The launch of an online casino is a complex project that requires great zeal, knowledge and money. You will have to cope with zeal and finances on your own, but for knowledge it is better to contact the relevant web developers, legal advisers and players of game software who understand all the nuances of the gaming business and do not know how to start such a project and make it successful.
In this article you will find a squeeze of the advice and recommendations of these experts, which will help to understand how a beginner in the game business create your own site online casino, attract players’ attention and licenses it.
The choice of jurisdiction and license
Obtaining a license should be your priority, since this is required by the laws of all countries where gambling is allowed. Then it is necessary to open banking and trading accounts, establish contacts with suppliers of payment decisions and purchase game content. But without having a valid license, you will not be able to promote your site and attract users.
The federal legislation of the United States allows the issuance of a license to open an Internet casino at the state level. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Nevada have already begun to issue official permits to conduct gambling business on the Internet for their residents. A number of other states have legalized online sports, but not online casino (Mississippi, West Virginia, Rhizda-Island).
If you live outside the United States, use this interactive card to check where else you can get the right license. It is necessary to choose jurisdiction depending on the following factors:
- The target audience. Ideally, we need a license of the country that you are guided by in terms of the main target audience. This will increase the trust of players and will avoid difficulties related to contradictions in the legislation of the country of doing business and the country of obtaining a license.
- Reputation. Licenses in the USA, Canada, Great Britain and the EU countries will allow you to gain the trust of large players, since law enforcement agencies and laws of these countries are an order of magnitude more reliable than in offshore zones.
- Expenses and taxes. The cost of a license in the EU countries is an order of magnitude higher than in offshore. For example, in Austria, Switzerland or Great Britain, a license costs from 350 thousand dollars, while in Costa Rica from 15 to 50 thousand dollars. Taxes in the countries of the developed world are also an order of magnitude higher.
- In addition, when creating a site for an online casino, you also need to take into account the licensing requirements of the chosen jurisdiction. For example, in Curasao, such requirements involve the installation of a dedicated server in the country. All casino transactions will pass through it, which will allow you to control your turnover (important for taxes) and fight money laundering and financing of terrorism.
Choosing a software supplier for casino
Gambling software is the foundation of your web platform. The reliability, speed and safety of your site largely depend on it. In addition, it is with its help that you will manage the operating activities of the website of the Internet casino: reporting, game content, payments, accounts, marketing tools, etc.
You will make a choice here from three options:
- The development of fully individual software at a price will cost you from 300 thousand to $ 1 million. The high price pays off by the fact that you will completely control the source code, the gameplay and all the applications used. In addition, you are left copyright for software and you do not have to pay royalties or to charge additional commission in favor of the software supplier.
- A model with a sublicense 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 it will be necessary to pay a certain percentage of your income to the software supplier monthly.
- Regardless of what path you choose for your gambling business, the softe of the game site should meet the following criteria: integration with safe and popular payment gateways, access to a variety of game content, CRM support and high speed.
If you choose a model with a sublicense, then you will also need to pay attention to the calculation method. Software suppliers can either take a disposable fee and immediately provide access to the source code, or charge a monthly fee (Net Entertainment, PlayTech.com and Micro Gaming take from 10,000 euros per month + at least 15% of the royalties). Some suppliers may provide free software, but at the same time require you to use their games and pay a commission from the profit they brought.