Everything you need to know before launching your first online gambling app or website

09 August 2016

As a mobile app and website development agency, specialising in the gambling industry, we deal with a variety of clients with projects at different stages. Some come to us to improve or build on an existing product, some only seek our industry expertise and strategic advice. We also have many enquiries from businesses looking to launch their first online gambling apps and websites which need to be created from scratch, including UX, design and development.

If you have a game app idea, then you are on the right page as in this blog, we have discussed all the essential things that you need to know before starting the development.

One of the most common challenges for new businesses in online gambling is understanding how the industry works and what resources are required to deliver a robust and successful product. We thought we’d share our tips and what you should consider if you want to develop a winning online gambling app or website.

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• Spending on mobile gambling apps on iOS has increased by 55% in the past few years. The combined revenue for casino and card games on Google Play saw a whopping 105% in annual growth. If you are not yet ready to invest in a native mobile app, you can’t afford to ignore building a mobile-optimized website for your online casino.
• Social gaming apps, be it a puzzle game or social casino, are a hit due to their casual nature. By playing on social media, you can become part of a community and connect with friends.

Remote Gambling Software licence

The UK gambling industry is highly regulated and there are specific standards any operator needs to meet. One of the requirements is having a licence to create software; in this case, an app or website. Whether you build it in-house or commission an agency, the developer is required to have a Remote Gambling Software licence to build and adapt it. Some may also be required to have a country-specific licence.

As an operator, you may be required to get a licence depending on the gambling product or service. So, if you’re thinking of building an online gambling product, make sure you and your designated developer are licensed to do so wherever you are thinking of launching it!

Complying with information security standards

Online gambling products deal with lots of sensitive customer information, such as bank details and addresses. It is important that all possible measures to protect it are in place. That’s why the Remote Gambling Software licence also requires compliance with ISO/IEC 27001 regulations on information security management. This includes following strict data protection processes, such as providing relevant training for all employees, guarding customer data and keeping a log of events and individuals having access to any of this information.

Understanding the gambling industry

We often come across new companies looking to enter the gambling industry that have very limited knowledge about how it operates. You need to understand it inside-out to be able to tailor your products and services to the right customers.

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration, such as bespoke third-party system integrations, compliance regulations, affiliate organisations and knowing how to tackle gambling-specific challenges. For example, it is important to understand how to integrate your back-end system with an affiliate website, payments provider or a live scores module. There are also trademark laws prohibiting you from using copyrighted team badges or international event images, such as the Olympics, without paying for them. You can buy the licence or create your own visuals which we have done for many of our clients. These complex processes require specific technology and knowledge, and we advise businesses to seek help from an experienced developer to tackle this.

Knowing your customer

Before releasing a gambling app or website, it is important to understand your target audience and its behaviour when it comes to online gambling. It is different from going to real life bookies and casinos. So, being able to identify your customers’ needs and expectations in an online environment is key to providing a successful product. Extensive market research and analysis will help you get a comprehensive understanding of their demographics, behaviours and preferences.

Gambling operators are also required to perform background checks on anyone who registers to gamble to ensure they are allowed to do so. This requires specific system integration with third-party providers to verify the necessary information.

Offering relevant UX

Part of knowing your customer expectations is understanding how they are going to use your online gambling product. Whether it’s to check football scores, place bets or play poker, it needs to be appropriate for the desired activity and offer a slick user experience to make sure they enjoy it. For example, sportsbooks can be compared to large e-commerce sites, such as Amazon. There can be thousands of betting markets across a variety of sports. Customers need to be able to quickly and easily access the ones relevant to them. Offering great UX and appealing design consistently will make your product stand out from the competition and help you retain customers.

Allowing time and budget to market

Building an app or website requires meticulous planning, as there are various factors that might impact the final release date. If you’re thinking about launching an online gambling product for a specific event, such as the football Premiership season, make sure you allow plenty of time and budget for build and any iterations, especially for mobile apps.

Some of our clients aren’t always aware that before they can officially launch an app, it needs to be reviewed by Apple. Sometimes, we come across rejections and need to make the necessary changes, and then submit the app for approval once again. While we’ve already noticed a significantly quicker review process with Apple, it’s still best to be prepared for this in advance.

Apple’s regulations around gambling apps are also stricter and it tends to scrutinise them a lot more than a game or a lifestyle app. Apple requires additional paperwork that proves the gambling app has been tested and the developer has a valid gambling licence to build it. If it spots any inconsistencies, the review process may take longer than expected, so it’s also best to make sure you work with an experienced developer.

Google, on the other hand, doesn’t allow gambling apps in Play store at all, so you need to distribute your Android apps via your own website. This further impacts any future updates as they won’t be pushed via the Play store. We suggest to develop your own internal process which then updates the apps automatically.

Selecting the right partner

If you’re a newcomer to the gambling industry or just don’t have enough resources to create a gambling app or website in-house, we advise you to partner up with an experienced provider, whether it’s to help with development, design or consultancy.

We have secured the Remote Gambling Software licence to be able to provide digital solutions to the gambling industry, including new businesses entering the market. Our experts have a vast knowledge and experience in working with different gambling systems and can help you overcome any challenges when building your first product. Take a look at some of the examples of our work with gambling clients.

We’re always happy to meet you for a chat and to discuss your requirements. If you have an idea but aren’t exactly sure whether it will work or how, you can take part in our Product Design Sprint to create a prototype and test it will real users. Check out our infographic, summarising this information.

Online Gambling has become a popular alternative to traditional gambling. Traditional gambling required people to go to a casino and gamble with other people. Traditional gambling also had risks of fights breaking out between the people and casino’s denying payouts. In addition to that, casinos were designed in a way that would make you spend more time there. This ended with people losing all of the money they had brought with them.

This changed with the onset of online gambling that provided convenience, safety and comfort to the gambling scene. Creating a gambling app is very easy with Appy Pie and it is an efficient way to create a great gambilng app that players will love to use.

To create your own Gambling or Betting app, follow these simple steps:

1. Enter your gambling app’s name in the Business Name section
2. Enter ‘Gambling’ in the App Purpose section
3. Drag and drop the features you need
4. Test your app by downloading its beta
5. Publish it to the store of your choice

How to make a Gambling Website?

Follow the steps mentioned below to create your gambling website.

1. Enter the name of your website: Write your website name and why you want to create it.
2. Add essential pages including Register, Games, Terms & Conditions etc.: Add basic pages to your website with the relevant details.
3. Publish your website: Test the website and launch it.

Now that you know how to make a gambling website or app, let us now check how gambling apps impact betting industry.

How Gambling Apps Impact Betting Industry?

There are limited online gambling operators who distribute Android apps using their own or third-party application stores. This is the reason it is difficult for users to find gambling apps. It was costly for operators to maintain and promote the apps on their own. Things have become easier after Google has opened the door for gambling apps to the Play Store.

Google has offered a substantial customer acquisition channel for multiple online gambling operators. To get the gambling apps published on Google Play Store, operators must show a valid gambling license in the country that they wish to target. Google takes strong measures to restrict under-age gamblers. All gambling apps must comply with responsible gambling traditions.

Over 200 gambling apps have been published on Google Play store. These apps include spread betting, sports betting, and casino games.

Optimizing an app in Play Store

Now that the significant opportunity of publishing apps on Google Play Store is available for the gambling operators, it is essential to understand that optimizing for Play Store is a little more complex than it is for the Apple App Store.

Google’s set of rules favor ‘high-quality engagement’, which is based on user interaction, not just installs. App developers need to ensure that the users not only download their app but also continue to engage with it.

If the objective is to keep the users engaged, everything that has been designed and written needs to be critically analyzed with three questions in mind:

• Would users want to download?
• Would it be easy for the users to download?
• Does this induce the users to use the app after they download it?

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Make sure your graphics, images, and videos are sharp and catchy as they lead your users to download and get engaged with the app. The title, design copy, description with strong keywords should efficiently convey your app’s purpose. It helps users find the answers to what the app does and why they should care.

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