Sports Betting App Development – A Comprehensive Guide

Nowadays, due to having accessibility to the safe, legal, and trusted way of placing bets, the sports betting applications managed to gain a massive amount of audience base on their platform.

With a vision to counter illegal gambling, many businesses want to develop their own application because Online sports betting platforms offer users many features that help them safely place bets on their favorite games. 

Moreover, the online market of the online sports betting industry is growing at a tremendous rate, giving a better business opportunity for investors and entrepreneurs looking to enter this profitable market.

As per a report from MordorIntelligence.com, The market size of online sports betting is expected to grow from $63.70B to $109B at a CAGR of 11.34% during the forecast period of 2023 to 2028.

Source:  Mordor Intelligence

In this blog, we will explore the development steps, must-have features, required tech stack, and other essential aspects of developing an Sports Betting app

What Is a Sports Betting App?

The platform offers various forms of legalized gambling, including sports betting,  horse racing, and lottery games.

The app offers users a convenient way to access information about their various betting offerings, place bets, check results, and manage their accounts. This platform adapts to modern technology and provides users with an accessible and easy way to participate in the gambling services.

Must-Have Features In a Sports Betting App

Legal lottery and sports betting app typically involves features that can make users feel more secure and at the same time, give them ease of access. Here are some must-have features:

1. User Registration and Authentication

Enable your users to create accounts securely on your platform using different ways such as e-mail, phone numbers, or social media accounts. 

Moreover, consider implementing robust authentication methods for ensuring user security and safe financial transactions.

2. Sports Betting

In case you are considering developing a sports betting app, then try to implement the following features.

• Real-time odds and betting options for different sports events.
• Live betting for in-game wagers during matches.
• Access to statistics and historical data for informed betting decisions.
• Different betting types (moneyline, point spread, over/under, etc.).

3. Lottery Games

For the lottery games, you can consider adding the following features:

• Displaying the information on current and upcoming lottery draws.
• Including various types of lottery games, such as Toto, 4D, and others.
• Allowing users to buy lottery tickets online.
• Providing notifications and results for winning tickets.

4. Secure Payment Integration

Implement a secure payment gateway such as encryption and ensure compliance with payment industry standards for offering a secure environment for facilitating payments.

5. Notifications

Offer real-time information about upcoming events, game results, promotions, and account activities to keep users engaged by implementing real-time notifications.

6. Live Streaming and Scores

Enhance the user experience and engagement on your app by integrating live streaming of sports events with real-time scores for in-play betting. 

7. Responsible Gambling Features

Promote responsible gambling among your users by including features like setting deposit limits, providing links to responsible gambling resources, and implementing self-exclusion options.

8. Customer Support

Assist your app users with any issues or queries by offering customer support through multiple channels, such as chat, email, or phone.

9. Social Sharing and Community

Implement community features like chat rooms or forums where users can interact and share their bets, wins, and experiences on social media. 

10. Security and Compliance

Prevent fraudulent activities and protect user data and transactions by complying with your app with legal and regulatory requirements in the regions you want to operate.

11. Management Dashboard

Manage user accounts, content, transactions, odds, and other aspects of your app by developing an administrator’s backend dashboard.

12. Localization

Support multiple languages to cater to different languages and regions where you plan to operate. Localization can help you gain a great engagement level for your app.

Remember that the specific features you choose should align with your business goals, audience, and the legal landscape of the regions you intend to operate in. It’s also important to continuously gather user feedback and make improvements to enhance the user experience overall.

How To Develop A Sports Betting App?

There is a requirement for careful planning, development, and compliance with relevant regulations when developing

Here is an overview of the steps to get started with application development.

1. Idea and Conceptualization

Determine the type of game you want to develop, such as lottery, sports betting, or a combination of both. Understand the regularity and legal experts of gaming and betting of the markets you want to target. 

2. Market Research

The next part is market research, where you will study your target audience, and their preferences and inspect your competitors. The market research will help you understand the current situation of the sports betting and lottery industry and let you make informed decisions.

3. Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Making your app comply with legal requirements and regulations related to sports betting and gambling in the regions you want to operate is crucial. Obtain necessary permissions and licenses to ensure your application operates within the legal framework of the markets of decided locations.

4. Hire an app development company

You will need a reliable app development company that can help you with identifying your project needs to launch your app for your targeted market.

Many selection criteria can help you pick a suitable app development company, such as their app portfolios, communication process, expertise in tech stack with the latest software development tools, etc.

Here is more detail about hiring app developers in 2023.

5. Design

The application development you have hired for your project will start working on the design part of your app. The design process will involve creating the front-end part of your app to enable your users to access your app with all the required features and functionalities.

6. Development

The development phase involves creating the decided features and functionalities of your sports betting app. 

In addition to the back-end development, there is the involvement of the integration of advanced technologies such as blockchain technology for secure transactions and artificial intelligence for real-time data analytics and automation.

I. Backend

There is a requirement for creating a robust back-end system for handling transactions, user accounts, data management, odd calculations, etc. Moreover, security is a major aspect during backend development that must be considered for protecting user data and financial transactions. 

II. Payment Integration

Implementing a secure payment gateway will let your app facilitate safe deposits and withdrawals. With payment integrations, you can enable users to purchase in-app products and services.

III. Real-time Data

Offering real-time data is a crucial aspect of your sports betting app, where you can provide up-to-date information among your app users regarding various events and updates for different sports. 

7. Security

Implement some strong security measures to your app to protect user data and transactions and prevent any possible hacking or cheating. 

Consider implementing strong security measures like secure authentication, regular security audits, encryption, etc.

8. Testing

App testing is a crucial part of a development process where the development team will test your app to ensure its seamless functionality, performance, and security. Moreover, the app testing will help the developers to find and fix any bugs or glitches before its final launch.

9. Deployment

After testing your app, you can launch your app to your targeted platform, such as mobile devices (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and website. 

However, when launching your app, ensure that your app is compliant with the respective guidelines and policies of the respective app publishing platform. 

10. Marketing and Promotion

Developing a complete application is not the final part of the app development process. 

The next step is to develop a market strategy to promote your app and expand its reach. You can include different marketing practices such as content creation, social media marketing, partnerships, etc.

11. Continuous Improvement

Upgrading your sports betting app with new features and functionalities, in addition to removing any technical glitches or drawbacks, is a way to offer an enhanced app experience among your users.  Consider staying up to date with the latest technology advancements and implementing them in your app to let them remain competitive in the market.

However, one must ensure that complying with relevant laws and regulation is crucial throughout the entire app development process.

Top 5 Sports Betting App Alternative

Explore the top applications in the sports betting industry that can help you know the business models and common features of popular sports betting apps. 

1. DraftKings Sportsbook

The platform facilitates online sports betting across various games, such as football, baseball, basketball,, hockey, soccer, and big tennis and golf tournaments.

Moreover, DraftKings offers an easy-to-use interface in addition to attractive bonuses and extensive markets where players can enjoy in-play betting on hundreds of sporting events. The players can click on “Live In-Game” option to access a list of events covered with dozens of daily live betting markets.

• Founded in: 2012
• Developed by: Jason Robin
• Available on: Android & iOS
• App Ratings: 4.7
• App Downloads: 5M
• Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

2. BET MGM

BetMGM, an online betting platform, is popular for offering various casino games. The platform is licensed, regulated, and audited in Curacao, which increases its trustworthiness. Players can deposit through various banking options, including Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Skrill, and prepaid cards.

• Founded in: 2018
• Developed by: Kirk Kerkorian
• Available on: Web, Android & iOS
• App Ratings: 3.6
• App Downloads: 5M
• Headquarters: New Jersey, USA

3. PointsBet

One of the best platforms known for offering an enhancing betting experience among popular games, including NBA, NFL, NHL, College Basketball, and more!

PointsBet platform supports many betting types such as money line, live betting, futures, spread, over/under, same game parlays, traditional multi-sport parlay, and live and pre-game. Moreover, the players can access various gaming features, including live streaming, game stat visualizations, live betting odds, daily parlay booster, and a customized rewards program.

The players can even access live sporting events with online casino games in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia!

• Founded in: 2015
• Developed by: Johnny Aitken
• Available on: Android & iOS
• App Ratings: 4.3
• App Downloads: 100K
• Headquarters: Colorado, USA

4. FoxBet

FoxBet platform provides access to a trusted sportsbook that offers a wide range of competitive betting options for almost all kinds of sports.

Moreover, users can bet on live matches in addition to cashing out early. They can enjoy varieties of other features as well, such as same-game parlays, live betting, casino, poker, etc.

The operator has corresponding licenses in New Jersey,  Colorado, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which makes it more trustworthy among betting players.

• Founded in: 2019
• Developed by: Stars Mobile Limited
• Available on: Android & iOS
• App Ratings: 3.7
• App Downloads: 100k
• Headquarters: New York, USA

5. Fanduel Sportsbook

The platform offers an engaging and easy-to-use user interface in addition to fast and safe deposits and withdrawals and sign-on bonuses, and daily promotions.

Players can enjoy multiple betting-relevant features that can provide more thrilling experiences for placing bets, such as live betting, live streaming, casino, daily fantasy, same-game parlays, responsible gaming, and early cash-out. 

FanDuel Sportsbook offers multiple bonuses for enhancing the platform experience even further, such as a sign-up bonus, parlay bonus, loyalty bonus, and promo code.

However, no cryptocurrency options for deposits or withdrawals and limited availability for the online casino are some cons of the platform worth noticing.

• Founded in: 2009
• Developed by: Nigel Eccles, Lesley Eccles, Tom Griffiths, Rob Jones, and Chris Stafford
• Available on: Android & iOS
• App Ratings: 4.7
• App Downloads: 1M
• Headquarters: New York, USA

Tech Stack For Developing An Sports Betting App

Building a sports betting app involves various components to ensure functionality, security, and user experience. Here’s a general tech stack that you might consider for developing a sports betting app:

1. Front-End Development

• Programming Languages: JavaScript (React, Angular, or Vue.js)
• UI Framework: Bootstrap, Material-UI, or a custom CSS framework
• State Management: Redux or MobX
• Routing: React Router or similar library
• Real-Time Updates: WebSocket or WebSockets library for live updates

2. Back-End Development

• Programming Languages: Node.js (JavaScript), Python, Ruby, Java, or other server-side languages
• Web Framework: Express.js (Node.js), Django (Python), Ruby on Rails (Ruby), Spring Boot (Java)
• APIs: RESTful API for communication between front-end and back-end

3. Database

• Relational Database: MySQL, PostgreSQL
• NoSQL Database: MongoDB for flexible data storage
• Caching: Redis for caching frequently accessed data

4. Authentication and Security

• User Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens) or OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication
• Authorization: Role-based access control (RBAC) to manage user privileges
• Data Encryption: SSL/TLS for securing data transmission
• Payment Security: Integration with secure payment gateways

5. Real-Time Data

• Data Feeds: Integration with sports data providers for real-time scores, odds, and game data
• WebSocket: For real-time updates to users (e.g., score changes, game events)

6. Payment and Transactions

• Payment Gateways: Integration with reputable payment gateways for deposits and withdrawals
• Transaction Security: Encryption and compliance with payment industry standards

7. Cloud Services

• Hosting: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Microsoft Azure for scalable hosting
• Server Deployment: Docker for containerization, Kubernetes for orchestration

8. Push Notifications

• Push Services: Firebase Cloud Messaging, Apple Push Notification Service (APNs), or custom solutions

9. Analytics and Monitoring

• Analytics: Integration with analytics tools like Google Analytics or Mixpanel
• Monitoring: Application performance monitoring using tools like New Relic or Prometheus

10. Testing and QA

• Unit Testing: Frameworks like Jest (JavaScript) or JUnit (Java)
• Integration Testing: Ensuring components work together as expected
• Load Testing: Tools like Apache JMeter to simulate heavy user loads

11. Version Control and Collaboration

• Version Control: Git (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket)
• Collaboration: Platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams

Remember that the choice of technologies can depend on factors such as your development team’s expertise, project requirements, scalability needs, and security considerations. 

Additionally, legal and regulatory requirements for sports betting apps can vary by region, so ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Conclusion

Developing an app like Sports Betting App is a complex process that requires an understanding of gambling regulations, user behavior, technology, and responsible practices. 

Developers can create a sports betting app that stands out in a competitive market by prioritizing user experience, leveraging technology, complying with regulations, promoting responsible gambling, and adopting strategic marketing approaches.

Therefore, working with a company experienced with application development in the sports betting industry is the best way to develop.

You can contact our team if you are looking for a company that can help you develop an app and launch them to your targeted market. 

Our team comprises experienced app developers with expert knowledge and experience with sports betting regulations.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with application development for establishing and expanding your online sports betting business.

Email:

[email protected]

FAQ

Q. How to develop a Sports Betting app?

A. sports Betting application can be developed by following by given steps: start working on an app idea and conceptualization, do market research, consider legal and regulatory compliance, hire an app development company, start app design & development, check app security, perform app testing & deployment, do app marketing and promotion.

Q. What are the features to have in Sports Betting Apps

A. These are the following recommended features to develop a Sports Betting App such as user registration and authentication, sports betting, lottery games, secure payment integration, live streaming and scores, responsible gambling features, social sharing, and community, security, and compliance management dashboard, localization, etc.

Q. What are the best Sports Betting Apps?

A. DraftKings Sportsbook, PointsBet, BetMGM, Fanduel Sportsbook, and FoxBet are some of the best alternatives.