The online gambling market is one of the most rapidly growing areas of digital entertainment. Every day, millions of players are playing casino games online, and there is no indication of slowing down. For entrepreneurs, there is a great opportunity to build a profitable business with this new wave of gaming and entertainment. However, starting an online casino business is not as simple as just launching a website with games. Not only will it take comprehensive planning and developing the legal permission to deploy online casino software, including the correct gaming software, but you will also need a comprehensive and thought-out marketing strategy. 

This guide will help break down each area of launching an online casino in an uncomplicated approach to better understand how to start an online casino, to prevent common mistakes, and ultimately set you in the right direction for the long run.

Step 1: Research the Market and Plan

Planning is a crucial component of success. Think of the following questions: who are your influencers? What games do they like to play?  Additionally, do your research and investigate the trends and regulations in online gambling. When you know your consumers, trends and competition, you can create a good plan. Consider adding a couple of bullet points based on your objectives, budget, and advertising concept. For example:

• Target Audience: Age, Country, Interests.
• Competitors: Who are your competitors (other casinos) and what are they providing?  
• Goals: What sets your casino apart from others (i.e., unique games, best bonus).

Quantumgaming also suggests: Put together a detailed step by step plan to support the growth you want to develop. The research you do will tell you what to do next.

Step 2: Get Licensed and Address Legal Issues

Online casinos are important to comply with the law. Before you even open, you will also need to obtain a gambling license from a government regulator. Online casinos need to obtain their licenses, like terrestrial casinos. It may take you months to get your license. For example, a Malta license alone takes upwards of 6 months. You should plan on applying for your license early. You will also need to do things like register your company and open a bank and merchant account. Some of the important tasks include:

• Select a country: You will need to determine which country’s license works for your budget and market.
• Apply for your license: Complete the applications and pay the licensing fees (this often takes several months).
• Set up your company: Register your business and open a bank and merchant account.

You want to complete each of these requirements in this order, and ensure you are legal. Missing any one of these items could create large problems for you.

Step 3: Build Your Casino Website

Now it is time to design the site where your players will play. Your site needs to be fast, functional, and secure. The casino website must be functional and error-free. This process starts with choosing a good domain name and a reliable hosting service. The domain should be simple and easy to spell. Choose a hosting service that is reliable and can accommodate a lot of traffic. After that, you can focus on the actual design of the site, making the menus clear, ensuring pages load quickly, and adding security features like SSL to protect player data. You may end up working with web developers or may use a casino platform provider. Many companies will provide you with a complete (or also known as a white label) casino solution (pre-made platforms), which come with games, payments, and support.

• Clear layout: Should display intuitive menus and navigation.
• Security features: SSL encryption and strong logins.
• Essential pages: Player account, game lobby, and cashier pages.

At the end, you want to have a functioning casino website that players can log into and play. Be sure to test your site thoroughly to ensure there are no bugs prior, to launching the site. Remember, this can take some time; as a guideline; setting the software up alongside your site could take up to approximately 3 months.

Step 4: Select Games and Software

Now it's time to fill your casino with games, which may be the easiest part of this entire process. You need to make decisions about what types of games you want to have and how many. Typical games you should consider include: slots, poker, roulette and blackjack. Try to balance your games between more traditional offerings and newer games. So, game selections are critical because they affect player engagement and revenue generation. You should consider the player's interests; some prefer slots, others prefer table games. Some important things to consider include:

• Providers of games: Will you partner with certain software providers (like NetEnt or Evolution), or partner with an aggregator that has many games from multiple providers?
• Game types: Make sure you at least have slots, poker, blackjack, roulette, esports games etc.
• Cross compatibility: Make sure you have game software that is compatible with both desktop and mobile devices. You have a casino platform that will make it easier to integrate the games into your platform. You should also consider the types of promotions you will offer. For example, welcome bonuses, free spins and promotions that will attract the player. 

However, many new casinos initially start with about 500 games and slowly expand. Remember, this step can take a long time, as you meet with vendors and sign contracts, and then load games onto your site.

Step 5: Establish Payment Systems

Players must be able to easily deposit and withdraw funds. Integrate as many relevant payment methods as you can. Making sure all payments are working. Also consider things like:

• Credit cards: Must have Visa and MasterCard.
• E-Wallets: For example, Skrill, Neteller or PayPal.
• Bank transfer: Local banking options or a service like Trustly. 
• Cryptocurrency: Offer either Bitcoin or Ethereum to the gamers.

Sign up with the payment providers in your market and integrate their systems on your site. Make sure the transactions are secure and that your site is fully protected with encryption and offers other industry-standard, secure features. After everything’s integrated, you must also test all options yourself. When the payment process is easy and works, players build trust and have positive service experiences at your casino.

Step 6: Marketing Your Casino and Launching

When you're done building the site, it's time to launch and market the site aggressively. It's time to get players to your casino. You should keep an eye on your metrics after launch and keep improving. Some of the key things for launching are:

• Content & SEO: You should have published content that is helpful such as game guides or casino FAQs because this is helpful for people when needing to find your casino in search engines.
• Paid ads & affiliates: Online advertisements or using affiliates to drive traffic in your direction.
• Bonuses & promotions: Offers welcome bonuses and free spins, deals like these are very common among online casinos, and don't forget about cashback offers.
• Social Media: Announcing your launch on social channels or gaming forums will help.

Make sure to track which tactics are driving players to the casino so that you can adjust accordingly. However, continually optimizing your site over time to convert the gaming traffic to players. You should now have a well-marketing plan and good offers in place for your casino to successfully launch.

Step 7: Supporting Players and Building Loyalty

Once players join, the goal is to support them so they keep playing. Give them the best customer support you can, 24/7. You provide several options for players to be supported: live chat, email or social media as ways that they can get support and for quick help, also build loyalty: 

• Provide 24/7 support: You aren't on call, but try to answer any questions players have as fast as you can at any hour of the day.
• Loyalty programs: Give rewards for playing frequent games or participating in your casino's offerings.  Examples include points and point clubs, VIP players, leaderboards, etc. 
• Guides and FAQs: Provide players tutorials or FAQS pages including rules of the game so if they are new they know what to do if there are options they haven't seen before. 
• Build strong support: You are consistently listening to consistent feedback from players. Make it clear you are fixing issues ASAP.  Having great support and virtually rewarding players will earn their trust in your casino and keep them playing.

Conclusion

Starting your own online casino is a huge project, and it takes time, patience, and strict regulatory compliance. By following these steps - identifying your target market, acquiring a gaming license, building a secure, reliable and convenient casino website, integrating the games and payment methods you require and incorporating your marketing and support processes, you can be sure to set your online business on a path to long term success.

FAQS

How long does opening an online casino take?

To open an online casino would take 6-12 months mainly due to licensing, platform set up, and compliance checking. 

What is the best license for online casinos?

Popular licensing includes Malta, Curacao, or Gibraltar licensing. The best licensing will depend on your market and budget.

Do I need my own software to open an online casino?

No. A lot of operators use turnkey or white label software from providers which can save your time and money.

What is the most effective way to get players to play your online casino?

Using a combination of SEO, paid ads, affiliates, bonuses and free spins on promotions can help drive new players to your online casino while looking for regulars as well.