Backgammon Cash

The only app where you can play real money head to head backgammon matches against real players in a safe, secure environment.

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Inspiration

I've been playing backgammon for years and recently started playing more on apps because I wanted to get better. Meanwhile, I've always been an avid gambler, and I play skill-based games on the App Store for money when I'm bored. One day I was switching back and forth between my backgammon apps and my betting apps and thought to myself: "Backgammon is a betting game... why aren't there any backgammon apps?" At first, I thought it was a legal issue - but then I spoke to my lawyer and he said that our game is legal to play in 35 states in the USA because backgammon is considered a game of skill. Once I got the legal go-ahead, I hired my dev team and started building the app in December 2024. One year later, in December 2025, we are launched on the Apple App Store!

What it does

Once you verify your identity, you can deposit money into your account that you can use to enter into real-money games of backgammon. You can enter into lobbies with different entry fees, and the higher the entry fee - the higher the prize. You will be matched up against a player of similar skill who is also searching at the same time. You can also set matchmaking notifications to be notified why an opponent is searching on your preferred lobby.

How I built it

Our team built the frontend in Unity and the backend in Node.js. Our backend contains all the logic for the backgammon game and dictates what moves are available to the player. Meanwhile, we have integrated with payment gateways and processors that allow users to make seamless deposits and withdrawals to/from their account.

Challenges I ran into

Our team initially built the app without Unity Photon which was a big mistake, and we had to spend more than 1 month rebuilding the architecture so that the game wouldn't break in the middle of a game due to intermittent connection. Also, payment processors were incredibly difficult to onboard - I recommend getting started with that process of finding a payment processor asap if building a real money gaming app.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Getting the app launched and stable was a big one - super proud of all the rigorous testing that we did to ensure a smooth launch.

What I learned

If you're not technical yourself, always use technical advisor(s) to help you make any big technical decisions.

What's next for Backgammon Cash

We're aiming to take over the US market as the premiere backgammon app, especially for real money players.

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