A social casino app, by definition, is an app or website where you can take part in your favorite casino games such as roulette, video poker, Slingo, and blackjack while enjoying the company of your online friends. These games can be enjoyed from your laptop, desktop, and mobile phone, and allow you to connect with friends from across the globe.
A social casino differs from online gambling as this form of entertainment doesn’t involve real money. These games are for entertainment purposes only. Some casinos will offer recreational app services to keep their customers interested when they aren’t at the casino, but there are independent companies out there who also create these apps.
If you’re interested in joining a social casino, there are a few things you’ll need to know so that you don’t start completely green.
Pricing
Most games are free to download and play and tend to earn money through the available in-app purchases. Players bet and receive virtual coins, so when you run out, you’ll need to purchase more with real money or wait until the next restock happens so that you can continue to play.
Note that this is not gambling, simply paying to continue to play, and real money isn’t actually on the table.
There are free alternatives that enable you to request coins from friends on the app, recommend the game to a friend or watch video ads for a top-up. These free options boost the number of players on the app, ultimately earning the creators more money.
Playing With Your Friends
Aside from being able to gift your friends’ coins so that they don’t have to spend money, there are various other reasons you should play social casino games with your friends. You’re able to chat and share tables while enjoying a game of poker and can organize special events, competing with them to rank on the leaderboard.
Social Casinos vs Online Casinos
Like most things in life, both social and internet casinos have advantages and disadvantages.
Social casinos aren’t real gambling but are a great way to hone your skills for the real thing. There is also a wider game variety for you to enjoy, and it is legal in jurisdictions that would typically prohibit online casinos. Social casinos are perfect for those who don’t gamble for moral, religious or personal reasons without any monetary risk.
Online casinos involve real gambling and are sometimes illegal, depending on the jurisdiction. Players involved risk losing a lot of real money, and there are often various moral implications involved when playing.
The most significant difference between the two casinos is that online casinos involve real gambling and actual risk. This difference can lead to many other differences, such as the ones mentioned above.
Social casinos take the risk out of the picture and allow you to enjoy all the fun and excitement of a casino without potentially losing large sums of money. These apps also offer a more extensive variety to those who play on them, and you don’t have to worry about lingering scammers looking to rob you of your fortune.
What’s more, social casinos also offer various fun features such as customizable avatars, storylines in the game, tournaments, and new challenges, and games that will enable you to progress in the game.
Social casinos are better suited to mobile devices as major download sites such as Google Play won’t host gambling apps. Choosing this option allows you to have more flexibility regarding when, where, and what you play.
The Downside of Social Casinos
Despite removing real money from the picture, social casinos still involve some risks. Though it is not real gambling, this social replica can still spark an addiction and lead players to the real thing.
When these games become more accessible, it normalises the idea of gambling. It can desensitise players when they find themselves in a real-life gambling situation, possibly causing them to overspend and lose money.
Another pitfall of this area in the industry is that while you think that it’s a great way to play your favorite games for free, you’ll very quickly find yourself roped into spending money on their pay-to-win schemes that allow you to purchase more plays, gifts for friends and bonuses.
These voluntary expenses can add up quickly, and soon you’ll find yourself spending large sums of money on a fictional game where you have no chance of earning it back again.
If you decide to download a social casino app, make sure you stick to your budget so you can track your spending and avoid racking up a large credit card debt that will leave you in a worse financial situation than if you were to gamble in a real casino.