While most people enjoy online gambling primarily because of the possibility to win money and the rush connected to the feeling of winning, there are also those who simply enjoy casino games for what they are. In fact, there seem to be quite a few of these people if the growth of social casinos during the last few years is any indicator.

Social casinos are, for the most part, very similar to traditional online casinos, with the biggest difference being no real money exchanges hands.

Players „gamble“ using a virtual currency, which is pretty much only used to keep score and there isn't much else you can do with it.

 Social online casinos

Social casinos have become especially prominent during the last five or so years. Although they are sometimes standalone operations, most of them work through social media networks such as Facebook. They were envisioned as places where people could come, play some slots or have some fun at blackjack tables, but without risking any money.

Despite the fact people get to play for free, many social casinos offer large portfolio of games containing hundreds of slots and a great selection of table games. Clearly, all of this costs money to maintain, so how do these social casinos keep their heads above the water?

There are several ways these sites make money. The first, obvious one, is through advertising. Unlike real money casinos, social casinos are often covered in various ads and links, suggesting people buy certain products or sign up for certain services. While this can be annoying at times, people realize this is something they have to endure if they want to continue enjoying the free gameplay.

The other main way of funding social casinos is through players paying to buy the virtual currency and other in-game items. While these don't have any value outside of the game, they do increase the enjoyment. For example, some people just don't feel the same if they are playing blackjack $1 a hand and $10,000 a hand – even if it is not real money they're playing with. So, these people will readily pay some money to get their virtual chips topped up.

Of course, social casinos also want to make their customers happy, so it isn't uncommon for them to organizer raffles and competitions where they give away real prizes such as luxurious trips, vouchers for real casinos, merchandise, etc.

Social casinos may be a new phenomenon, but this segment of the gaming industry has been going strong, without showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, it came to the point where some of them are considering introducing live dealers to their sites, which is a clear indicator that things are going well on the financial front.