More and more casino players are bringing social media and their love for gambling together in one place. Welcome to the world of the social casino!
Playing social casino games
From traditional, land-based casinos right up to their cutting-edge online counterparts, players in 2018 are absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to the sheer range of options available to suit every mood and taste.
With the internet’s rapid rise to power came the big online casinos boom, with the majority of players opting to enjoy a spot of gambling whenever and wherever they like across different mobile devices. Smartphones quickly shot to fame, and with that the accelerated development and popularity of social media platforms.
These days, any casino worth its salt will maintain a strong social media presence, whether that’s on Facebook (the most widely-used platform), Twitter, Instagram or indeed all of the above.
What is a social casino?
The term ‘social casinos’ can refer to gambling activities taking place via social media with countless operators continuously creating and developing games to be player specifically on these online platforms and connected to their existing social media profiles.
Facebook currently holds the largest slice of the pie, with around 61% of market share in the bag (the industry as a whole is thought to be worth worth over €2 billion today).
Loads of free-to-play options available to the modern player, and this seemingly-small detail is actually a huge draw for social players, who seem to revel in the fact that they can choose to play and win on any device, anywhere, at any time—given that they’ve got an internet connection, of course. But what else makes this gambling phenomenon so popular?
The answer to this is as old as the history of gambling itself: it’s the social aspect. Social media has made it possible to feel connected to a whole world of people 24/7, making your exciting game just a few seconds and a few taps away. It’s power and convenience at your fingertips, and it’s placing emphasis on the social element that players love about gambling.
Live casino in particular offers a more tangible form of competition, with players congregating in different virtual game rooms to battle it out for the big prizes. from offering poker exclusively into slot machine apps and beyond.
Where it all began
Back when you were one of the few you knew who had a Facebook account, Zynga Poker was undoubtedly the talk of the gambling town. Players didn’t just want to play from the comfort of their own homes—they wanted to compete and climb up those Texas Hold ‘Em leaderboards for their buddies (and maybe the rest of the world) to see. How’s that for friendly competition?
From those more humble beginnings, a number of social casinos have grown through, offering gamification features that appeal to players that enjoy not just casino games but the competitive element too.
Get social at these casinos
Casinos like Chanz market themselves specifically as social casinos, introducing features like connecting players to one another in a Facebook-like setting and allowing players to reward their online friends.
Another way casinos keep social players keen is through regular competitions and tournaments. PartyCasino, for instance, regularly runs tournaments with big prizes and the thrill of beating competitors!