Problem Statement
As we all know quite well, gambling is not simply a phenomenon of
modern culture. Gambling, in one form or another, has been a human pastime
spanning cultures and eras since, perhaps, the advent of money itself. But the
technological revolution of the past 20-30 years has given a new face and feel to
the traditional forms of gambling parlors. The casinos themselves have been
miniaturized to fit within a personal computer, to be accessed by anyone with a
valid credit card and Internet access.
Widespread Internet access has given way to a slew of online casinos,
some good, others not; Some secure and trustworthy, others not so much. Big
name casinos such as GoldenPalace.com, 888.com, and grandonline.com have
become huge moneymakers for their developers. They offer a multitude of
games such as slots and card games, and other traditional casino games such
as roulette, keno, and craps. In addition, there are often multiple variations of
each game available at the larger online casinos.
But as is often the case, the online casinos were not content with the
niches they had carved for themselves. Recently, due to the ever-increasing
popularity of web-enabled wireless devices, online casinos have made the big
push for online interactive gambling wirelessly. With new advances in the
wireless networks’ ability to handle increasing amounts of data transmission, this
goal has become possible. WinwardCasino (http://www.winwardcasino.com/)
was the first large online casino to break through to the wireless medium, and
continues to lead the pack in this area. They are now offering wireless gambling
to those with web-enabled PocketPC or PalmOS devices.
iCasino would also like to bring the fun and excitement of real-life
gambling to the wireless platform, but with a slightly different end goal. First,
while wireless casinos such as Winward are developing applications for high-end
web-enabled platforms like PocketPC or PalmOS, iCasino would like to bring the
fun of gambling to the much cheaper and more accessible web-enabled wireless
phone. Second, most online casinos are in the market for profit. iCasino is not.
Users pay nothing for their credits, credits that can be exchanged for ring tones
for their phone. The excitement of iCasino comes with competing with other
players around the world for a spot on the elite Top 10 List.
While iCasino may not be glitzy or overloaded with graphics, it does offer
a fun way to gamble 24 hours a day no matter where you are at no cost. Simply
create an account, then play. Our trademarks are usability, simplicity, anytime
access, and fun!
Technical Specifications
Coding Languages
Wireless Markup Language (WML)
 WML will be used to encode all display screens viewed from the
wireless device. PHP will be embedded within a good portion of the
WML, enabling dynamic page generation.
PHP
 PHP was chosen as the language to be used for the creation of the
game modules as well as all login and statistical reporting
operations due to its compatibility with mySQL and Apache servers.
PHP offers comprehensive session management, which is
extremely important for wireless-based applications. Its simple
language structure and support for object-oriented programming
was also a plus.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
 HTML will be used to encode all display screens for our group and
project websites. Again, PHP will be embedded within the HTML in
many cases.
Hardware
Wireless Phone
 A web-enabled wireless phone will be necessary to view and
interact with the iCasino application. Though most any wireless
phone will work, one with a large viewing screen will provide ease
of use.
Server
 A server is fundamental to the iCasino application. It will store all
static files, and dynamically generate files using PHP. In addition,
the server will house a mySQL database used to register and keep
track of users. iCasino will use http://www.desensei.net/ as its
primary server, as it offers all the functionality that we require.
 Backup servers are also necessary to ensure user access in case
of emergency and data redundancy in case of error. Plus, it’s just
plain smart to have a backup. We will be using _______________
as backups, as they offer all the functionality that we require.
Personal Computer
 Whether it be a desktop or laptop, a web-enabled personal
computer will be necessary to transfer files to the server, setup and
maintain the database, and, in general, to create and test files
before implementation. Users may also need a personal computer
to create an account or to view statistics.
Technical Specifications
Software
Code Editor
 In order to create and edit code, whether it is WML, HTML, or PHP,
a code editor will be necessary. Windows Notepad, PICO, and
Macromedia Dreamweaver (HTML specific), among others, will be
used for code creation.
WML Viewer
 While most cell phones contain pre-installed WML browsing
software, personal computers do not. In order to test and browse
WML pages on a personal computer, we will use OpenWave’s
UP.Simulator 4.1.
HTML Viewer
 An HTML viewer is necessary to view the group or project
websites, as well as for creating an account without using the cell
phone interface. The viewer must also support PHP. Microsoft
Internet Explorer or Mozilla are common choices for such
functionality.
File Transfer
 In order to move files from a local machine to the server, a secure
file transfer application will be necessary. While Microsoft Internet
Explorer offers some functionality in this department, SSH Secure
Shell is the preferred file transfer application due to its strengthened
security and extended functionality as a telnet interface.
Database
Database/Table Creation
 In order to create and maintain a database and its tables, we will be
using mySQL. mySQL is well supported by PHP programming, and
our server host has made it easily available.
Database Acesss
 The user will never directly access the database. Instead, the
interface will shuttle information back and forth between user and
database, sustaining only a brief connection to the database.
Access to the database tables will be extremely secure, available
only to those with designated Administrator status.
Database Security
 SQL injection is a big concern for any database-reliant application.
PHP v.4 offers protection from SQL injection, and preliminary
testing has shown this.