Differentiating Between Social Slots and Real Money Slots

Social slots are supposedly free-to-play gambling-like games found on social networking sites. These are widely advertised in the United States and include brands the likes of Doubledown Casino, Slotomania, Chumba and that dinosaur, Zynga Poker.   We say "supposedly free-to-play" as these casinos rake in a ton of money each year.  News flash, social casinos are not making a fortune offering free-to-play games.  If you believe that, we've got a bridge to sell you.

The fact of the matter is there are plenty of real money slot games that offer dozens of free spins and free cash.

Are Social Casino Sites Really Free?

Social casinos make most of their money through in-game purchases or selling digital goods.  This is an extremely popular concept employed - and often frowned upon - in the world of gaming like CS:GO.  For example, match betting on CS:GO sites allows individuals to place bets on the outcomes of matches in the popular game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A win is credited in the form of additional skins.

With social casinos there are various in-game purchases in addition to receiving virtual money. Players can buy bundles of virtual coins, cosmetics, and similar items that enhance their gaming experience.

These sites tout massive jackpot winnings, but why not just play at a real money online casino capable of paying out sometimes in a matter of hours via bitcoin?

Contrary to what these social gaming sites will have you believe, regulators are known to frown upon them (see Michigan in the last year).  Real money online casinos tend to be more transparent and almost always licensed.

The Real Money Online Casino and Its Freebies

Real money online casinos are typically licensed in gaming jurisdictions like Curacao and Malta.

A quick search on the web, one will find listings for "no deposit" online casinos and "free spins" internet slots.

A no deposit bonus gives you betting credits or spins after you create a new account with an online casino site or app.  So it's essentially no different than any other company looking to obtain your personal information prior to using its tools or services.  They'll assume the product offering is good enough that you will develop into a customer for life, so to speak.

Real money or free play casino bonuses are typically promoted in the form of a percentage.  For example, a 100 percent bonus up to $500 would require a new customer to open their account with $500.  There is a play-through requirement before being able to claim said bonus.  The play-through can be as low as 1X but don't expect to recieve a large some of money or equivalent free casino play.  The industry average ranges from 10X, 15X and even as high as 25X. 

Real Money Slots Odds Same or Better Than an Actual Casino

Just as Vegas casinos compete for your business, so too do the online casino software developers.  There are many of them and this means no shortage of lucrative payouts with certain games.

The highest slot payout percentage online is 99.85%.

Popular Casino Slot Titles

Real money casino software developers regularly enter into lucrative deals to supply big name titles.  One of the most popular is Wheel of Fortune, based on the long running game show of the same name. But there are always new titles coming on the market.

In the United Kingdom alone, one will find a few new casino games released each week.

Among the more popular new titles, Slots Royale launched in the UK courtesy of Jumpman Gaming. Slots Royale offers you the chance to win up to 500 free spins on your first deposit.  With over 3000 games available, there's no such thing as "getting bored" by the games here.

Monopoly is an old standby we all have grown to love over the years and it is now available in casino form.

In past years, Marvel and Star Wars themed casinos were all the rage before Disney decided to quash these lucrative deals.

Social Casinos?  What's the Point?

As one Redditor pointed out, non-alcoholic beer is a $15 billion industry worldwide. Social casinos are the non-alcoholic version of the real money online casino. You can sign up and play without risking anything, per se, as you're not playing with real money, yet. The real money casino offers the goods, the rush, the potential for a very lucrative payout.