Published on October 24th, 2017 | by Sunit Nandi

Slots on the Go: The Rise of Social Casino Games

Social games are among the most popular form of online gaming ever invented. Tieing into social networks, especially Facebook – that had a constantly rising user base – has made them reach out to hundreds of millions of players all over the world. And the fact that players relied on their social connections to advance in these games – and brag about their progress – made them spread in an almost viral way across the network. One of the most interesting classes of social games is social casinos. Simply put, social casino games simulate gambling without involving real money – people can play slot machines, table games, bingo, and whatever else you may find in a real money online gambling venue like the Wild Jack Casino, for example, with no real money involved. Unless, of course, they want extra benefits that can be purchased for real money.

Social casino games have become a massive business in the last couple of years – especially since their transition to smartphones. According to a recent report from JP Morgan Securities LLC, the social casino game business has generated revenues of $3.7 to $3.8 billion in 2016 alone, and it continues to grow. And more than half of this revenue is generated by players in North America. This is unlikely to be a coincidence: the US and Canada have policies against online gambling. Players here can’t use the real money gaming services at www.wildjackcasino.com – they have to choose between social casinos, less-than-legitimate offshore casino operations, and not playing at all (which is usually not an option for them). While social casinos can’t match the game variety of the Wild Jack Casino, they need no regulation, so they are accessible at a global scale. This makes them especially successful in areas where online gaming regulation is off the table at the moment.

The social casino business has proven to be an attractive one for many entertainment companies, including land-based casino operators. Caesars Entertainment, the company behind major brands like World Series of Poker and Caesars Casino, has acquired Playtika, an Israeli social casino game developer, back in 2011. Over the years, Playtika’s Slotomania has become the most popular social casino brand, with global monthly revenues of up to $2 million. Caesars sold the brand it acquired for around $90 million in 2011 for $4.4 billion in 2016.

Today, social casino games are constantly among the top grossing titles in North America. Games like the above-mentioned Slotomania, along with titles like Big Fish Casino, Doubledown Casino & Slots, and many others, continue to gather massive daily revenues and be among the preferred games of a mass of players worldwide.

Tags: casino, gamers, gaming, on the go, slots, social

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.