downright embarrassing amounts of hours playing neon slots on my phone while fantasizing that I’m on a roll on the computer in my pajamas surrounded by a pile of leftover pizza. Enter the social casino — where everyone is a high roller and fun never stops.
If you’ve been wondering why your aunt has been mailing you poker chips on Facebook or why your office-mate’s lunch break looks like a one-man blackjack competition, you’re not alone. Social casinos are ubiquitous. And they are going viral, at a much faster pace than my desire to delete my fitness tracking application after a bad weekend gone amok.
So why the fixation? Why are people so enthralled? Why not roll dice and see?
Wait. What the Heck Is a Social Casino?
Glad you asked. Imagine an actual casino – slots, poker tables, wheels of roulette – all the glitter and glamour. Now get rid of the real cash, do not eliminate the anticipation; add many Facebook alerts. That is a social casino.
You play virtual coins. You receive virtual prizes. You lose virtual dignity. However, the only problem with those is that you cannot cash them in. That 10-million gold-coin jackpot? Worth nothing. Zilch. However, you will still take a screenshot and text to the group chat like you just bought a yacht.
It is not about winning. It is a thing of seeming to win. That is the stroke of genius: social casinos are not meant for gambling. They are for imitating the process of gambling. You have the same high – animated graphics, cheering crowd sound effects, “big score” celebratory pyrotechnics — but without worrying that you might fail to get your rent paid on time. (It is like playing games as if you’re in an action picture on laser tag). You’re cool, despite the sweating in a vest.
And the games are designed in such a way that it makes you feel like a legend. Rewards appear every five seconds. Level up for spinning ten times? Here is a badge! Gamed three hands of poker? Congratulations now you are a VIP Unicorn Emperor of Card Town. The size of your ego is blooming, but the bank is unbreached. It is lovely.
It’s social, but of “Please Send Me Coins” type
Contrary to conventional casinos where you are only left with yourself, a drink and a machine judging your life decisions, social casinos have interaction all around them. You can share coins with your friends, challenge them in a battle, brag about your “wins” online, and climb up leaderboards as if you had something to prove. It is a weird set up where your ex, your boss and even your grandma are all playing the same internet slots and giving virtual gifts to each other. You’re not gaming. You’re connecting. Over blackjack. On your smartphone. At 2 a.m. Life is strange.
It’s free until you require just one more spin
That’s where the fine print comes in. Sure, social casinos are free. Just like free samples at the supermarket are free—until you purchase 3 pounds of cheese you never wanted.
The games suck you in with free coins, but once you exhaust those (and believe me, you’ll exhaust them), they provide the “small” alternative to purchase more. “Only $2.99!” your head convinces itself. “Less than the price of coffee!” your rationalizer bellows. Next thing you know, you’ve spent three packages, upgraded to VIP premium hamster wheel status, and rationalized that it was a good investment.
The catch is that you’re not investing to win, you’re investing to continue to pretend to win. And to be frank? It succeeds.
It’s Legalized Gaming Without the Guilt Trip
Let’s get real: real gambling is intimidating. There is real risk. Real cash. That sinking sensation being that your “good luck” number is actually a curse. Social casinos? No pressure like that. You aren’t playing to pay rent—you’re spinning for the sake of spinning. For bragging rights. For that hit of dopamine that feels like fries at midnight.
There is a sort of security in the fact that you can’t lose (well, at least not time and the occasional dollars here and there if you have the spendy inclination). For those who enjoy the atmosphere but cannot stand the repercussions, social casinos are the slot machine version of a trampoline with a protective net. For those who seek real money, there are already plenty of real money sweepstakes social casinos they can spend time at.
Your Phone Is Your New Casino Host
Another reason why these games are booming? They’re ubiquitous. On your phone. On your tablet. On your smart fridge, most likely. From the standpoint of their best customers, social casinos are short-form, flashy, and mobile.
Waiting for the coffee? Spin. Stuck in traffic? (All right, just kidding, drive safely, please.) Posing in bed like you’re going to bed at an early hour? Spin again.
So why are they so popular? Let’s sum it up like a Jackpot Screen
Social casinos are blowing up because they combine the enjoyment of gambling, the social experience of Facebook, and the innocent excitement of mobile gaming, all in a single dopamine-soaked app. They are flashy, habit-forming in that “I promise this is the last spin” sort of way, and amazingly wholesome at least in the sense that they are much less harmful than real-life gambling.
You’ll not be winning a mansion or retiring ahead of schedule from your slot success. But you’ll have bragging rights, a shiny leaderboard badge, and perhaps a fresh Facebook buddy who enjoys fake blackjack. Frankly? That is a win in my opinion.
