Sports Betting App Development: How to Get Started
Betting in the gaming industry continues to grow relentlessly, comprising one of the cornerstones of the international gambling market. For example, American residents’ spending on gambling platforms online and offline hit a record $119.84 billion, showcasing a 27.5% surge.
The same trend continues in Europe, with people spending $33.75 billion the previous year. Despite any economic fluctuations biting at other industries, online sports betting remains on the rise.
When developing a gambling apps, there are several important details you need to consider. Since this business is only legal at certain locations, you will need to study the regulations carefully, obtain gambling licenses, and comply with app store restrictions.
To help you get started, we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to gambling apps. Read on to learn about different types of gambling, must-have app features, and legal complications that might arise.
The best sports betting apps
The gambling industry market has significantly grown over the years, and it’s important to study your future competitors to determine what makes them successful.
Let’s take a look at three popular betting applications and their advantages:
William Hill betting app
William Hill is the largest gambling business on the U.S. market. The sports betting application the company presents offers a wide variety of sports to bet on, and it focuses on making the user experience as smooth as possible.
To achieve that, William Hill lets new users place bets for free, makes cash-out possible at any moment, allows live betting, and supplies statistics and analytical tools to help users choose their candidates.
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is one of William Hill’s biggest competitors, offering a large selection of sports to bet on. The key advantage of this app, however, is its specialty as a soccer betting app. Paddy Power allows fans in the U.K. to watch a game live for a small bet of £1.
TVG
TVG is a dedicated horse betting app that appeals to users who are not interested in other sports. The app offers a clean interface, detailed information about past races, live streams, statistics, and bonuses for referrals and new users. Working in more than 30 states, the app has only one significant downside: it is currently available to iOS users only.
The biggest challenges of sports gambling app development
Creating a mobile application requires you to work around significant budget and technology challenges. When it comes to designing a sports gambling app, however, you need to also navigate additional layers of legal concerns.
Laws and regulations
The primary thing you need to do before developing a betting app is obtaining a gambling license. Since betting is not legal worldwide, you have to apply for licenses in all countries and states where you wish to launch the application, and it can be a daunting task to unravel various jurisdictions without a lawyer. Including these consultant services into your expenses estimates can help plan the budget more accurately.
Take notice that gambling regulations differ by country, and even across Europe, the distinctions can be significant: while the U.K. is one of the most developed gambling nations (and the origin of the William Hill betting app), countries like Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark still have differing and often hectic laws when it comes to online betting.
In the U.S., sports betting is legal only in 25 states. Your app must not be accessed from other locations.
In Australia, you need to apply for a single gambling license. In the case that it is granted, you can start a company and immediately launch your betting application.
In Argentina, soccer betting is not legal, while in the Philippines, a horse betting app would be the only permitted kind of sports gambling.
In Brazil and Singapore, betting is illegal.
Launching the app to the app stores
App markets place additional restrictions on gambling applications. It’s necessary to review them; otherwise, you may lose funds on your betting app development if you add a feature that your target app store doesn’t permit.
Google Play Market states that
- your app must target the U.K., Ireland, or France;
- you must have a gambling license from the locations your app is targeting;
- your app must be free;
- you cannot use in-app billing; and
- your app must have a geo-fence and be rated Adult Only.
How to make a betting app: crucial functionality and features
A gambling application typically consists of two main elements: the user panel and the admin panel. The latter contains the necessary functionality to manage financial transactions, regulate new users, and monitor the app’s performance.
This dashboard should also present a sufficient toolkit to analyze user activity on the app and display important metrics. Analytics will become extremely useful once you start getting more users and revenue to adjust your marketing, offers, sports selection, targeting, and the overall business plan.
Admin panel
In short, you need to have access to the following through the admin panel:
- log in/log out;
- app monetization management;
- user management (view transaction history, ban or add users, send notifications);
- app customization functionality; and
- bookmaker management.
User side
Now, let’s consider some of the crucial features on the user side:
Registration and account
Users can create an account, log in and sign out. Make sure to apply regulations to prevent minors from accessing the app. It depends on the country’s laws that determine how old a person must be to gamble.
Place a bet
Functionality to let users create wagers is the most crucial part of any online betting app. Aim for a simple and intuitive interface that guides a person through every stage of the process quickly and without hassle. The easier it is to place a bet, the more inclined users will be to participate.
List of wagers
Users should be able to view all existing bets.
Wallet
Enable users to link their cards and payment system accounts to the application. This helps place bets with a single tap after the initial setup, instead of filling in all the payment details every time someone wants to create a wager.
Menu
This panel gives access to a user’s account, bets, wallet, notifications, settings, friends, and other pieces of functionality your application presents. An aggregator gambling sports app should also provide a list of sports in the main menu to choose from.
Notifications
Update users about important events, game results, and new messages. For bet outcomes and other exciting or pressing news, it is beneficial to use push notifications.
Betting guides
Create an easily accessible guide page that explains different types of betting to new users without forcing them to leave the application.
Statistics and schedules
Help users stay up-to-date with game schedules, experts’ assessments of recent games, and odds for future events. Providing sports statistics also boosts people’s confidence and encourages them to place bets.
Live scores
Real-time score updates keep users interested, make them more likely to gamble, and encourage them to use your app more frequently.