Casinos have always been social settings. Take the physical casino as an example. People play games while talking to their friends, interacting with dealers, and forging new relationships. The same is evident in online casinos, which now offer live games, allowing players to communicate via in-game audio and video chats. And to take things a notch higher, social casinos have now come up, allowing players to take socialising to the next level. We look at how social casinos real money sites differ from the typical casinos and what makes them the best bet for players who want more social aspects. We will also explore how you can make the most of them.
What Are Social Casinos?
Social casinos allow players to enjoy casino-style games at no cost. Let’s paint the typical picture. A player signs up on such a site and gets virtual coins they can use in the games. These coins represent the cash that online casinos usually require players to invest in wagers. But in this case, they are available for free as they are virtual. The player uses the coins to place wagers on their favourite games. For example, the player can spend 500 coins on a roulette wager – if they lose, their coins reduce, and if they win, they get more coins. The coins are virtual, so the player cannot cash out their earnings but can experience the online casino experience without investing any of their money.
Are the coins unlimited? Not quite. Every player must use their coins wisely to increase their bankroll. Otherwise, if they lose all their coins, they must wait a certain period or complete certain challenges to get more coins. Social casinos also allow players to buy more coins using standard payment methods, e.g., you can spend £5 in real money to get 500 virtual coins.
The Social Side of Social Casinos
Social casinos differ greatly from traditional casinos in the following ways:
- Cost: Social games are free to play and thus do not require cash investments from players. Moreover, players do not have to worry about losing money.
- Legality: Since social casino games do not require cash investments, they are legal in most countries where online casinos are illegal.
And, of course, the social aspects! Most people enjoy these games as they allow them to interact with more people in the following ways:
- Tournaments: These sites allow players to participate in all kinds of tournaments where the winner ranks highest on the leaderboard. It makes the games exciting such that even if players don’t win real money, they can boost their stats by getting ahead of the others. Moreover, they feature levels such that players can move up the ranks by playing and winning more games, enabling them to play against much better players.
- Team challenges: Players get chances to work together to complete challenges. For example, a site may offer a 5,000-coin prize for the team that wins the most games and racks up the most points. A player can join a team where they can contribute to the point tally by playing more games. In these teams, players can interact, offer each other tips, and get to know each other better. Since teams also allow players to find people in their regions, they are great ways to make new friends.
- Social media presences: Social casinos allow players to not only invite their friends to games but also share their results. For example, if a player bags the first prize in a challenge, they can share their win on social media. This feature allows players to share their hobbies with their followers, making gaming a part of their social media presence.
Since the games don’t have real money outcomes, interactions are often friendly, with most players looking out for each other. Of course, a little competition is always evident, but that’s what makes the sites even more fun. With virtual reality technology making its way into this space, it’s only a matter of time before these games get an even bigger following!
