Online Sports betting website using Drupal

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Online Sports betting website using Drupal

I wanted to know how suitable is Drupal for making a sports betting website similar to http://www.sportsinteraction.com/ . I am aware that there are modules like Bookmaker in Drupal which could help . However, I am puzzled about how to handle the user accounts can be extended to keep a track of the money in each individual account. Also I have with me betting scripts purchased from http://sportbettingscript.com/ . Can the same be integrated with Drupal?

Wish to know your thoughts. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

+4 A:

Sports betting is a heavily regulated industry, and while you may be able to use Drupal for the content management, there is no off-the-shelf solution for handling the money of the players. You will have to pass dozens of regulatory audits, appoint legally responsible people, and in most jurisdictions you will also be required to put in a large sum of money in a ring-fenced bank account, just as a security.

Obviously I'm not a lawyer, but I have been involved in the gaming industry for more than four years. Drupal or no drupal, the first thing you would have to sort is the database layer. That would need to get audited by the regulatory body of the specific jurisdiction, along with the control systems and gaming platform. In most cases, there will be so many requests for changes, that the two most feasible options often end up to to be: either building most of the things from scratch; or else partner with a development house that is already accustomed to the regulatory processes.

Daniel Vassallo 2010-04-25 09:04:30

Thanks a lot Daniel for such quick and elaborate response. Really appreciate it. What you said does make lots of sense to me. I was planning to take up this project for a client but what you have written has made me re-think . Thanks again.

Saurabh 2010-04-25 19:29:40

My client says that he has sorted out legal issues . Getting a gambling licence from Costa Rica being one. Also, he seems to be aware of the audits etc. and wants me to go ahead with the project. As far as handling the money goes I feel that since the actual money transactions go they would be secure since the payment gateways would handle them . That apart the Drupal's security can be taken care of by subscribing to their security updates and patching up drupal at regular intervals. Need to know your thoughts on this. Pointers from others are also welcomed.

Saurabh 2010-04-26 04:57:50

@Saurabh: The major issue is not how the player transfers the money from their credit card to your platform, but how the money is handled internally inside the system. Keep in mind that the database will be the only version of the facts on how much money there is in each player account. For example, imagine that I deposit $100 with my credit card, I place several small bets, (and I win some of them), but after a few days I end up with $25 in my betting account. Now imaging that the some data is lost due to a hardware failure or a software bug:...

Daniel Vassallo 2010-04-26 05:26:41

... The only trail that existing of my $100 becoming $25 was inside the database. If the data loss becomes apparent I could claim that I had $500 in my account, and the burden of the proof is often on the betting operator... I'm not implying that there is rocket science into preventing such scenarios, but I'm simply emphasizing that it will be very difficult to use an off the shelf solution and offer such guarantees. That is unless that OTS solution comes for a vendor with sufficient experience in the industry (and such solutions are often far from free and open-source).

Daniel Vassallo 2010-04-26 05:27:12

@daniel thanks a lot for the detailed and prompt reply.

Saurabh 2010-04-26 08:50:33

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Online Sports betting website using Drupal

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