The work that goes into making a successful gaming app

In the age of technology, apps are extremely popular. It is how many of us catch up on news around the world, read weather reports, traffic reports and even how we shop and relax after a long day. Some of the most popular apps however are sports betting apps. Since the industry moved online, millions of Americans use apps to place sports bets. The ease of use and access has made it one of the most popular hobbies for sports fans. It has been especially important in recent weeks when bettors have wanted to check out the World Cup odds.

The move to online betting in the 21^st century means it has never been easier for bettors to add that extra layer of excitement to gameday. This does mean however that competition within the sports betting industry is tougher than ever as the legalization of mobile betting spreads across much of the country. It takes a great amount of work to create a successful betting app. Let’s take a look at the steps these providers make to bring the best experience possible to their customers.

Gaining a License

Before you start anything when creating a betting app, you need to gain your gambling license. These licenses are costly and are issued by the state authority, assuming the state allows gambling. For example, Kentucky betting apps are being developed because the legalization process has been completed. The checks that these developers go through are rigorous to make sure they are fit to run a business that has often been a business of organized crime. These checks make it safer for the public to bet and in turn, means you can wager with confidence. In some countries, the fees for these licenses are extracted as a fixed annual fee, a percentage of your revenue, or even both.

Choosing Your Payment Gateway

This is one of the most important steps when creating your app. When choosing a payment provider, you must guarantee a high level of security for your customers as well as providing fast and easy transactions. In the age of blockchain they must also be able to support different payment methods namely cryptocurrency wallets as well as the traditional methods such as PayPal, debit card etc.

Usability

Once gaining your license, you will want to create your application and get it on the Google play and App stores. No one wants a clunky, slow app that is hard to navigate, especially if you are betting in play or are trying to wager just before tip-off. For this reason, sportsbooks must make sure they have a tech team working round the clock to deliver a smooth experience for customers. They will have to cover everything from updating odds and logging live statistics to ensuring the servers and user interface run smoothly with no bugs. As these apps are 24/7, the work will also be round the clock. First impressions are very important. Studies show that the general user experience is critical for players in the sports betting market and if it is hard to navigate upon first look, they are unlikely to ever return to it.

Must Haves

There are plenty of obvious features that bettors will require such as sign-in and sign-up widgets but there are also some must haves that you may not think about:

Sports selection widget
Schedules
Live streaming capabilities
Betting categories
In-play betting
Push notifications
Results, standings etc.

Customer Support

Strong customer support is very important. Even the best run apps run into faults every now and then and it is important that you have support at hand for customers. They may not just need it for faults with the apps but also for any betting queries they may have. Good customer support allows for a better relationship between bettors and your sportsbook, meaning they are more likely to come back and bet with you again and again. It will need to be available 24/7 and be capable of dealing with multiple customers at a time.

Bonuses

With such a competitive market on odds, plenty of sportsbooks will add further incentives for their customers to use their app. This is where they will offer bonuses and promos. There are plenty of examples of these and DraftKings have an extensive list of offers for both new and existing customers. Let’s take a look at some of their best.

Referral bonus: For existing customers, if you have a friend sign up to DraftKings and deposit a minimum of $25 using your unique link, you will receive a free bet worth up to $100. The best part of this promo is you can use it up to five times.
Free to Play pools: Existing customers can win cash prizes every day by climbing up the leaderboard in the DraftKings FTP Pools.