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Social casino reviews are becoming increasingly sought after, and this is little surprise given the popularity of the platforms in the US and the large number of options players have. Reviews are crucial in separating the wheat from the chaff.
This article focuses on social casinos as a category. It explains what they actually are and how they work, including some examples of the types of bonuses that you might expect to see at these operators. It’s a great starting point for any players who think they might enjoy the social casino experience and are looking to find out more.
Simply put, a social casino is a platform that offers casino-style games which you play for fun only. There’s no deposit function, and you do not play with or win real money. Instead, you use a virtual currency, which is usually called Gold Coins or GC.
These are, ultimately, free-to-play casinos, with the focus entirely on entertainment and the social element.
Social casino reviews are similar but certainly not identical to sweepstakes casino reviews. This is because there are some key differences between the platforms. These differences, plus the differences compared to traditional casinos, are explained in the table below.
| Social Casinos | Sweepstakes Casinos | Traditional Casinos | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offers casino-style games | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offers bonuses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Play with cash | No | No | Yes |
| Offers deposits | No | No | Yes |
| Potential to redeem cash prizes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Optional purchases available | Yes | Yes | No |
As you can see, the key difference between social casinos and sweepstakes casinos is that the latter has the potential to redeem real prizes. This is because sweepstakes casinos use Sweeps Coins (or SC) as well as GC. Although some social casinos offer the option to purchase GC, these cannot ever be sold, exchanged or transferred.
As with any kind of online casino reviews the games play a crucial part, but this is perhaps true most of all at social casinos, given there is no cash element. This means, of course, that the entertainment level of the games is everything. If a player isn’t having fun at a social casino, there’s absolutely no reason to play there.
Fortunately, there is a huge selection of exciting casino-style games available at the best social casinos, with some of the categories including the following…
Slots are by far the most common game category at social casinos, and they are further split into different types of slots, including:
Table games are the classic casino games you already know, including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. They’re played digitally, with the game action and results handled by the platform rather than a live dealer.
Live casino games bring the same classics to life with a real human dealer. You can watch the dealer run the game in real time, with the action streamed directly to your screen.
These are ‘easy play’ games where players make binary decisions in the hope of collecting virtual currency. An example would be guessing whether a playing card is higher or lower than the previous one. Other popular instant win games at social casinos include Plinko and Dice.
These are arcade-style games which focus on multipliers. Players have to try and make a collection at the highest multiplier point before a ‘crash’, which sets the multiplier back to zero. These games often feature colorful graphics and entertaining characters, using themes like space or animals.
Unlike with sportsbook reviews, all the games at social casinos are purely games of chance, which generally use RNGs (Random Number Generators) to ensure game fairness. This means that there is no ‘form’ to study as such, as all casino-style game outcomes are completely random.
This is also the case for the miscellaneous games that you might see at some social casinos, which may include the likes of bingo or virtual scratchcards.
Although you can purchase GC at some social casinos, purchases are never mandatory, and many players choose not to do so. This means that the ‘no purchase’ bonus offers available often play a key part in assigning social casino ratings.
Some of the more common bonus types include the following:
Pretty much every social casino offers GC just for signing up. This gives you a chance to immediately get stuck into the casino-style games. You will often need to verify your email address when registering, but that tends to be the only requirement when claiming this bonus.
Another popular social casino promotion is the daily login bonus, whereby players are rewarded in virtual currency for logging into their account once every 24 hours.
These bonuses can be completely randomized, or they can be progressive. If it’s the latter, players get larger bonuses for maintaining a ‘streak’ of days. If they fail to log in within a 24-hour period, that streak is broken, and the bonus virtual currency amount is reset.
Social casinos often run ad hoc tournaments where players’ gameplay is recorded. Those who either play the most or win the most virtual currency finish at the top of a leaderboard, which can potentially result in the award of additional virtual currency.
Similar to tournaments, VIP programs track gameplay, with the most regular players rewarded with additional bonuses. These can include benefits like:
These types of programs are also common at sweepstakes casinos and are mentioned in some crypto casino reviews.
The availability of dedicated mobile apps at social casinos varies from brand to brand. Some offer them for both iOS and Android, others for just one operating system, and some don’t have an app at all.
However, as social gaming casinos are all about the quality of gameplay, you should find that most operators function just as well – and in some cases even better – on a mobile device as they do on a desktop, even if there is no dedicated app.
If there isn’t a full mobile app, look out for a PWA. This is a Progressive Web Application, which is available with many social casinos. It essentially adds a shortcut to the home page of your mobile device, which provides quick and easy access to the mobile version of the website.
Last, but certainly not least, it’s always important with social casino reviews to assess the community. After all, as the name suggests, it’s supposed to be a social concept!
This is similar to fantasy sports site reviews, where players are looking – at least in part – to join a community of like-minded souls with similar interests.
The good news is that most of the best social casinos realize this and perform well on this front by maintaining an active presence on social media. This gives players the chance to participate in additional competitions and bonus offers that they might not see on the main social casino sites, as well as potentially chat with other players.
Some of the most commonly used social channels include:
Some good communities to join
Find entertaining casino-style games
Discover different bonus offers
Redemption rules and playthrough requirements can differ
Social casinos are all about entertainment. Cash isn’t used, and cash cannot be won (instead, all play is with virtual currency). This means that reviews can be crucial in determining which social casinos may be best suited to you.
Look out for game selection and bonus offers as a priority. If the brand in question has game types that you enjoy and generous GC ‘no purchase’ bonuses, then that’s a great start. Community and the availability or not of a mobile app are other key points to consider.
If social casinos sound like they’re for you, find out more by clicking any of the banners or links on this web page.
Yes, absolutely. Because no money is used and play is for fun only, social casinos are completely legal in the US.
You will need to be at least 18 to play at a social casino, and there may also be some regional restrictions, which vary depending on the operator.
No. However, you can potentially win real money prizes at sweepstakes casinos by collecting a certain number of SC and completing any other redemption requirements.
