Launch a Successful Online Casino: 9 Tips from Professionals
Gambling is a profitable and rapidly developing industry. It is easy to enter the market but operators should carefully think through all the stages of implementing and promoting an iGaming project.
Specialists of the CASEXE company will tell you how to open an online casino in 2023 and make it profitable and recognisable.
Effective Planning
The launch of a successful gambling business starts with detailed projecting. Entrepreneurs need to:
- decide on the country in which to provide services;
- obtain a licence in the chosen jurisdiction;
- buy software (games, platform, payment systems, etc.);
- set up exchange operations and hosting;
- develop a UX design for an iGaming resource;
- consider a promotion strategy;
- create a bonus program.
The list of tasks is voluminous. To systematise the already collected information, it is advisable to draft a business plan.
The document indicates the expected metrics of the work of an online casino (GGR, ROI, conversion rates, etc.), which are then compared with the actual indicators. Thus, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen advertising strategy and make adjustments if necessary.
A business plan is an important step in the calculation of the startup costs for launching an iGaming project.
The document states:
- the cost of a licence;
- the expenses for the purchase of casino software;
- the size of planned contributions to the budget (taxes, state fees, etc.) for the first-year operation.
Obtaining a Gambling Licence
Entertainment for money is legalised in most European, Asian, and Latin American countries. The governments of many jurisdictions are working to improve the legislative framework and optimise the fiscal burden. The purpose of such changes is to attract to the gambling sector as much investment as possible, as well as to create new jobs and replenish the state treasury.
In 2023, the most favourable conditions for launching an iGaming startup have been created in such offshore zones:
| The country is rightfully considered a European gambling hub. Over 450 entertainment companies are registered here, including casino operators, bookmakers, software vendors, etc. This region attracts investors due to low taxes, well-developed IT infrastructure, and highly qualified personnel. Many famous companies are based here. These are Pragmatic Play, Betsoft, Relax Gaming Group, iSoftBet, and others | |
| The jurisdiction was the first in the world to grant a permit to the owner of a blockchain casino. Large-scale changes in cryptocurrency regulation are planned for 2023, and it will have a positive impact on the investment attractiveness of Curacao. One of the main advantages of working in this offshore zone is that entrepreneurs will need only one licence for all types of activities, such as the management of a gaming site, an online betting shop, a poker room on the Web, etc. | |
| Gibraltar | The UK Overseas Territory is one of the most prestigious places to launch an iGaming startup. Obtaining the local certificate is not easy, and this fact increases the document’s value in the eyes of investors and B2B partners. Gibraltar has low taxes. Operators should pay only 0.1–0.15% of GGR for the reporting period. The higher the income, the lower the rate |
| The state issues temporary permits for licensees from other countries. Their validity period is 59 days, and after that, business owners can obtain the Master License or the Sublicense under a simplified procedure. This country has one of the lowest legalising costs. Entrepreneurs only need to pay a registration fee of £10,000 | |
| The local Gambling Commission issues 3 types of certificates — the main one, the sublicence, and the network-type document. The cost of each of them is £35,000. Operators must also pay an application fee of £1,000. The jurisdiction is characterised by a minimal fiscal burden on businesses. There is no VAT, taxes on dividends, or withdrawn capital. Project owners pay only 1.5% of their annual net profit |
Thorough Analysis of the Target Audience
Before launching an iGaming startup, entrepreneurs should decide what clients they would like to attract. The following factors depend on it:
- choice of game content;
- connection of specific payment methods;
- available promotion channels, and much more.
Online casino visitors are usually the younger generation with above-average earnings and a positive attitude toward gambling. They consider it an excellent way to have fun. Such players are interested in innovations and communication through social messengers.
The target audience can only consist of Digital Natives. These are people born in the early 2000s. They draw all the information from smartphones and gladly place bets in mobile casinos.
The selected target audience can be divided into groups depending on such factors:
- geolocation;
- preferences;
- the nature of the gaming (frequency and the sizes of bets);
- the average monthly budget that users are willing to leave in the casino.
To increase the effectiveness of advertising, a marketing plan should be created for each selected category. Thus, operators can increase the traffic, conversion rate, and profit of their iGaming resources.
Buying High-Quality and Secure Software
For legal work, business owners will need the following programs:
- Entertainment content. These are traditional and 3D slots, arcades, poker, multiplayer fishing, lotteries, bingo, keno, etc. To launch a modern casino with real dealers, it is also necessary to offer customers live roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and other card games.
- Payment system. For a successful start, it is better to choose a universal financial aggregator that combines several settlement methods. These are internet acquiring, direct bank transfers, mobile and voucher payments, as well as operations using electronic wallets. The service must comply with the PCI DSS requirements and guarantee the safety of transactions and the personal data of players.
- Security software. The solution will be useful for increasing the level of protection of an iGaming project and lightning-fast response to various types of violations. These are code obfuscation, DDoS attacks, the introduction of phishing programs, etc. Such software often comes along with the user verification system. It supports multi-step authentication based on login and password, personal documents, biometrics, and geolocation.
- Gambling platform. This is the basis on which all the necessary components are installed — content, payment service, and security software. The resource may also contain a built-in CRM module for analysing business processes.
It is worth buying software only from trusted vendors that have special licences and certificates. It is good when a company provides technical support and helps with the installation and configuration of the product.
Well-Thought-Out Engagement Strategy
A thorough analysis of the target audience, carried out at the very beginning, helps choose the right promotion channels and get the maximum effect from every dollar spent on advertising.
In modern gambling, entrepreneurs rarely use only one marketing tool. Quite often, they choose a combination of promo options, depending on the current needs. Such an approach is called performance marketing.
The scheme is based on many popular methods:
- SEO;
- SMM;
- e-mail newsletters;
- targeted advertising, etc.
Their advantage is that business owners can track the intermediate results of the campaign. Then, entrepreneurs can decide to continue the promotion or make some adjustments if the advertising does not bring the expected results.
Cooperation with Affiliates
It can be both private specialists and certified partner services. The goal of the collaboration remains the same — to drive high-quality targeted traffic with the minimum amount of marketing effort.
Entrepreneurs can outsource part of their tasks. In return, businessmen receive an increase in the conversion rate of their web casinos, and partners get a fixed reward or a percentage of the iGaming platform’s profit.
Affiliate marketing is considered one of the most effective ways to promote a digital casino. The implementing partners have a large list of tools, thanks to which the advertising message always reaches its destination.
Visual Appeal of the Website
The priority is the UX design of iGaming resources. Thanks to this, users are not only pleased to visit the digital establishment but are also offered a comfortable placement of bets.
It is advisable to have spin buttons, a catalogue of slots and keys for depositing on the main page of the website. Additional information should be placed in the pop-up menu.
The design of an online casino must look bright and memorable. Then, it will create a favourable impression and a sense of celebration of the upcoming big win. For this reason, bright flashes, 3D shapes, and animated objects are often used by developers.
Wide Variety of Plots in Gambling Content
The lion's share of games for money is slot machines. These are traditional 5-reel products, cluster entertainment, jackpot offerings, and other options.
To attract solvent traffic, it is worth adding such new and interesting releases as:
- NFT games. These are slots with non-fungible assets. Their cost is constantly growing, bringing additional income to operators. Artefacts, symbols, elements of the interface, and bonuses can act as NFTs.
- Crash games. Such multi-user content operates based on the blockchain. An unlimited number of players can participate in the round. Each user makes one or more bets in cryptocurrency. The prize is received by the gambler who manages to click on Stop and cash out the bid before the explosion of an object moving on the screen (airship, flying saucer, rocket, etc.).
- Cluster slots. In this case, the playing panel has a non-standard shape, and successful combinations are formed randomly as different batches. This type of content attracts the audience with increased chances of winning, interesting animation effects, and unusual bonus features.
Wide Range of Payment Options
The more ways to make a deposit provided by the casino, the better.
Modern gaming sites should support the following settlement methods:
- internet acquiring;
- direct bank transactions;
- mobile and voucher transfers;
- payments via eWallet or QR code.
It is great if iGaming platforms support different options. Operators can also offer cryptocurrency settlements, which will increase the recognition of their companies and attract new solvent customers.
The Main Things about Launching a Successful Online Casino in 2023
Gambling is a highly profitable industry. The owners of entertainment businesses have excellent growth prospects.
- It is important to start the implementation of an iGaming project with careful planning. Entrepreneurs need to think over their financial and marketing strategies, choose a country for registering a brand, obtain a local permit, and buy certified software.
- The acquisition of a licence in offshore zones is a good decision. Among such states, we can name Malta, Curacao, Alderney, the Isle of Man, and other regions with favourable taxation and loyal requirements for the applicants. The cost and validity period of the document depends on the selected country.
- For an online casino to be successful, operators need to provide a wide product range, think over an advertising strategy, carry out a thorough analysis of the audience, and develop a visually attractive website.
The CASEXE studio deals with the implementation of iGaming projects of any complexity level. Our solutions interest target audiences and bring decent profits to entrepreneurs.
We can help you with such tasks as drafting a business plan, casino licensing, and marketing promotion.
From CASEXE, it is also possible to order:
- a turnkey platform;
- a White Label resource;
- a Telegram casino;
- a gambling portal with VR slots, etc.
For all questions, feel free to contact our managers.
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