Online gambling has always been one of the most lucrative and desirable areas to explore for business owners regardless of whether they have experience in the field. In order to open a successful online casino that will benefit an owner and bring pleasure to customers, one needs to follow the proper sequence of steps paying serious attention to all details. As an online casino software provider, SoftSwiss is glad to share its experience to help future online casino owners avoid common mistakes that may impede business launch, inflate budget or even close the business down.

Phone and utility deposits – $3,500. Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $40,000. The cost for Start-up inventory – $15,000. Cost for acquiring casino and gaming wares and other related gaming wares – $100,000. Start an online casino business. Indeed, you can become the owner of a successful gambling club in various ways. Plus, if you want to understand which form of running an online casino suits you best, sign up for a consultation with your personal manager of the 2WinPower company — the leaders of the online gaming industry. An expert will help. Guaranteed up times of 99.99%; Ace Per Head offers all these because they have been in business for 25 years, and therefore, the company understands how vitally important the technology that powers online sportsbooks is. The IT engineers at Ace pay attention to every detail, so their service not only meets but also exceeds every expectation.

Step 1. Preparation

a) Legal issues

Online gambling is subject to licensing, thus an essential thing is to think about choosing the jurisdiction and obtaining a license. There are two main venues where it can be done: offshore countries and the European Union countries. Each has its pros and cons – budget, time, reputation. Usually, it takes from a couple of months to a year to obtain a gaming license, for example, 6 months in Malta.

The next step after choosing the jurisdiction is to register a legal entity – a gaming company, opening a bank account, and making agreements with payment system providers which will make the legal and financial infrastructure complete.

As an alternative to this method, there is a white label solution scheme which means leasing of software together with the gaming license and financial infrastructure from a software provider and operating your casino under your own brand but with the ready-to-use infrastructure. Such a scheme protects from excessive legal and banking bothers but involves additional costs.

b) Software

As soon as all legal issues are investigated separately or simultaneously, it is time to choose a professional online casino software provider. While searching the market it is wise to evaluate the price and quality balance. Besides the attractive design and a set of popular games, a quality product shall also include a reliable gaming platform that allows for effective management of casino business and includes the following components:

• CMS
• Player management system
• Bonus and promotions management system
• Game management system
• Payment system management interface
• Cashier system
• Reporting engine
• Support of different roles for administrators
• Affiliate management system
• Anti-fraud system
• Retention email system

The regular software and game updates, hosting, and technical support shall also be part of the provider’s package. Professional suppliers always take the responsibility for the full technical support of the after-launch product operation.

The software package that includes all of the above components might be on the upper edge in terms of costs, but the financial investments are worth it because as a result, you get a reliable partner ready to support you during the whole project life cycle. Be aware of the fact that buying a cheaper solution might result in double spending in the future.

c) Marketing planning

An effective marketing strategy is a key point to online casino success. At this stage, it is strategically correct to make a rigid competitor’s research. First of all, it will provide you with a full picture of the market: who the leaders are, what strategies they use, what return on investment they get, etc. Thus, knowing the game rules allows creating a unique offer that customers won’t be able to decline. Using the method of benchmarking plays perfect for the good of online casino success, and what is more important, it is free. Plan your marketing strategy by adopting the best practices of promotion, advertising, and brand development.

If a company starting an online casino is operating a land-based gaming business, it is crucial to bring the existing clients to play in Internet-casino by offering attractive bonuses and thus developing loyalty and respect to the website. Any know-how are always welcome but be aware of wrong calculated ideas from the mathematical point of view.

The next move is to contact internet marketing companies or individuals specializing in online gambling: SEO agencies, email marketing companies, media resources providing casino overviews, etc. This will help define the best offers on the market and choose the right partners before the website is ready to launch.
At this stage, it is also time to think about your future bonus policy and affiliate marketing strategy, as well as check if the selected software provides the appropriate technical opportunities.

d) Budgeting

Once the costs for legal issues, software and marketing are defined, it’s time to plan your budget. The best option for startup companies is to set the budget at least for the first year of operation, whereas for experienced companies who are entering the igaming market, the budget shall be defined for as long as possible. Don’t plan your budget after setting up the online casino website, plan it before. If you are a startup-company you have to understand that your costs will be higher. Your goal is to earn trust of players from the beginning. Existing land-based brands already have trust.

Below there is an approximate expenses separation a future casino owner shall have in mind while developing a detailed budget within a business plan.

Pre-Launch expenses	After-Launch expenses, 1st year
Company set up – 3-7%	Company running – 5%
License set up – 10-30%	License fees – 1-10%
Software set up – 25- 35%	Software support – 10%
Staff hiring – 10-20%	Games Providers – 5%
Pre-Marketing – 15-20%	Marketing – 50%
Other costs – 5-15%	Staff – 20-30%

At the pre-launch stage, the biggest budget share shall be devoted to software setup in order to provide future users with a quality product. But after the launch, it is vitally important to address half the funds to casino marketing and promotion.

Step 2. Launch

The time frame for an online casino launch depends on both, business owner and software provider. Usually, it takes up to 3 months for the provider to set up the software. It includes website design, platform, and games set up, custom settings, and possible individual features. The business owner may speed up the process of launch by providing regular feedback to all questions that designers and programmers might have. Any issue can be resolved if discussed in time.

Besides, the business owner shall timely address the issues discussed above:

• Obtaining a gaming license;
• Opening a corporate bank account and merchant account;
• Making agreements with payment system providers.

Setting legal and financial infrastructure is the task that only the business owner can accomplish. In SoftSwiss we provide consulting services (best options, contacts, etc.) on such points but we can’t guarantee success as the whole responsibility lies on the business owner. You will have to collect a bunch of documents for lawyers and banks like certified passport copy, utility bill copy, certificate of non-criminal records…

Step 3. Marketing

The secret of the most popular and successful online casino success and popularity is not about the top-notch design or billions of games included. The best online casinos are simply designed and contain 500 games on average at the beginning. The secret is in responsible marketing strategy implemented on all stages of the project. The online casino market is an extremely competitive one: first, it is very hard to break into it, and then it is even harder to take a firm stand. Thus, a company has only one chance to win a fierce race among competitors. Below is a list of points that are vital for any online casino that is planning to be prosperous.

• Positioning – Gather professional marketing team and develop strategic and tactical development phases, announce your goals (business, company, brand), and mission. Determine what niche you would like to step in, how you are different from the competitors, what unique features your casino has, and what steps you are going to make further.

Use only quality games from trusted game providers. You can start your casino with a limited number of game providers, with a focus on games based on HTML 5 technology. This technology allows users to enjoy rich graphics games and enhance the overall experience of playing casino games on mobile devices. At SoftSwiss, among our own high-quality HTML5 games we offer game content from well-known providers, such as Amatic Industries, Microgaming, NetEnt, and we are sure about their quality.

• Prelaunch advertising campaign – Announce your casino, inspire your potential customers to wait for its launch; use all possible methods: online advertising, presentations, publications, etc.

• Online casino promotion after launch – Use SEO, online advertising, banner networks. Everything will work in such a competitive market.

• Client attraction and retention campaign – Establish an efficient support service or 24h call-center which your customers can address at any time. Take care of your clients by making navigation through the website: create “How to” sections or FAQs, write manuals on how to play the games, provide demo versions, make everything clear and understandable.
Develop a bonus system, make auctions and entertain and reward your customers all the time.
Remember! Only business owners can establish the right content on the page. The software provider should give you the possibility to work with the content, but not create the content.

How To Set Up Online Gambling Business

•Implement affiliate networks – Develop contacts with partners which will be an impetus to online casino development.

Additional Step 4. Bitcoin casino

Forward-looking online casino software providers offer Bitcoin as an alternative payment system for their solutions. Online casino owners all over the world appreciated such advantages of Bitcoin casino as significant savings on license application costs and monthly fees, increased customer loyalty, fast payment processing and many more.

As an acknowledged Bitcoin casino expert, SoftSwiss would like to recommend all potential Bitcoin casino owners to get a clear understanding of the cryptocurrency, research the peculiarities of Bitcoin gambling, and learn how transactions work by making a couple of bets at an existing casino. Understanding the core of the payment system is essential in business, moreover, it will help to build a strong marketing campaign and further manage the Bitcoin casino. Contact SoftSwiss for professional advice on Bitcoin casino launch.

Managing an online casino is hard work but with all legal and financial issues resolved in a timely manner, quality software chosen, and a strong marketing strategy in place, it can be successful. The demand for online casinos will increase – specialists predict 40% growth of this market segment in the nearest year. Following all the steps described above will help a newly made online casino to develop sustainably and outweigh the competition. Good luck!

Also, learn how to start an online casino with SoftSwiss.

Gambling is a highly competitive sector. To succeed, casino and sports betting businesses have to run like a well-oiled machine. This article will give you a blueprint for building a team that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

How To Start A Casino

A successful project is based on a professional team

The success of both online and land-based casinos depends on the teams that drive them. It takes time and money to start and develop a gambling project, but the whole effort can be easily ruined if a single factor goes wrong: a poor reputation, lackluster customer service, or low-quality products and services can all spell doom for a gambling business. To maintain the quality of their reputation, products, and services — and constantly improve them — both online and offline project operators hire professional teams to handle the problems that inevitably arise.

Successful recruitment gives you the opportunity to entrust your casino to professionals who can lead the way. Instead of wasting time ironing out every wrinkle in your daily operations, free up time for planning, strategizing, and development by gathering people who can handle daily processes and problem-solving for you. Slotegrator has plenty of experience to share which can give you a better understanding of what departments your company should consist of.

Who should be on your team

C-level management

Gambling organizers, business owners, and investors normally delegate the daily management of their project. Top management is responsible for the development of the whole company and makes decisions in the owners’ interests. Highly experienced C-level professionals are necessary to keep the business running, as they coordinate all the different teams that make up a project to achieve the target goals. These are the main responsibilities of a top-level manager:

• Development and fulfillment of company-wide policies
• Set policies for customer service management
• Cooperation with the finance department to ensure regulatory compliance and financial reporting
• Creation of partnerships with third parties such as game developers and payment system providers
• Monitoring competitors
• Analyzing players’ preferences
• Cooperation with marketing and advertising specialists

Management and team leads

Chief officers and directors collect data from the company’s management and communicate with managers directly to discuss plans and goals. Managers and team leads in their turn organize their subordinates’ workflow in a way to achieve those goals. They take responsibility for their teams, divide work among them, and keep an eye on the processes so that nothing goes wrong. Managers make sure their teams work as efficiently and productively as possible.

Team members

These professionals execute daily tasks depending on their level. They attend to routine needs that need to be taken care of, constantly maintaining high standards of quality. If players have complaints, if transactions are interrupted, if connections are broken, if you need to add new games to your platform, or if you need to promote your project in a new market — one of the team members you hire will handle it. Like the turning gears that keep a watch ticking, every team member in a gambling project matters.

Recruitment: online casino teams

Online casino platform maintenance requires a team of reliable people. Online business specifics are more or less the same regardless of the particular sector, but the gambling industry demands a higher level of precision and delicacy than many others. In the case of aWhite Label online casino, where technical and financial support is provided by a platform developer, only a minimum of employees is needed: a manager, a technical customer assistant, account managers, and an accountant. However, if an online casino is an independent project, a greater number of employees, working in various departments, will be required. The size of the team is what makes recruitment for online casinos so important, and operators often struggle at this stage. Below is a list of teams that are necessary for hassle-free operation.

Legal department

Any business needs lawyers — especially gambling businesses. Online casinos might face various challenges, and internal lawyers can wind up being very busy. A legal team is necessary to handle different partnerships and collaborations, and they will also take care of licensing and certification, deal with expansion into other countries, and solve disputes, protecting your platform’s good name. A highly professional and effective legal department is an absolute necessity for an online casino, especially taking into account the fact that your players are not physically present, which can bring some unique complications.

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Accounting and finance

This department is responsible for all internal and external financial processes. Professional accountants and financial specialists track the company’s expenses and revenue. They will also assess external deals and analyze the financial development of the online casino project. Accountants need specific knowledge and skills to work with banking and payment systems, as well as an understanding of the tax system and expertise in financial legislation.

Account managers

Account managers communicate with gaming content developers — or, if a casino decides to make its life easier and get all its games from a single provider, aggregators. This means they keep an eye on new game releases and make sure these games are integrated into online casino platforms as soon as possible. Account managers also keep an eye out for updates and special offers, including tournaments and other events that are in the operator’s interest. Apart from game developers, this team also communicates with the platform software provider, if it was not created by an internal team of developers.

Technical support

These experts ensure the website functions without any interruption, 24/7.Technical support should always be available for troubleshooting: this team is responsible for all the technical processes and equipment, including any software errors or any other mistakes at any stage of the player’s journey on your online casino platform. Players have high expectations for tech support; they must react immediately to any queries or complaints to maintain the platform’s reputation. Operators should not allow any technical failure, whether it’s a payment transaction or gameplay itself, because these are what players find the most frustrating. It is also worth noting that many casinos choose not to develop the software themselves, but leave it to a professional vendor company. The software providers offer non-stop technical support, and there is no need for internal specialists.

Player support & compliance

To some, the online format can call the legitimacy of a gambling platform into question. That’s why online casinos do their best to make players feel secure and taken care of. Players find it more trustworthy if there is a real person handling their problem. As a channel of direct contact and communication, player support is one of the most important departments in an online casino business.

The most crucial elements of great customer support are effectiveness and a positive attitude. The experts should be able to provide answers to any questions or complaints that may arise and be ready to solve any problems and difficulties players may have; their main role is to leave players satisfied with the platform’s service, in turn maintaining the casino’s good reputation.

Compliance specialists also work to ensure a company’s transparency. They handle documentation, payments, and personal data. The compliance team also takes care of the KYC and AML policies. Usually, there should be four customer support operators, with three team members each working eight-hour shifts, and one specialist handling emergency situations.

The more languages your customer support team speaks, the better. They should be able to communicate effectively in English, as it is the most commonly used international language, and other languages depending on the target audience and markets of operation.

Marketing

The marketing team will help you promote your online casino. First of all, there should always be a clear, focused, and sophisticated marketing strategy. It is better to develop the strategy before the launch, in order to set the targets you’ll be aiming for. Marketing specialists will take care of promotion, using various marketing techniques, such as affiliate programs, SEO optimization, email marketing, social media advertisement, etc.

The marketing team suggests which bonuses to offer players and comes up with ideas on how to improve player conversion and retention rates, which have a direct impact on a casino’s profitability. Online casino promotion is a difficult task that requires knowledge and skills, as the online environment is very competitive.

Sales & business development

The sales team is another department that communicates with players directly. These people should have a professional attitude and experience. Sales agents aim to boost the company’s revenue, using tools provided by the marketing team, but shouldn’t discourage players by pressuring them too much. The sales department must be well-prepared for possible questions and agents must know the products and services offered. These professionals should also speak the languages of your players.

Recruitment: land-based casino teams

Legal

Just like online platforms, land-based casinos need a lawyer or a full legal team. These professionals will be responsible for contracts, complaints, licenses, business development, and expansion. Offline casinos require legal experts with a certain level of experience; they should have an understanding of the legislature that regulates brick-and-mortar gambling projects, gambling advertising, employee relations, establishments and territorial locations, etc.

Accounting

Accounting teams are as important for land-based casinos as they are for online platforms. Accountants work with the company’s funds, attending to both internal and external financial processes. In addition, land-based accounting teams are also responsible for all the other transactions that take place in a casino, including cash desks and bars.

Technical team

As with an online casino, technical support should be available around the clock. These professionals work with equipment such as gaming tables and machines, carrying out data collection, supervising monitoring systems, performing maintenance, etc., and should be constantly available to immediately solve any problem that emerges. Technical support professionals should be skilled, efficient, and have experience with land-based gambling establishments.

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Customer service managers

This team is in charge of player support, just like in an online casino. However, these professionals are in more direct contact with players. Apart from general player support, they make sure customers feel comfortable and taken care of within the walls of the casino.

Marketing

Marketing for land-based projects is different from that of their online counterparts, but equally important. These specialists should consider the regulations that govern advertising in a particular jurisdiction, as well as the demands of the market. Brick-and-mortar casinos are well promoted online, just like the websites. They also require social media presence, website and SEO optimization, and special offers and bonuses for players, who often choose a casino according to the benefits it offers. Player retention strategies are as important for land-based casinos as they are for online platforms, but can include additional perks such as complimentary drinks and hotel rooms for high rollers.

Sales

The sales team in a land-based casino plays the same role as for an online platform: professional and experienced employees take care of the acquisition and conversion of the new players. The sales team should speak the languages of the target clients and be able to discuss any topics regarding gambling or the particular casino, including payments, bonuses, etc.

Security

One critical aspect of land-based establishments that operators should never forget is security. While online platforms entrust their security to compliance and technical teams and rely on software, offline business should handle this issue by recruiting a special department — a highly skilled professional security team.

Casino staff

Don’t neglect the importance of hiring professional casino staff to man the floor and run the table games. Casino staff directly interact with your players, meaning the impression they give is essential for your casino’s reputation. They must be upbeat and cheerful but professional, and trained to the point that they either make no mistakes or solve problems quickly and subtly. Make sure they have a professional appearance and speak politely; since your staff represents your casino brand, players must be fully satisfied with their services to come back for more. Your casino staff will most probably include:

• Food and beverage staff
• Hostesses
• Croupiers
• Cleaning staff
• Cashiers and winnings withdrawal
• Valets and drivers

Things operators should keep in mind

Both online and offline gambling businesses are very complex. This can make recruitment seem complicated: this isn’t a question of a couple of people, but a full staff of professionals with experience in the gambling industry.

However, not all specialists have to be employed within the company. Some positions may be covered by outsourcing: when an operator does not see a constant necessity in a particular professional, it is possible to hire external freelance or remote workers. For example, this might be a web designer who would create a sophisticated user experience and an attractive frontend of an online casino platform. Outsourcing will significantly reduce costs and attract highly skilled specialists. To protect your company’s interests, remember to have freelancers sign non-disclosure agreements to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information.

Own Your Own Casino

Some aspects might also be covered by provider companies that offer services for gambling projects, including legal support, gaming content aggregation, backend and frontend software development, or even a comprehensive White Label solution.