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Case Study

VantageBet — Designing trust into every touchpoint of an iGaming platform

A full-stack product design project: 25 screens, complete design system, responsible gambling built in from the start — not bolted on.

Role: Product Designer & PM Platform: iOS & Android Screens: 25 Year: 2025
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01
01 — Problem

iGaming apps are built to convert, not to be trusted

7 industry problems shaped every design decision in this project. Each is specific, sourced, and addressable through design.

01
Regulatory pressure is rising — RG UX isn't keeping up
Most operators bury responsible gambling in settings menus. The MGA and UKGC are tightening requirements as a direct consequence.
02
Fraud is surging at the deposit phase
Sumsub's 2024 report found a 56% rise in AI-generated document submissions and account takeovers during iGaming onboarding.
03
Onboarding breaks at verification
"Frictionless" sign-up weakens fraud defense. Generic failure messages at KYC cause real users to abandon — permanently.
04
A failed deposit loses a player in 60 seconds
A declined deposit shown as a generic error code sends users directly to a competitor. First-failure recovery is the highest-risk design moment.
05
Fragmented regulation creates UX inconsistency
EU, UK, and MGA markets each have different rules for bonus display, KYC depth, and messaging — requiring a system built for market variance.
06
Promotions feel predatory
Hidden wagering terms, countdown timers, and dark-pattern urgency are drawing increasing regulatory scrutiny across every licensed market.
07
Trust is now a product differentiator
Users and regulators expect transparency, not minimum compliance. An operator that earns trust early retains players longer and survives audits better.
VantageBet Mobile Experience

A unified casino and sports betting experience designed for faster discovery and confident play.

VantageBet brings casino discovery, live experiences, sports betting, rewards, and account management into 1 focused mobile product. The design system balances high-energy game content with clear interaction patterns, transparent betting controls, and a consistent experience across light and dark modes.

Richer Discovery

Original game artwork, stronger category navigation, and personalised content make the catalogue easier to scan and explore.

Confident Interaction

Clear CTA hierarchy, accessible betting controls, and interaction-safe layers keep key actions visible and usable at every step.

1 Flexible System

A consistent component system supports casino, sports, rewards, and account journeys across both light and dark modes.

Design Principles

3 principles that shaped every decision

1
Safe by design, not as an afterthought

Responsible gambling, fraud prevention, and payment reliability are designed into primary flows. Not in settings menus, not in the fine print.

2
Fast, but transparent

Registration and payments move quickly. Every step explains why we ask for data, shows visible progress, and gives honest wait times.

3
1 wallet, clear journeys

Unified balance for sports and casino. Real money, bonus, and locked funds are visually distinct — at every touchpoint, not just the wallet screen.

02
02 — Design System

A token-based system built for regulatory complexity

The system had to work across regulated markets where bonus visibility, KYC depth, and messaging vary by jurisdiction — while keeping a consistent, trustworthy feel.

DM Sans — Display & Headings

Display / 56px / 700
VantageBet
H1 / 26px / 700
Event Markets
H2 / 22px / 600
Live Betting
Odds / 18px / 700 / tabular
1.20 → 3.45 → 12.00

Inter — Body & UI

Body / 15px / 400
Every step explains why we ask for data. Visible progress, honest wait times.
Body Strong / 15px / 600
Real money balance: €245.00
Caption / 12px / 400
Last updated 2 minutes ago
Usage rule
Inter handles all data-dense UI — forms, bet history, transactions. DM Sans is reserved for headings and all odds values.

Brand & Semantic Palette

#1B4FD8
Cobalt — CTA
#5B8AF5
Cobalt Light
#0DBFB0
Teal — Live
#0E9E6C
Emerald — Win
#E8871A
Amber — RG
#D63B3B
Crimson — Error

Light Mode

Card surface
Raised surface

Dark Mode

Card surface
Raised surface

Balance type system — why 3 distinct colors?

€245.00
Real money
€50.00
Bonus funds
€20.00
Locked

Industry benchmark: 1 in 4 withdrawal complaints across licensed operators stem from players expecting bonus funds to be withdrawable. Color-coding at every touchpoint — not just the wallet — is the primary design intervention.

Buttons
Odds Buttons — states
Man City2.10
Draw3.45
LiverpoolSusp
Man City2.40 ↑
Tags & Badges
LiveNewBonusSuspended
RG Nudge Card
You're near your daily limit
€45 of your €50 daily deposit limit used. Manage limits anytime.
Limit Progress Bars — color transitions
Daily deposit€45/€100
Weekly loss€83/€100
Monthly spend€200/€200
Balance Chips
€245.00
Real money
€50.00
Bonus
Skeleton Loading
01
Odds use DM Sans Bold at 18pt with tabular numerals

Odds values change in real time. Without font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums, changing from 1.20 to 12.00 shifts the button width mid-event — disorienting in a live context. DM Sans was chosen over Inter for faster scan speed at high sports market density.

02
RG nudges use amber, never red

Red in this system means error or block — payment failed, account flagged. Using red for RG nudges creates false urgency and trains users to dismiss them. Amber frames the message as awareness, not alarm. This is a deliberate signal hierarchy decision, not an aesthetic one.

03
Flat depth model — elevation through surface color, not shadow

On iOS dark mode, drop shadows appear artificial against near-black surfaces. Elevation is communicated through background layering alone — each level 8–12% lighter than the one below. This matches native iOS dark interface expectations and avoids the heavy, dated aesthetic common in legacy gambling apps.

03
03 — User Flows

6 flows designed around the industry's hardest problems

04
04 — Screens

25 screens, 1 coherent dark ecosystem

Every screen was rebuilt for interaction safety and visual richness — original illustrated casino artwork, a complete category system, and no overlay ever blocking a primary action. Toggle light/dark to see the system hold across both modes.

05
05 — Decisions

The choices that define this product

Industry standard
Settings
Account details
Payment methods
Responsible gambling ›
Buried, grey, ignored
VantageBet
Near daily limit
€45 of €50 used
Surfaced at deposit — calm, amber
Decision 01
RG as a trust signal, not a compliance checkbox

Most operators treat responsible gambling as a settings menu item. We designed it as a contextual trust signal — something users encounter at the moment of risk, not in a menu no one opens.

RG nudges appear at deposit, the RG Hub is reachable in 2 taps from any screen, and session time persists in the in-game HUD. Amber keeps the tone informational rather than alarming.

Decision 02
Payment failure recovery keeps players in the flow

A declined deposit is the highest-risk moment for player churn. Generic error codes send players to competitors in under 60 seconds.

The sheet never closes on failure. The specific decline reason is explained in plain language. Alternatives load inline — the user never has to navigate away to try again.

Generic error
Payment failed
Error code 4003
VantageBet
Card limit reached
Try instead:
Apple Pay
Add new card
Width stability under real-time odds change
Home1.20
Draw3.45
Away12.00
Button width is identical at 1.20 and 12.00
CSS applied
font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
font-family: 'DM Sans';
font-weight: 700;
Decision 03
Odds typography prevents layout shift on live updates

Without tabular numerals, changing from 1.85 to 12.00 shifts the button width mid-event — a jarring reflow during live matches where 12 markets can update simultaneously.

tabular-nums ensures every digit occupies the same width. Stable layout regardless of whether the value is 1.20 or 12.00.

Decision 04
Dark mode depth through surface layering, not shadows

On iOS dark mode, drop shadows look artificial — a white glow on near-black feels detached from the surface system that users have been trained by native apps.

Each surface level is 8–12% lighter than the one below. 4 levels, no shadows. This is exactly what native iOS dark interfaces do, and users recognise it instantly as quality.

4 surface levels — no shadows anywhere
App background#0A0C14
Card surface#13172A
Raised card#1A1E35
Overlay#22263A
Balance type at every touchpoint
€245.00
Real money — withdrawable
€50.00
Bonus — wagering required
€20.00
Locked — pending review
Industry benchmark
1 in 4 withdrawal complaints stem from users expecting bonus funds to be withdrawable — iGaming Business, 2024
Decision 05
Balance color coding reduces the industry's most common complaint

Real money, bonus, and locked funds each carry a distinct color at every touchpoint — wallet, deposit sheet, bet slip, transaction history. Not just the main wallet screen.

Bonus confusion is the single largest driver of player complaints and chargebacks in licensed iGaming. Color at the point of action is the prevention — not a terms screen no one reads.

06
06 — Outcomes

What this design is built to move

This is a portfolio project. Metrics represent design hypotheses based on published iGaming industry benchmarks from Sumsub, iGaming Business, and UK Gambling Commission research (2024–2025). No live operator data.

07
07 — Process

How this was built

Phase 1
Discovery
Researched 7 core iGaming industry problems using operator reports, Sumsub fraud data, MGA/UKGC regulatory guidance, and player behavior research. Every design decision links back to a documented discovery note.
Phase 2
Architecture
Defined 6 user flows and a 50+ screen inventory, mapping every problem to a design response. Each flow was documented as a spec before visual work began.
Phase 3
Design System
Built a token-based system: typography (DM Sans + Inter), semantic color palette for light and dark mode, and iGaming-specific components — odds buttons, RG nudge cards, balance chips, limit progress bars.
Phase 4
Screen Design
Designed 25 screens across 7 flows using the design system as the single source of truth. Every screen includes loading, empty, and error states.
Phase 5
Documentation
Produced this case study as a navigable HTML artifact — reflecting the documentation-as-build-input philosophy used throughout the project.

Project at a glance

25
Screens designed
7
User flows
2
Font families
50+
Design tokens

Tools used

Figma
Claude AI
React Native
Supabase
VS Code
Lovable
NEXT · 04
Surf Marketplace

A 2-sided marketplace across web, customer app, and seller app designed around shipped product ownership.

INTERACTIVE PRODUCT CONCEPT

Want to explore the full experience?

Open the interactive prototype to explore casino discovery, sports markets, wallet states, account controls, and light or dark modes.

VantageBet is an independent portfolio concept. It is not a live operator; all product data shown inside the prototype is demonstrative.

LOADING PROTOTYPE
View prototype