Whether you are a beginner or a veteran of the casino hobby world, you have probably heard of social casinos and social gambling.
These social casino institutions or applications offer an alternative approach to casino gaming. So what are these social casino websites?
Through this article, we shall take a look at what social casino gaming is, as well as some of its characteristics relating to availability and legality.
Social Casinos Explained
Social casinos are online websites or applications that offer free-to-play games that are similar to those one would typically find in a regular casino.
It is important to note that these games, although similar to casino games, are not actual gambling games.
This is because no actual real money is used, only a virtual currency earned for free. This makes it so that social casinos are not alternatives to regular casinos, merely simulations of one.
This has its benefits, of course. Casino hobbyists can enjoy a casino-like experience without risking their payroll. While betting is involved, it is exclusively with virtual funds, so players do not even have to spend a dollar.
A lot of the popularity of Social Casinos, as well as the name, came from social media. Social gambling originated on various social media platforms where one could compete with their friends in classic casino games. Players could acquire free money and socially gamble without investing anything but their time.
Finally, while not inherently required, players on Social Casinos can indeed invest their real money if they want to for extra benefits.
To name a few, these benefits include elements like cosmetic items, ad-free games, or free chips. Over the course of the last couple of years, Social Casinos have paradoxically generated a lot of revenue on social media sites even though they are essentially free-to-play platforms.
What are Social Gambling Games?
Seeing as Social Casinos are simulations of land-based and online casinos, a user will be able to find all the traditional casino games. Even though it is not real gambling, players can still play games like slots, blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat, keno, and more.
There are plenty of iGaming software providers working on creating social casino games. Even though these games do not require spending real money to be played, the revenue for the developers is from advertisements or the various cosmetic micro-transactions social casinos offer.
The most popular form of social casino games is on social media like Facebook. Furthermore, the most popular social casino games are usually those that have the most visual appeal, like video slots or games that quickly fill that craving for a good fast-paced game of blackjack.
One of the greatest advantages of these social casino games is the titular social aspect. While playing any game on a social casino, the players can simultaneously interact with their friends and family both in live chat and video form. This is one feature regular online casinos lack.
Are Social Casinos Legal?
The most commonly asked question concerns the legality of social casinos. Is social gambling legal? The answer is a simple yes. This is because there is no real money involved in terms of playing the game. All the gameplay features of casino games are ready and available to the player.
Although players can spend real money for extra benefits, the player does not actually use real money to play or bet on the game. This makes social casinos legal in almost every country globally.
The controversial question arises from the fact that some social casinos offer the option of purchasing free chips for games like slot machines. This somewhat disturbs the free-to-play nature of social casinos as, in this case, the player is technically gambling by purchasing slot machine spins.
Though social games like these are rare, there have been some reports of lawsuits where games have offered the real money purchase of virtual chips. However, cases like these are often avoided, and most social casinos stray from offering any kind of gameplay-related features for real money.
Conclusion
As you can see, social casinos are technically free establishments where players can enjoy casino games for free. These websites are the arguable solution to the casino allure where players can gamble without risking real money.
Even though players have the option of investing real money for extra benefits, the games can be played without spending anything. If you are looking for a way to practice games like blackjack or poker or simply a night of risk-free fun with friends, social casinos may be for you.
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