While the concept of social gaming isn’t exactly a new one, for the past four years, it might as well be. Thanks to the meteoric rise of social casinos, starting with Pulsz in 2020, new online casino players and even veterans are turning over a new leaf and falling in love with the amazing social casino benefits. But if all of this sounds Greek to you, don’t worry. This guide helps those new to the social casino experience not only find their footing but also find success while gaming among their peers.
Mechanics of Social Casinos
In many ways, social casinos operate on the surface like traditional online casinos. However, there are subtle differences. One of the reasons why social casinos are taking off like a rocket in 2024 is that they are available in more states than real money casinos. Currently, traditional online casinos are only available in seven states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey. That means 43 other states are out in the cold with this $60 billion-plus enterprise, including the mega states like California and New York.
However, with the wide appeal of social casinos, especially the newer ones like Jackpota and Mega Bonanza, which will launch in 2024, all of these states and more can jump into the exciting online casino action. With online players available in over 40 states, it only increases the demand.
Variety of Social Casino Games Offered
On the surface, social casinos offer the same elite slot games as their traditional casino counterparts, although most of the game libraries are smaller. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. For the latest slot games, social casinos offer the same popular megaway and tumble reel slots, so players aren’t missing out on the action.
Social Casinos usually have a substantial classic slot selection. Not every traditional online casino has a good-sized classic slot selection, so most social casinos win in this area, hands down.
While not every social casino offers a live dealer section, many, like High 5, are trying to catch up. Even with a limited live dealer section, social casinos often offer live casino games like Gravity Blackjack and Gravity Roulette.
Both of these games follow the traditional rules of regular roulette and blackjack; they offer immensely more bonuses. It’s the chance of winning bonus gold and sweepstakes coins that have more players flocking to social casinos.
Social Casinos also continue to make their mark thanks to exclusive games. As an incentive to get members to play more or purchase gold coin packages, some slots and live dealer games are only available when a member has a certain amount of VIP points or gold coins. Pulsz, for example, only unlocks its bingo games when its members reach a certain VIP status.
Classic Scratch Cards
For the most part, scratch cards aren’t widely available at most traditional online casinos. However, they are a major calling card for social casinos. Scratch cards are usually more abundant at social casinos to the point that many are exclusive, so players need to have a certain amount of gold coins of a VIP level.
Exclusive Games
Besides offering exclusive bingo and scratch cards, the best sweepstakes casinos invest heavily in exclusive games. The majority of these exclusive games are slots are developed in-house or in partnership with top gaming developers like Pragmatic Play and Microgaming. Either way, these exclusive slots are only available at that particular social casino. Releasing new exclusive games is also a way for these social casinos to keep their members coming back and participating in the promotions.
Bonuses and Promotions: The Social Incentive
Of course, social casinos go full out with casino bonuses and promotions. They have to if they want to lure more members away from traditional online casinos. Below are some of the most common social casino promotions.
No-Deposit Bonuses
All reputable social casinos offer some form of no-deposit. Without opening their wallets, new members enjoy the benefits of massive amounts of gold coins. Sometimes these no-deposit bonuses can even reach a million free gold coins. It’s also common to find a handful of sweepstakes coins as part of the social casino no-deposit package.
Purchasing Gold Coins
As we’ve mentioned in this guide, gold coins are invaluable for social casino players. In addition to playing the casino games for free, they are also a fast way for advancing through the VIP and loyalty system. It’s common for social casinos to offer gold coin purchases for as low as two bucks or even as high as $500, or perhaps even higher than that.
Daily Challenges
Of all the bonuses and promotions, the daily challenges are probably the number one way that social casinos separate themselves from traditional online casinos. Most social casinos have a daily login in challenge. By logging into their accounts, social casino members can pick up thousands of free gold coins. Also, most of these sites offer social media challenges. By participating on social media pages like Facebook, Instagram, and X, members can pick up additional free gold and sweepstakes coins.
Deposit and Redemption Options
Because social casinos support purchasing gold coins, they at least offer Visa and MasterCard. Some of these sites go further with American Express and Discover Card. They might also offer PayPal and Skrill to purchase gold coins. If the social casino has mobile apps, it might offer Google and Apple Pay exclusively on those mobile devices.
These methods are safe and secure. Because social casinos don’t accept real money bets, members don’t cash out. Instead, they go through the redemption process. When going through the redemption process for the first time, members have to verify their identity again to ensure authenticity. This process can take several business days to clear up.
Once things get approved, members can redeem sweepstakes coins, sometimes as low as 25 for gift cards. The caveat is that members must have at least wagered these sweeps coins at least once. For redeeming sweepstakes coins into cash, it normally takes 75 or more, and members must wager them at least once as well.
The Importance of Social Responsible Gaming
Even though social casinos support free play with gold coins, too much of anything can become addictive, and social casinos are no exception. It’s still a wise move, even with free gold coins, to set responsible gaming measures like playing session limits.
Social Casinos Are Growing
2024 will no doubt go down as the year of the social casino. There have been at least a dozen, including Mega Bonanza, that are already racking up impressive memberships. Helping with their popularity is the massive amount of games now available at these new social casinos, which are now topping 1,000.
Featuring a minimal UX design and fast page loads, social casinos are now having dedicated apps so that players can take the amazing game experience with them. With AI helping to create games, social casinos are producing new and exclusive games at an impressive rate.
