Social Casinos and Real Money Casinos
Social casinos are platforms with free-to-play casino style games. Instead of real money, you use virtual currency to place wagers on games. On the other hand, real money casinos are platforms where you have to spend real money to play games. More on the differences of these two kinds of online casinos will be discussed in the next chapters of this post.
What are Social Casinos?
A social casino is an online platform where players can enjoy their favorite casino games without any financial risk. Instead of using real money to wager on casino games, social casinos allow you to spend virtual currencies. Once you sign up to a social casino, you receive the free virtual currencies. In addition to the sign up bonus, these platforms also offer a vast range of bonuses to grant clients access to several free tokens for free gaming. This makes gaming at a social platform completely free because even the virtual currencies are given without any financial obligation.
What are Real Money Casinos?
A real money casino is a gambling platform where you have to use real money with real world value to place bets on games. So, before you can play any game at a real money casino, you have to make a real money gambling deposit. The platforms often offer a vast range of banking methods that you can use to make deposits. Also, there is usually a minimum deposit amount that has to be met. Once you have made a deposit, you can use the money to place wagers on your favorite games. Once your money is depleted, you must reload your account to continue playing. Even most of the bonuses (not all) at real money casinos require a specified minimum deposit amount to activate. They are called deposit bonuses.
What is Social Gaming?
Social gaming is a term that is used to describe social games. These are games that are typically played through social casinos. Social gaming emphasizes socializing instead of gambling. For this reason, in addition to standard casino games, social gaming platforms also include features for socializing like chat rooms, activity feeds, leaderboards, and shareable content, to name a few. They are like social media platforms in that regard. Social gaming platforms include online casino categories like social and sweepstakes casinos. An important defining characteristic of social gaming is the fact that it also includes playing standard casino games without spending any real money.
What is the Appeal of Social Casinos?
The key appeal of social casinos is the fact that they allow you to play your favorite casino games without any real money risk. Basically, they allow you to play casino games for free. Furthermore, playing for free at social casino games will not keep you from winning real money. Some of the virtual tokens that you use to play at social casinos and win, are redeemable for real money. Once you have collected enough redeemable social casino tokens, you can redeem them for real cash prizes and gift cards, among other rewards. So, in addition to playing for free, you also get a chance to win real money and other amazing prizes from social casinos.
What are the Key Differences Between Social Casinos and Real Money Casinos
The key difference between social and real money casinos is the fact that the former allows betting with free virtual tokens, while the latter demands that you deposit real money and use it to play casino games. So, it all boils down to the money element. Social casinos offer free gaming, while real money casinos require real money betting. However, there are other differences. Read the next chapters to learn more.
Monetary Aspects
The monetary aspect is the key difference between social and real money casinos. Social casinos allow free gaming. Instead of real money, social casinos allow you to place bets on games using virtual tokens that the casinos hand over for free. On the other hand, with a real money casino, you have to start by depositing real money from your personal bank account (or any other banking model) into your online casino account. Then, you can use this money to wager on your favorite games. The RTP of a social casino is also important to look into.
Social Interactions
Another main difference between these two types of casinos is the social interactions. Social casinos are big on social interaction. So, they offer features like chat rooms, leaderboards, and even comment sections to foster social interaction between gamers. On the other hand, real money casinos offer more focused on the gambling. So, they rarely offer features and tools for socializing you will find on other online platforms.
What Games are Available?
While you can find your favorite casino games at both of these platforms, there is a significant difference in the games variety at social and real money casinos. Real money casinos typically offer a wider range of games. You can easily find a real money casino with up to 10,000 games in different categories like table, slots, specialty, and live dealer games. On the other hand, social casinos have a smaller range of games. Normally, the best social casinos offer a few hundred games, mostly slots. Some of them lack major game categories like table and live dealer games. Even the ones with these categories may only have less than a dozen options in such categories. Regardless, they still offer some amazing games.
The Player Demographics
The players that gravitate towards social casinos are ones that are looking for a chance to interact with other players. They are also players that want to enjoy the thrill of casino games without the financial risks. On the other hand, players that gravitate towards real money casinos are ones seeking the thrill of gambling. Putting their money on the line for a chance to win big. This is another difference between these two types of casinos.
Legal and Regulatory Differences
Because of the risks associated with gambling, especially because of the financial aspect, real money casinos are heavily regulated. These platforms have to be licensed and regulated by a legitimate authority in order to operate legally in specific jurisdiction. These regulatory bodies make sure that the platforms adhere to strict fairness and security standards. On the other hand, the regulations for social casinos are not as strict. In fact, there are no regulatory bodies for social casinos. So, you will not find any social casino that is licensed. However, in the US, there are regulatory standards and rules that govern the operations of social casinos.
Risks and Rewards
Finally, the risk of playing at a real money casino is naturally high. If you choose this platform, you will have to risk your real money. However, the rewards of playing at a real money casino are higher. Payouts are high and so are the bonuses and promotional offers. On the other hand, there are almost zero risks when it comes to playing at a social casino. Also, the rewards are minimal. Even if you get to redeem your virtual tokens, the rewards are not as significant.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, social casinos are online gambling platforms that offer free-to-play casino games. They provide players with free virtual tokens to use to place bets on games. On the other hand, real money casinos require players to deposit and use real money to place bets on their favorite casino games. So, social casinos are more about socializing and enjoying casino games with minimal risks. On the other hand, real money casinos are about risking more and receiving more rewards in gambling.
Social Casinos vs. Real Money Casinos FAQ
What is the main difference between social casinos and real money casinos?
The main difference between social and real money casinos is all about the monetary aspect. Real money casinos require gambling with real currencies. On the other hand, social casinos allow game-play with free virtual tokens instead of real money.
Can you win real money at a social casino?
While a social casino will not directly reward you with money, the virtual tokens used here can be turned into real money. You can collect the virtual tokens you win and convert them into real money through a redemption process. You can redeem your tokens into real money and other amazing prizes, depending on the platform.
Do social casinos require deposits like real money casinos?
No, social casinos do not require deposits like real money casinos. This is the key difference between social and real money casinos. Instead of depositing real money, at social casinos, you can play with virtual tokens that you get for free from the casino in the form of bonuses.
Are social casinos regulated like real money casinos?
No, social casinos are not regulated like real money casinos. In fact, at the moment, there are no licensing or regulatory bodies that govern social casinos. Instead, the operators are required to make sure their platforms adhere to social gambling regulations to allow legal operations. If the conditions are not met, the platform will be prohibited from operating.
Which type of casino is better for beginners?
Social casinos are better for beginners. This is because they allow you to try out different casino games, develop gaming strategies, and learn the ins and outs of casino gaming with no real risk. Therefore, when you finally start playing at a real money casino, you know what to do and how to enhance your gameplay.
