Have you ever wondered what it feels like to start an online casino? Have you pondered over the steps one has to take to make the dream a reality? Today, we will discuss some of the most important aspects of setting up an iGaming business.
Select the best casino content for your clients
Games are at the heart of any casino establishment. It is key to provide a good variety so that every visitor finds something of interest. Launch the platform with an impressive selection and continue to expand your portfolio as time goes by. There is a lot of iGaming content to choose from – colorful slots, exciting card games, including poker, blackjack and baccarat, the classic roulette, lottery, scratch cards and more. Sports betting is also widely popular. Choose only reliable and trusted game providers to avoid any potential issues and ensure the best possible user experience. You can also order the development of original games for your platform to cater to those that like new, sometimes unorthodox, approaches.
The second important content-related element to implement after opening a casino is good text. A blog with interesting articles and news, both from your platform as well as the iGaming world in general, is a very desirable website section to have. Frequent high-quality articles and news entries will not only show that your platform is alive and evolving, but it will also help improve the website’s ranking in search engine results pages. In other words, valuable articles help put your platform higher in Google search results, which increases the chance of getting visitors.
It is important to make sure the experience is smooth with user account and wallet functionalities. Reliable and popular payment gateways will make the platform look more trustworthy to visitors and will reduce the chance of technical issues. At later stages, gamification elements can also be incorporated platform-wide, e.g., the users might acquire levels by interacting with the site, performing certain activities and playing games. They could also earn achievements and badges for their accomplishments, both of which will make the experience more exciting.
Attractive bonuses are also a factor that draws the attention of players. A welcome bonus has become a standard feature for online casinos. Free spins, multipliers, and special mini-games with a chance of doubling player winnings or losing everything fuel the excitement. Modern iGaming platforms also offer seasonal events, player clubs and affiliate programs.
24/7 support available to all those that find entertainment at your platform will increase your establishment’s reliability and may make players more forgiving if ever an issue occurs.
The platform might support many different currencies. Aside from standards such as USD or EUR, it is possible to develop platform-specific currencies. Furthermore, crypto casinos have also been gaining popularity in recent years, offering iGaming entertainment with the use of Bitcoins, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.
To maintain player interest, it is also worth to implement a game recommendation system. Basing on such factors as, e.g., player gaming history on the platform or what’s trending currently, players can receive recommendation to try out new games. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Get a gaming license
One of the key components to start a successful online casino is an iGaming license. There are different licenses for different regions, often referred to as “jurisdictions”. A jurisdiction is often a specific country, but in the USA for example, a jurisdiction is a state. The regulations are different between the jurisdictions, not only in terms of what type of entertainment can be provided, but also the costs of acquiring such a permission, the cost of maintaining it (usually an annual fee), the people that can visit your site, as well as taxes (if any). Some of the most popular jurisdictions for iGaming platforms include Malta, Kahnawake (in Canada), Isle of Man and Montenegro, but there are many other regions as well. One establishment can have multiple licenses. However, this often means that your website has to have different versions for different regions, e.g., “mycasino.es” for Spain, and “mycasino.mt” for Malta.
Secure paying methods
Brand trust is one of the pillars of any successful business. For iGaming, secure payments and trusted gateways are a must. Smooth transfers, quick and painless withdrawal of winnings, no performance issues or errors – these are paramount for customer satisfaction. Among the most trusted payment providers, there are Trustly, Skrill, Apple Pay, Visa and Mastercard.
As mentioned earlier in the article, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are also an increasingly popular sight at online casino platforms. You might want to consider these modern payment methods in your business plan.
Creation of your e-casino website
By now, you may have a general understanding of the best features for your online casino business. The question is how exactly the development process looks like. Fortunately, we have a separate text on the subject.
Concentrate on your casino marketing
A wide range of digital marketing activities will allow your iGaming platform to outrun the competition. Content marketing covering interesting and informative articles both from the iGaming world as well as your site (new features, highest winnings, upcoming events, etc.) combined with social media activity will send a message to your audiences that a lot of things are happening at your establishment and there is always a reason to come back for more.
Search Engine Optimization is another key aspect. Both the content as well as the technical side of your online casino website have to be optimized to get a chance of ranking higher in Google search results. SEO covers such aspects as the use of appropriate keywords, headings and meta descriptions throughout your site; proper alternative descriptions for all images; the right naming of links for every subsite; performance auditing, whisper marketing and many more. To give you a better understanding of the scope of these activities, the full SEO audit performed by our team of specialists covers over 50 points, all in an effort to make Google look more favorably at the chosen website.
Digital marketing also covers more traditional ways of advertising – through online ads in the right places and good PR. Having an offline event from time to time is also a good idea.
How much does casino opening cost?
As with most business endeavors, the exact price will vary from project to project. There are many factors to take into account, including the range of features to be provided by the iGaming business, development time and the number of developers involved, the type of technologies used, the cost of marketing, maintenance, support, and the price and cost of maintaining the specific iGaming license (these prices can actually be found on iGaming commission pages for specific jurisdictions; the range is very broad, from several thousand to more than 10 thousand Euros for an application fee, followed by renewal fees, often on a yearly basis).
If you wish to learn more about opening an online casino, check our other articles or contact us directly using your preferred method.
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