9 Factors to Consider Before Developing a Mobile Sports Betting App
Some people think that good ideas for features are enough to make their mobile sports betting app successful. Others believe that making a copy of their web app should do the trick.
The truth is that it takes much more to make a great mobile app that ensures the best performance and user experience.
Do you want to create a sports betting solution for smartphones and tablets? Get to know factors you should remember about when planning your project.
Key takeaways
- Developing a successful mobile sports betting app requires more than just good ideas for features. Factors like legal compliance, data protection, fast data loading, app scalability, and app launch restrictions must also be considered.
- Legal compliance is crucial, as different countries and regions have varying laws and regulations regarding online gambling. Obtaining the necessary licenses and consulting experts in online gambling laws is essential if you want to develop a sports betting app.
- Data protection is another important aspect to consider. Personal and banking data must be well-protected through encryption algorithms and two-factor authentication. Regular code audits, security testing, and QA tests should also be conducted to ensure data security.
- Fast data loading is necessary to provide sports betting app users with access to a large amount of data, convenient payment methods, and different types of bets. Advanced data caching and the creation of a custom API can help optimize the data transfer process.
- App scalability is vital, as the number of users and features are expected to grow. Choosing technologies that can handle increased traffic and optimizing data transfer are crucial for a smooth user experience.
- When launching the app on Google Play Store and App Store, it is important to have the necessary licenses and ensure that the app only enables sports betting in territories where it is legally allowed.
Sportsbook app development in a mobile software market
The prognostics regarding the sports betting industry look more than promising, especially in the digital environment. In a survey conducted by Drive Search, 75% of respondents declared they prefer making wagers using mobile apps or simply online. Why? Mainly because it’s more convenient. It gives players easy access to gambling platforms and allows them to bet on sports whenever they like.
Let’s not forget about the financial aspect either. The report by Data Bridge Market Research says that the global sports betting market size can be valued even at 325 billion dollars by 2031.
Based on this data, you may conclude that developing a mobile sports betting app can be a good investment. However, whether it will bring you satisfying results depends on many factors. Get to know some of them.
#1 Legal compliance
If you already have a sports betting web app, you’re probably well-oriented in legislation restrictions that apply to the regions where you offer your services. However, if you’re only starting, checking such legislation matters is an important first step. Usually, it’s required to obtain a license that allows a company to offer services related to online gambling. It’s necessary to consult such matters with experts in online gambling laws and regulations.
Mind that the laws concern not only countries but also their regions, like in the US. Every state has its own legal requirements regarding online gambling.
Examples
In Poland, online sports betting is permitted, but playing in online casinos is not. In Czechia, you must pass the account verification to wager bets. Moreover, your sportsbook mobile app has to connect with the Czech base of people who struggle with gambling problems.
These examples show how different the regulations can be in many countries and the importance of gathering information before starting the app development project.
#2 Data protection
As a sportsbook company, you must ensure that the personal and banking data your app processes is well-protected.
Data encryption algorithms are necessary, so ask your sportsbook software provider if they have experience implementing such solutions. Enabling 2-FA (two-factor authentication) is another way to increase security, so is choosing secure payment gateways.
As a precautionary solution, you can regularly prepare code audits and security testing, apart from QA tests that should be conducted on a usual basis during the app development process and even after its launch.
Source: Pexels.com
#3 Fast data loading
You need to give users access to a large amount of data, enable convenient payment methods, offer different types of bets and many events. It all requires frequent server responses to transfer the data. The process should be fast to ensure users have the best experiences. Unfortunately, the more opportunities you offer, the more difficult it gets.
When you’re aware of it, you can start working on solutions that will help you overcome these obstacles.
By carefully choosing technologies and tools and using advanced data caching, you can reduce data transfer so it doesn’t significantly slow down the sports betting app.
Sometimes, it’s even necessary to create a very own API to optimize this process. It was the case with the CZ forBET app. Such solutions require smooth cooperation between the backend team and the software development company.
The CZ forBET app
#4 App scalability
Even when only developing MVP, you’ve got to think ahead. You probably expect the number of users and features to grow, so let’s prepare for it. You should know that the app may perform much slower or even stop running when the traffic is intense. Your team must choose technologies that will prevent such situations.
Product growth also means more features and complexity. That’s a cue for UX designers who must create UI projects that will enable easy scaling in the future.
From a software developer’s perspective, more features mean more data to transfer and process. They have to take any measures to optimize it.
#5 App launch on Google Play Store and App Store
Generally speaking, both Google Play and App Store allow the launch of sports betting apps on their marketplaces. However, it comes with some restrictions. The standard requirement is to have a license allowing you to be an operator and offer the form of gambling you have in your app. They are limited to specific countries, so you must also ensure that your app will only enable sports betting in territories you can operate on and nowhere else.
Additionally, Google Play only allows launching gambling apps in selected countries and regions. If your country isn’t on the list, you need to create a dedicated app distribution system. For example, we’ve cooperated with forBET to make its sports betting app for Android available to download in Poland directly from their website.
Source: Pexels.com
#6 Real-time access to data
When you bet wagers on sports, you want to know as soon as possible if you won (and how much). This means that the app should retrieve data quickly, preferably in real time. Players are used to it, and it’s a must if you want to keep up with industry standards.
Many providers offer such services, but you have to check if they enable quick changes. Adding updates should take a little time to ensure the best UX. However, such solutions often come with an adequate price, and you must take it into account.
If you can’t find a satisfying solution that is ready to implement, consider cooperation between a provider and developers responsible for building the app. At Holdapp, we have experience teaming up with backend specialists to improve the existing solutions and make them work faster.
#7 Intuitive app design
First impressions matter the most. When the competition is strong, this rule becomes even more important. Apps should be as intuitive as possible, whether you focus on experienced players or total beginners.
A good sports betting app offers many features and lets users choose from numerous sports events. This way, it can be more entertaining, but it’s also prone to being messy and unintuitive. You need to avoid that if you don’t want to discourage users.
It’s crucial to apply UI design standards mobile users see in other apps to make navigation easier. Access to favorite events and types of bets should also be simple, and the key user path must be short.
Before designing the app’s UX/UI, it’s best to conduct research and competitor analysis to be up to date with trends and find inspirations that can work out in your app.
#8 Fast and easy payment methods
Users expect you to transfer money to their accounts without unnecessary delays. It also works the other way around: they want to pay safely without spending too much time on it. This forces you to implement several payment methods from various providers.
It’s essential to include solutions that are popular in the region where you will operate. People often have their preferred paying methods, and their lack can negatively impact UX. Not everywhere PayPal and Amazon Pay are equally popular.
Once you’ve chosen such API providers, your software developers should analyze their solutions. You need to know how long it should take to implement each payment system and whether the money transfer will be fast enough.
Source: Pexels.com
#9 Analytics to increase user engagement
Technical and usability aspects are essential, but you should also plan how to get users’ attention once they install the app. In the case of many sports betting apps, increasing user engagement is an important element of the product strategy.
There are numerous ways to accomplish this goal, but it should be tailored to your audience. To make it possible, you have to implement analytics tools, such as Google Analytics for Firebase, Mixpanel, Synerise, Fullstory, AppsFlyer, or others. They will help you analyze user behavior, spot the patterns, and create personalized solutions.
Example
Let’s say you know the most popular sports from analytics tools. What can you do about it?
- Send users notifications each time a new event from their favorite category takes place. Adjust the sending time based on the user’s typical activity time.
- Offer bonuses related to their preferred sports categories in exchange for specific actions.
- Enable customization of some elements that will facilitate using the app, like pinning favorite events on the home screen.
You can improve the engagement rate and increase brand loyalty simultaneously. Some sports betting apps offer referral programs, so users feel more encouraged to recommend it to others and receive something in return—for example, bonus points or free bets.
As a result, more people learn about your app, and players have a reason to open it again to make use of their bonuses.
Recommendation system
Data gathering, filtering, and analysis are also useful when you display personalized propositions of content. Recommendation systems rely on data to help users discover new events or types of bets they might be interested in. There are a few approaches that enable selecting the right content, some of which may even use ML algorithms to make the results better adjusted to target users.
Choosing a fast recommender engine that can operate on the data you provide them is crucial. This way, you can improve the engagement rate and encourage users to spend more time in the app.
Cooperation with a sports betting app development company
As you may have already noticed, many aspects mentioned in this article should be consulted with specialists in sports betting app development. It shows how important it is to find a reliable company to support you in project execution.
We recommend choosing a partner with experience not only in building gambling software. In their portfolio, they should also have mobile apps for other industries.
Such app developers know the sports betting app market well and are up to date with novelties that become popular in the mobile app market in general. They can be used as an inspiration and thus enable you to build a successful sports betting app that is a step ahead of your competition.
If you need help developing an online sports betting app for iOS and Android, let us know your ideas.
