want to watch TV shows in Australia or Canada for example, you will need to find another solution.

Here is a video I found that does a much better job than me at demonstrating just how great TunnelBear is...

HideMyAss - www.HideMyAss.com

Hide My App is my second favourite iPhone and iPad VPN service and here’s why…

I was very impressed with HideMyAss because of the number of countries it covers.  With HideMyAss you can watch your favourite sports in 42 countries, including the USA, UK, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Singapore, France, Romania, Australia, Turkey, Moldova, Finland, Brazil, Hungary, Japan, Panama, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Czech Republic, Ireland, Russia, Latvia, Egypt, India, Israel, Indonesia, Malaysia, Greece, Serbia, Hong Kong, Estonia, Lithuania and Italy.

With the HideMyApp app you can watch any free to air channel with a live stream in any of these 42 countries.  Unfortunately, it is a little more expensive than TunnelBear, coming in at $12 a month or $79 for a year.  That still represents really great value if you really want to watch the Cheltenham Racing Festival or Royal Ascot on Channel 4/BBC or if you want to catch an NBA or NFL game in the States.

As I mentioned already, there are dozens if not hundreds of different services out there, so if neither of these meet your requirements, then I’m sure there are plently out there that will.

Sports fanatics may also want to check out our article on How to Watch Any Sport for Free on the iPhone or iPad

This years Aintree Grand National will take place on Saturday 14th of April.  48 horses have declared for the race including the strong favourite and Gold Cup winning Synchronised.  Synchronised will be ridden by 16-time champion jockey Tony McCoy and is a favourite among funters following his win against Long Run and Kauto Star in Cheltenham..  

Ruby Walsh has opted to ride On His Own, leaving the door open for this sister Katie Walsh to ride Seabass.   Other big names include Barry Geraghy on Shakalakaboomboom, Jason Maguire on Ballabriggs, Harry Haynes on According To Pete and Paul Carberry on Chicago Grey.

The Aintree Grand National is the world’s greatest steeplechase, attracting a global audience of over half a billion.  The race starts at 4.15 and will be broadcast live on BBC 1.  If you’re at work or can’t make it to a television set, you can still catch all the action on your iPhone or iPad.  Here are a few viewing options….

Bet365.com – Watch the Aintree Grand National Live via the Bet365 iPhone App

Bet365 will be streaing the big race live this year via their iPhone app.  To watch the live stream all you need to do is place a 50p bet on the race and a live stream will be made available 20 minutes before the race beings.

FilmOn – Watch the Grand National live on your iPhone via the FilmOn app

This is a very handy and free app that can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store here.  The app is available in the United Kingdom and Ireland and it streams most terrestrial channels, including BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4.  The Grand National will be broadcast this year on BBC1, so all you need to do to watch the race is download the FilmOn app and select BBC1.

If you don’t want to place a bet via the Bet365 app and you live outside the UK and Ireland, you can still watch the Aintree Grand National on your iPhone by following these simple steps on Watch Sports Live on the iPhone & iPad

For many The Grand National is the highlight of the racing calendar and is the one day where many casual punters have a flutter on the ponies.  The race takes place over 4.5 miles, featuring well know fences such as Bechers Brook, The Chair, Valentines Brook and Canal Turn.  

What makes the English Grand National the biggest race in the world is its unpredictability.  Racing form pretty much goes out the window so picking a winner is often just a lottery.  Often the best strategy is to just pick a horse based on the jockeys colours or the horses name.

Famous Grand National winners in the past have included Aldaniti, West Tip, Mon Mome and Red Rum.  Which of this years horses will join that illustrious line-up.  Here is the full list of horses for this years big race: Synchronised, Ballabriggs, Weird Al, Calgary Bay, Neptune Collonges, Alfa Beat, Planet Of Sound, Black Apalachi, Deep Purple, Junior, Chicago Grey, Tatenen, According To Pete, Seabass, Shakalakaboomboom, West End Rocker, On His Own, Always Right, Cappa Bleu, Rare Bob, Mon Mome, Organisedconfusion, The Midnight Club, Treacle, Arbor Supreme, Sunnyhillboy, Killyglen, Quiscover Fontaine, Tharawaat, Always Waining, Becauseicouldntsee, Le Beau Bai, State Of Play, Swing Bill, Postmaster, Giles Cross, Hello Bud, In Compliance, Midnight Haze, Vic Venturi, Viking Blond, Neptune Equester, Any Currency, Our Island, Abbeybraney, Saddlers Storm, Smoking Aces and Ballyvesey.