iNOS – Mobile
Betting Game with M-commerce Functionality
The Football World Cup 2000 was around the corner and iNOS.
a Tokyo based organization wanted to capitalize on the opportunity
to launch its mobile version of ‘Pachinko’ –
usually the gambling halls in Japan. To ‘cash on’
this opportunity, iNOS partnered with Icreon to develop the
application. We developed the application over a secure micro-payment
system. The game implements m-commerce functionality over i-mode
mobile phones with high-end security features.
Customer Profile
iNOS is a Tokyo based organization that was formulated to capitalize
on the Japanese betting market during Football World Cup 2000.
Business Requirement
Gambling is a popular activity in Japan and iNOS wanted to tap
this market during the Football World Cup 2000. In this effort,
iNOS wanted to develop an online betting game that would be
available on i-mode mobile phones.
Solution
Benefits
 Spontaneous
access
Secure
online payments through m-commerce implementations
Catchy
& lively interface
Technologies Used
JSP
Servlet
J2ME
(for developing the interface with I-appli for I-mode phones)
MySQL
JDBC
Requirement
Japan is the second largest economy in the world, with a large
market for gambling. With more than 20,000 Pachinko halls or
gambling parlors, Japan offers large prospects for businesses
dealing with gambling. iNOS wanted to exploit this market during
the World Cup fever. The idea was to launch a mobile-based soccer
betting game. Pachinko – the online game application would
allow users with i-Mode phones to access the game, play the
bets, and make payments online through secure channels.
iNOS and Icreon ventured for developing the solution and tap
the opportunity to satisfy the betting nerves of football lovers.
M-Commerce Integration for Secure
Online Payments
This project was a joint venture between iNOS and Icreon. While
iNOS conceived the idea, Icreon developed the application, just
before the World Cup fever took off. i-Mode mobile phone users
could play Pachinko during daytime. They could also buy World
Cup memorabilia such as, T-shirts, caps, and badges through
the application. Implementing the online payment functionality,
however, was the challenging part. With no pre-defined standards
for making secure online payments through mobile devices, we
developed a micro-payment solution, for the same.
To play the game, a ‘Wallet’ had to be created
with iNOS, for a fixed amount. This was a one-time activity,
after which a unique login ID was created for making online
payments through secure channels. When a bet was won, the
due amount was transferred to the bank account and the winner
can check the balance amount to confirm the transfer.
The application was developed specifically for I-mode phones
(a popular Japanese mobile standard – such as GSM or
CDMA-WLL in India) and the front-end interface was developed
using i-appli. i-appli is a Java-based service, which allows
I-mode users to access & use Pachinko, providing high-end
graphics and simple to use interface. Registered users could
login to the application and bet on the team, scores or players
of their choice. On the backend, JSP was used to communicate
with the MySQL database to authenticate user information and
access data. To manage transactions, a Web-based administrator
module was developed. This module monitored and managed users
and their transactions. Developed on n-tier architecture,
the application allows scalable manageability and speedy access.
The architectural design for the application is displayed
below.
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