Gambling systems overview
For the purpose of this advice, gambling systems have been logically separated into 5 layers:
End-user devices:
The device used by the customer to access the gambling facilities. Some devices may be used in different ways, for example a mobile phone could access via specialised Java applications (‘client application’) provided by the operator or via the phone's built-in browser.
Presentation and formatting:
Components concerned with the presentation and formatting of information that will be displayed on the end-user device and components that provide specialised interfaces for client applications (eg Betting Exchange Client, Casino Client).
Applications:
The software components that process incoming or outgoing information, each providing a particular function, such as settling, or account management.
Data storage:
Where data is physically stored after it has been processed by applications.
External interfaces:
Components that handle communication with external systems, for example, between a sportsbook and a card processing service or Poker Room.
Traditional betting (eg sportsbook) and virtual event gambling (such as casino gaming, arcade, poker, virtual horse racing) systems have been considered separately for several reasons. Virtual event and betting systems use different terminology and have distinct technical impacts on the systems required to support them.
Virtual event systems require random inputs in order to determine the outcome of games, which are normally provided by internal or external Random Number Generators. Virtual event systems may also support multi-player games where multiple players ‘sit’ at the same table (whether they play against each other or against the house) and require systems to support multi-player tables.
Betting systems rely on external sources of information to determine the outcome of bets (e.g. sporting results), which are provided automatically through electronic ‘data feeds’ (e.g. from SIS or PA) or are entered manually.
Many operators offer betting (‘sportsbooks’ or exchanges) and virtual event gambling (such as online ‘casinos’, ‘arcades’, poker). Such operators may have different product offerings hosted by different third party providers. These third party providers may host ‘virtual’ casinos or shared poker rooms for several different operators on the same equipment. The operator allows the customer to purchase chips or tokens to take to the casino. The third party host provides a ‘shadow’ account and transactional systems that keep track of the customer’s chip/token balance and gambling activity (‘bet record’ or ‘game log’).
Shared poker rooms are managed by a provider on behalf of a number of their licensees. As with integrated casinos, players normally purchase tokens/chips, which are transferred to the poker room and held in a shadow account.
The following pages present some simplified diagrams intended to represent the sort of components found in various types of gambling system. Items highlighted with bold text and cross-hatching fulfil our interpretation of remote gambling equipment.
Software can be deployed within remote gambling infrastructures in any number of ways. Although some operators will have dedicated presentation, application, data and interface servers, many operators will not. These logical diagrams do not, therefore, necessarily map directly onto any particular server infrastructure.
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Simplified Sportsbook / Betting exchange model
Last updated: 17 March 2021
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