The Steps Behind Programming an Online Casino
In recent decades the popularity of gambling has skyrocketed and that’s largely down to the advancement of technology and the popularity of online wagering. Running an online casino might seem like a doddle compared to opening and maintaining a land-based venue, but there are many things to consider.
The stakes are high for online casinos as not only do they need to ensure fair play and maintain data security, but they also have to give users a smooth and seamless gaming experience. All of this is made possible by a host of skilled developers and programmers who operate in the background to create the online casinos you love.
In this article, we take a brief look at the steps that programmers have to take to bring one of the top-rated sites like Lucky Spins from a concept into reality. Read on to find out what they are.
Plan it all out
There are certain things that you can do with only a semblance of a plan. Building a successful online casino isn’t one of them. Lucky Spins is one of the highest-rated sites on Casino.org; they didn’t simply start out with the idea of offering 700+ live dealers and 5,000 real money titles and hoping for the best. No, instead, they hired a team of programmers to plan out every minute detail of their site well in advance. All of these would have been based on the very latest trends within the industry, which a team of analysts had compiled.
Key considerations during the planning stage include how the user interface (UI) will look and how the company wants the user experience (UX) to be. In addition, it has to be decided which programming languages and software will be used in the build.
This is a crucial stage that is often overlooked by people with a limited understanding of programming. JavaScript, HTML5, Java, C++ and Python are typically used in combination to provide the right level of detail for the front and back-end operations.
Then again, for casinos such as Lucky Spin, WebRTC may be needed to help facilitate the live streaming of table games. These considerations are why the planning stage is so crucial in the evolution of an online casino from concept to fruition.
Building Database Architecture
Online gambling, by its very nature, involves the near-constant transferring of money from customer to company and, if you’re lucky enough, from company to customer. More often than not, these transactions involve the sharing of sensitive personal information like debit and credit card numbers, bank account details, and private addresses.
As such, online casinos must have huge databases to securely store this information. SQL databases with high levels of encryption protocols are most commonly used by the industry, but programmers have a wide range of options for database architecture.
Creating Games
If you love online casino games, we suggest skipping ahead to the next part of this article, as it might feel somewhat like spoiling Christmas or revealing a magician’s secret tricks. The games that we all love to play at online casinos are powered by gaming algorithms and Random Number Generators (RNG).
In the case of the majority of online casino games, these things can be bought from companies that specialize in the design of online slots and table games. If a company is set on doing things themselves to stand out, a programmer will be tasked with creating games from scratch. Key considerations in this don’t just include making a game that looks and feels good for customers but designing one that is stable and also profitable.
Testing and Debugging
One of the most laborious aspects of a programmer’s job is testing and debugging once a project has neared completion. This is when the programmer finds out that the systems built in theory were not up to the rigors of real life. Prior to the launch of a new site, the testing and debugging phase is carried out time and time again. However, upon launch, there are always things that have missed detection, and so the process of debugging becomes a constant one, even after a site is up and running.
Other Considerations
Beyond the programming basics, programmers must also consider regulatory compliance factors. These vary from country to country and, in the United States, from state to state.
In addition to that, programmers then have to ensure that secure payment systems are integrated into their sites to allow the seamless transfer of money whilst also maintaining the highest levels of security and safety. It’s a tricky business. It’s also one that we could never do total justice to in an article of this length. In fact, it would take a whole series of books to detail a step by step guide to creating an online casino from scratch.
In lieu of that, you’ll just have to take our word for it that creating an online casino is nowhere near as simple as it seems!