Just read an article in Nettavisen (Norwegian). The national Norwegian lottery/betting company “Norsk Tipping” have finally launched an iPhone friendly version of their lottery web site.
Betting and gaming applications is quite a struggle to get on the platform because of Apple’s strong hold on what is allowed on the device and how the economics work. Norsk Tipping and Buypass has sidestepped Apple in a quite brilliant collaboration between web app and native app.
The brilliance with this solutions is the way a web page communicate with an app installed on the phone. The installed app provide a secure way to authenticate a user and transfer funds so there’s no in-app purchase, just an application that transfers money from your VISA account to your gambling account outside the reach of Apple. The money transferred through the Buypass app is instantly available to your Norsk tipping account.
To be able to use this solution you need to be a registered user of both Norsk tipping and Buypass. Here’s what you need to do:
- Visit http://www.norsk-tipping.no with Safari on either your iPad or iPhone (I’ve only tested it on iPhone yet)
- Press the login button and you get redirected to the buypass website (secure.buypass.no) that checks if you have the application installed.
- As a first user you’ll probably be presented with an page that gives you the option to download the application.
- Before you can authenticate you need to activate the application.
- Enter your phone number, press ok and wait for an SMS.
- Follow the link that comes in the SMS, that redirects you back to the Buypass app where you enter your 11 digit norwegian national ID number, and your 4 digit pin code (twice).
- If the secure.buypass.no site detects that you have the app installed on the phone, it opens up automatically and lets you authenticate. Enter your pin and press ok.
- Safari opens and takes you back to secure.buypass.no, and then redirects back to www.norsk-tipping.no and you have an authenticated user session.
This is a not fully optimal way of getting around the restrictions for gambling, money transfer and purchase but it works, and I’d be willing to do something similar if Pokerstars came to iPads. This should be explored further.. could you have 2 apps communicating through protocols? – Gaming app <-> Banking app? I need to try that….
Again it’s porn and gambling that drives the technology ;)
