Gambling
What Is Gambling?
With the growth of mobile devices and the application industry, the online gambling market has also tremendously changed and evolved over the last decade. The global gambling online industry is rapidly growing and is expected to hit $102.97 billion by 2025 according to a new report made by Grand View Research, registering a CAGR of 11.5% from 2019 to 2025. For testing a gambling software, a special set of qualifications and approaches are needed as the gambling industry has many rules and regulations that testing engineer must understand and apply. Gambling software tester has to understand not only the basic structure of testing itself but also the unique set of concepts of the gambling industry ecosystem. These concepts include operating systems, hardware, software, mathematics, and visual and auditory functionality. To ensure the game meets all the above-mentioned demands, foundation level testing principles must be expanding in other testing types, such as compliance testing, return to player calculation testing and player perspective testing. In this part, we are going to discuss why the gambling industry requires specific testing, types of gambling, gambling industry metrics and some aspects of the gambling software development lifecycle.
Why gambling software requires a special approach?
There are some specific testing types not included in other testing areas such as:
Gambling industry ecosystem
Specialized hardware, operating systems licensed by the gambling industry.
Gambling industry compliance testingWith over 440 jurisdictions worldwide, gambling industry games have many rules and regulations they must comply with.
Fun factor or player perspective testingThis unique approach covers aspects concerning the entertainment specifics of the product. Gambling software is designed not only to work accurately but also to provide pleasure. It requires special attention to game design, user group information, etc.
Math testingWhat triggers different types of payout behavior and to understand financial return to the player and how these triggers can be treated by different parameters gambling software tester must understand math testing).
Audio testingSpecial sound effects or music is very important for software. However, in gambling industry entertainment and engagement role of the sound is crucial. Sound must play without stopping or missing elements. Hence, gambling audio testing requires advanced audio skills, specific understanding of game audio.
Multiplayer testingWhen many players interact with casino games, computer-controlled opponents, game servers, or each other, we deal with multiplayer systems. The type of testing performed with such a system is known as multiplayer testing. This type of testing is performed, when many players are simultaneously interacting with casino games, computer-controlled opponents, game servers, and each other. Understanding multiplayer game design and how to test it efficiently is required knowledge for this type of testing.
Interoperability testingThe testing of the system, when software communicates with other software, systems, and/or components Casino/Video Lottery games is known as interoperability testing. Gambling software must implement interloper.
Types of Gambling
According to the ISTQB Gambling industry tester specialist syllabus, there are four types of gambling – casino games, lottery systems, race and sports wagering, and online and mobile gambling. There are three categories of casino games - table games(roulette, blackjack, baccarat or poker), electronic gaming machines, shortly EGMs (video lottery terminals, known as VLTs or slot machines) and random number ticket games (random number ticket games such as Keno and simulated racing).
Two types of lottery games are popular - traditional lottery tickets and instant tickets.
As we have mentioned, the gambling industry uses some of ISTQB foundation level test metrics. However, there is a specific set of metrics required for the gambling industry.
First pass percentage: This metric is important as receiving it for a gambling product is related to the product cost and its release. If the product does not receive the first pass, there are extra costs for additional development, testing, and product certification. A gambling product that does not receive the first pass is delayed from entering the market until it is certified.
Escape compliance defects: These are for defining the escaped defects that do not comply with the jurisdictional rules or regulations and are found by the ITL (Independent testing lab) or in the field.
The resubmittal factor is the number of times a game must be resubmitted to the ITL to pass certification testing.
The number of revocations defines how many games have been pulled from the field per period, due to escaped compliance defects.
The Gambling Software Development Lifecycle
The Gambling Software Development Life Cycle follows the ISTQB® sequential development model.
The Gambling Software Development Life Cycle consists of several phases. Let us briefly speak about them. It starts from Game Concept and Design phase, when the game and sound designers, artists, video, and gambling experts, software architects and game developers, and gambling jurisdictional experts create a game prototype. The second is the Alpha phase (don’t mix with alpha testing) when gameplay functionality is developed and implemented, math functionality is completed, video and audio components are partially finished, and the game contains the major features. Black-box testing, especially functional, usability testing, exploratory testing, regression testing, math testing, and RTP testing occur. The next phase is called the “Code Complete phase” when all features, audio, video, and math components are completed.
The fourth phase is the Beta Build phase (again, don’t mix it with the beta testing) when testing continues until no failures occur that prevent the game from being certified.
The Gambling Software Development Life Cycle is completed with the Release Build phase when the final build receives the final certification signoff to be sent to gaming establishments or made available online.
Conducting a gambling industry testing suggests the testing team has to understand both the general idea of testing and a special set of gambling industry ecosystem specific concepts. This ecosystem is filled with proprietary, complex, and multifaceted gambling software, hardware, platforms, firmware, and operating systems.
Here, in TestingArt LLC, our ISTQB certified Gambling industry testers can handle any industry-specific challenge. What we care about is your software quality.
Benefits:
● Reduce the risk of a program malfunctioning in an already high-risk gaming industry
● Define typical test practices by describing the standard software development and testing methodologies within the gambling industry
● Verify gambling hardware and software certification which is the main difference between the gambling industry and other industries
● Implement established techniques for designing tests aligned with gambling specific needs
● Appreciate the importance of jurisdictions and regulatory bodies in the gambling industry
● Highlight and test specific quality attributes within the gambling industry
