Social Casinos: The Perfect Way to Gamble Responsibly and Have Fun
What is a Social Casino?
The term ‘Social Casino’ applies to those games you can play online, like those in a land-based casino. You can find them in an app or online on social platforms with an option to purchase the ability to climb leaderboards.
Social casinos focus on fostering a sense of community to engage players. There is a chat feature where players can interact during or after gameplay. Social casinos generate profit by offering in-app purchases that let players buy more tokens, which means that players using social casinos do use their own money in some form.
What is the Difference Between Social Casinos and Online Casinos?
Social Casinos
Social casinos do not offer a real cash payout; online casinos do. Social casinos imitate the gambling experience with games such as blackjack or slots. They are played exclusively with the in-app virtual currency you receive after installing the app or choosing to play on a social platform like Facebook. You can also purchase virtual coins, which allow you to win more virtual prizes.
Social Casino Games Include:
- Casino table games
- Poker
- Roulette
- Bingo
- Card games (Multiplayer)
- Slots
- Blackjack
Social casinos offer a low-risk way to enjoy casino games minus the pressure of spending real money. However, traditional and online casinos offer the chance to win big with a risk of losing money.
Online Casinos
Online slots operators like JeffBet.com offer free play in the form of demo mode, which allows players to try games without using their own money. All demo games are identical to their ‘play for real money’ counterparts, except they do not pay out any cash prizes.
- Online casinos also offer new players generous welcome bonuses, while loyal players can expect other promotional offers such as cash-back and match bonuses.
- Bonus money can be used instead of a player’s cash. However, there are rules and some restrictions attached to casino bonus money, so always read through the terms and conditions before opting in.
- High-end online casinos like JeffBet implement a rewards program where players can complete specific tasks that earn points.
- Higher levels and badges are earned the more a player plays. Exclusive advantages and offers can be redeemed at the ‘Rewards Store’, which includes first access to new games, free spins, and special deposit bonuses.
- Online casinos offer a wide range of casino and live casino games, which take place in real-time, streamed from a brick-and-mortar casino studio. Live online casino games are about as close as you can get to walking into the lobby of a traditional casino without leaving the comfort of your home.
- Players at online casinos can win cash prizes of real money, and some of the cash prizes can be life-changing. However, it must be noted that ‘playing to win’ is not a wise option, as all online casino games should first be played for entertainment value.
What are the Similarities Between Social and Online Casinos?
- Both casino types strive to provide safe, secure, and entertaining environments to play in.
- Both aim to entertain players slightly differently by letting them enjoy the thrill of casino games. They simply monetize their games in different ways.
- The rules and regulations of the platform protect Social casinos on social media platforms like Facebook. Under-age gambling of any type is banned, just like underage gambling at an online casino.
- Online casinos adhere to the rules and regulations of reputable Gambling Commissions or Gaming Authorities and require an up-to-date gambling license to operate.
Interestingly, 46% of those who play or have played at social casinos do so to alleviate boredom, whilst only 29% visit them for social reasons. For the percentage of players who started playing at social casinos and moved to gambling, 70% reported that it was the opportunity to win real money that helped them make the transition.
Please note that all gambling can lead to a gambling problem, and if you think that either yourself or a significant other might be in some type of issue, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of problem gambling.
Sites like GAMSTOP and BeGambleAware.org can help and advise players how to gamble responsibly, such as setting time limits and a budget to enjoy gaming further.
This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics’ disclosure policy.
