Social casino is one of the biggest phenomenons of 2024, and its popularity is only growing. Slotegrator analyzes this trend, highlights its appeal to players, and comments on its development.
At first glance, social casinos are the same as regular online casinos, with all the same games and tournaments. However, there are two huge points of difference: social interaction (there’s more) and money (there’s none).
Social casinos offer the fun of gambling without the risk. Players can play games, join tournaments, socialize in group chats, and get bonuses and free spins. However, instead of winning actual money, they play with in-game currencies. Casinos profit off in-game purchases or pay-to-play models, such as when players can pay to reload their virtual bankroll after they run out of free chips. These are proving to be healthy revenue streams: according to Statista, the global GGR of the social casino sector is projected to reach $7.5 billion by 2026.
“Social casinos have become popular by mixing the excitement of casino games with social networking features. Players enjoy the risk-free environment, engaging graphics, and the ability to compete with friends. The social interaction and frequent updates attract both casual gamers and casino enthusiasts,” comments Revpanda Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer Barb Tasci.
Social casinos are a great option for operators looking to appeal to younger demographics. The next generation of players, Gen Z, are digital natives who value online socialization as much as the gameplay itself, if not more. They also tend to prioritize responsible gaming, in line with general market trends.
This might come as a surprise, but the fact that players can’t win real money doesn’t discourage them. Instead, their thrills come from competing with each other and winning in-game rewards and chips. And in a huge benefit to the casino, the fact that there isn’t any money at stake means there’s no need for AML checks. To find out more about regulatory requirements, get in touch with the Slotegrator team.
Since social casino is not a traditional gambling platform, it takes different strategies to promote it. Barb Tasci suggests that “effective digital marketing for social casinos includes targeted ads on social media, engaging content like game teasers and tutorials, and incentives like free virtual currency. Collaborating with gaming influencers can increase visibility. Additionally, a strategy focused on building a community can help grow the user base and boost player loyalty.”
The social casino trend promises to grow in 2024. Slotegrator is embracing the trend and currently adjusting its turnkey online casino platform to offer a complex, flexible, and powerful solution for social casino operators. It includes an in-game currency (FUN), bonuses, a new widget for a tournament table with a countdown, a tournament groups display, and other features.