Launching an online casino is a complex project that requires a lot of eagerness, knowledge and money. You will have to cope with eagerness and finances on your own, but it’s better to turn to specialized web developers, legal advisers and game software suppliers who understand all the nuances of the gaming business and know firsthand how to launch such a project and make it successful.

In this article you will find an extract of the tips and recommendations of these specialists, which will help you understand how to create a website for an online casino newcomer to the gaming business, attract the attention of players and license it.

# 1. Choice of jurisdiction and license

Obtaining a license should be your priority, as the laws of all countries where gambling is allowed require it. Then you need to open bank and trading accounts, establish contacts with payment solution providers and purchase game content. But without a valid license, you won’t be able to promote your site and attract users.

United States federal law permits state-owned online casinos to be licensed. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Nevada have already begun to issue official permits to conduct online gambling for their residents. A number of other states have legalized online sports betting, but not online casinos (Mississippi, West Virginia, Rhode Island).

If you live outside the United States, use this interactive map, to check where you can still get the license you need. Choose a jurisdiction depending on the following factors:

1. Target audience. Ideally, you need a license of the country that you are targeting in terms of the main target audience. This will increase the confidence of the players and avoid difficulties associated with contradictions in the legislation of the country of business and the country of obtaining the license.
2. Licenses in the USA, Canada, Great Britain and the EU countries will help to gain the trust of large players, since the law enforcement agencies and laws of these countries are much more reliable than in offshore zones.
3. Costs and taxes. The cost of a license in the EU is an order of magnitude higher than in offshore. For example, in Austria, Switzerland or the UK a license costs from 350 thousand dollars, while in Costa Rica from 15 to 50 thousand dollars. Taxes in the developed world are also an order of magnitude higher.

In addition, when creating a site for online casinos, you also need to consider the licensing requirements of the chosen jurisdiction. For example, in Curacao, such requirements require the installation of a dedicated server in the country. All casino transactions will go through it, which will allow you to control your turnover (important for taxes) and fight money laundering and terrorist financing.

# 2. Choosing a casino software provider

Gambling software is the foundation of your web platform. The reliability, speed and safety of your site depend on it in many respects. In addition, it is with its help that you will manage the operational activities of the online casino site: reporting, game content, payments, accounts, marketing tools, etc.

The choice here you will make of three options:

1. The development of fully customized software will cost you from 300 thousand to 1 million dollars. The high price pays off by the fact that you will completely control the source code, the game process and all the applications used. In addition, you retain copyright to the software and you do not have to pay royalties or charge additional fees to the software provider.
2. A sublicense model of an existing licensee is cheaper - from 15 to 60 thousand dollars. With this approach, you will be responsible for all marketing and attracting players to the site of your online casino. This will simplify the development and management of the site, but you will need to pay a certain percentage of your income monthly to the software provider.

No matter which path you choose for your gambling business, the software of the gaming site must meet the following criteria: integration with secure and popular payment gateways, access to a variety of gaming content, CRM support and high speed.

If you choose a model with sublicense, then you will also need to pay attention to the calculation method. Software suppliers can either take a one-time fee and immediately provide access to the source code, or charge a monthly fee (Net Entertainment, Playtech.com and Micro Gaming charge from 10,000 euros per month + at least 15% of royalties). Some vendors may provide free software, but require that you use their games and pay a commission on the profit they bring.

# 3. Choose of vibrant gaming experience (content)

When choosing games for your online casino, you need to focus on the popularity of games among users of other platforms, the diversity and ease of integration of games.

In terms of integration, you need content that is easy to combine with the software of your site through the API. Where API (application programming interface) is a set of IT methods by which third-party software is integrated into production systems. The reliability, speed and security of the game process and financial transactions depend on the quality of integration.

In terms of diversity, online casinos should provide users with the opportunity to play card games, roulette, popular slots, bingo, etc. You can also add the ability to bet on sports.

If you are not sure which games to choose for your online casino site, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you want to create an online casino with classic games or is it better to revitalize the game process by offering users their updated versions? For example, gambling resembling video games (slots, lotteries), fantasy sports and slots in the style of popular films, series, cartoons, comics and book universes are now popular.
2. Do you plan to connect a live casino? Many online casinos use live streaming to enhance the gaming experience by feeling like they are participating in a real game, rather than launching a digital pseudo-random algorithm.
3. What about sports betting? According to a Zion report, this market will reach $ 150 billion ($ 100 billion in 2017) by 2024, showing an 8% increase over the next 5 years. The maximum growth will be in the segment of e-sports, virtual betting and fantasy sports.
4. Will you accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP and other cryptocurrencies? Many players consider cryptocurrencies as more secure and anonymous payment methods, and games based on blockchain and smart contracts are more reliable in terms of guaranteeing payments and fairness of the game. But there are problems with it, for example, not everyone knows how to properly store cryptocurrencies(hot wallet vs cold wallet).
5. Do you plan to increase player engagement by adding tournaments, live player statistics, live chat and bonuses for regular players? Practice shows that such features increase the profit of online casinos.
6. What about mobile gaming experience? Studies show that players are increasingly using portable devices to access online casinos. At the same time, it is much easier for advertising agencies to attract new players through promotion in mobile applications than advertising in browsers.

Having decided on the games you need, check out the offers of Betsoft Gaming, Net EntertainmentMicro Gaming, Playtech, Finnplay, EveryMatrix 1ClickGames, Net Entertainment and CasinoWebScripts are the best developers and providers of online gambling. You can work with them as in the classic “once paid and use as you like” scheme or for a commission. Games can be bought in batches (it’s cheaper) and / or separately.

# 4. Creating the perfect UX / UI design

The appearance of your online casino site is the first and most important thing that users pay attention to. The size of your profit will depend on how pleasant, intuitive and inviting it will be, so pay maximum attention to UX / UI design. Here are some of the key practices to help you:

1. Conciseness and clarity. Users must immediately understand what to do in order to start playing: register an account, replenish the balance, view / find available games, make a bet. Do not overload the appearance of the site with a large number of interactive elements, gifs and video inserts. Not only do they slow down the site, they can also scare players away.
2. Targeting a specific target audience. Take a look at the screenshot of the 777 casino interface above. It kind of says: “When you visit our site, you are going to Las Vegas - the mecca of gambling.” For residents of the USA, Canada and Mexico - this is a romantic image that evokes pleasant feelings and the anticipation of an interesting trip. The design of your site should create similar experiences for the target audience you are targeting.
3. Download speed. The site should load within 3 seconds. If it needs more time, you risk losing players and positioning in search results. To avoid this, do not use a lot of animation and do not turn on the video until the user hovers over it. Images should also be optimized for size.
4. Responsive Design. If you want to create a betting site, we strongly recommend that you immediately optimize it for mobile devices, even if you have a mobile application. This will increase the attractiveness of your site for search engines and will attract even more players using tablets and smartphones.
5. 5 seconds rule. Various studies show that you only have about 5 seconds to explain unique offers to users when they reach your site. Yes, you are an online casino, it’s obvious, but what sets you apart from the crowd, why should the player choose you? He should understand this as soon as he arrives at your site.

Various studies show that you only have about 5 seconds to explain unique offers to users when they reach your site. Yes, you are an online casino, it’s obvious, but what sets you apart from the crowd, why should the player choose you? He should understand this as soon as he appears at your site. To do this, you need to take a responsible approach to the choice of a web design agency.

# 5. Connection of payment gateways

When creating an online casino site, it is necessary to ensure that there are as many ways of depositing / withdrawing funds as possible, since each user prefers to use the usual payment systems. Someone uses Visa, someone uses PayPal, someone uses Bitcoin, etc. If a player does not find the system that he uses on the site, there is a risk that he will leave for another casino.

As in the case of games, when choosing a financial services provider, you have two options: to build cooperation with each provider separately or use the services of aggregator providers, with which you can connect dozens of payment gateways under one contract.

From the point of view of efficiency, it is better to work with aggregators, because it is faster, easier and more profitable: such providers get more favorable conditions from banks and payment gateways due to the large volumes of transactions. Here is a list of popular aggregators-providers of payment services working with online casinos:

1. Visa and MasterCard. The most popular payment methods. They work in 190+ countries and have partnerships with almost all payment systems and banks
2. PayPal. The most popular online payment system used by millions of users from around the world. Many casino sites offer this payment service to players because it is fast, secure and has anonymous transactions.
3. Click2Pay. A convenient service that reduces the payment process to one step. Does not work in some countries, including the United States. Funds are debited and withdrawn to a bank account.
4. Neteller. It works in more than 160 countries, can withdraw funds directly to a bank account, using a six-digit code to confirm all operations.
5. Webmoney. It is popular in the CIS countries. Of the pros, a large number of partnership agreements with local payment services and banks can be noted, of the minuses - one of the most complex I / O algorithms.
6. Skrill. The payment system is available in 185 countries. It can work directly with bank accounts. Simple and clear mechanism for depositing / withdrawing funds.

It is worth building relationships with individual suppliers if your target audience needs a means of payment that aggregators do not work with. For example, if you need integration with a new cryptocurrency, a little-known bank, or if we are talking about an exotic payment method, for example, money on a SIM card. Also, an equally important moment when creating casinos is the choice of the best web developers.

The cost of launching an online casino site

How to Make Online Casino Website key takeaways:

#1. # 1. Choice of jurisdiction and license
#2. # 2. Choosing a casino software provider
#3. # 3. Choose of vibrant gaming experience (content)
#4. # 4. Creating the perfect UX / UI design
#5. # 5. Connection of payment gateways
#6. The cost of launching an online casino site