Social casinos allow people to play games without making deposits. They are often confused with sweepstakes casinos and real money casinos.

The patchwork of laws regarding online casinos in the US has thrown up a range of options. While eight states allow online casinos for real money wagering, the rest do not. This makes it hard for those who just want to enjoy the game on offer without financial incentives or deposits being made. Enter social and sweepstakes casinos like RealPrize, two similar concepts with slight and confusing variations.

Social Casinos: Fun Without Financial Burden

When you log onto a platform known as a social casino, you will find that many social casino games are the same as those you would get on real money platforms. They can include table games like roulette, blackjack and video poker, along with a range of slot games. Some social casinos may even include live tables or extend to crash gaming titles. You may even find games by the world's top developers and biggest franchises.

What makes them different is that you don’t play for money, and instead participate for fun. Platforms like RealPrize are part of a growing trend that use an in-game virtual currency. This means they are not regulated by gambling laws, making them legal in most US states. With their popularity growing, the market is expected to be worth around $6.2 billion in the US and growing.

When you sign up for a social casino, you are given a certain amount of this currency. You can top it up by winning or from incentives like daily log-ins. The ability to buy extra coin packages with cash is also an option, though it is not required. Their social moniker comes from the inclusion of features such as leaderboards and high scores, where you can get social and build communities through competition.

What Is the Difference Between Social and Sweepstake Casinos?

Some platforms like RealPrize are known as sweepstakes casinos, while some are known as social. Both have very similar ways of operating. Neither requires you to make financial deposits, and you can't win cash amounts by playing games. This means both can operate in states where you may not find real money casinos.

A sweepstake casino is different as it uses virtual currency in a slightly varied way. While you gain gold coins that are used to play games, it also has a second coin known as a sweepcoin. These arrive in different ways, often by winning tournaments or through giveaways. realPrize is this kind of casino. 

These sweepcoins can then be cashed in for a chance to win prizes in a lottery. These may be cash prizes, or they may be an actual holiday. Thus, you win prizes as opposed to money. Social casinos don’t have that incentive; instead, they exist for the gaming fun alone.

What Makes RealPrize Different From Real Money Casinos?

When you play at real money casinos, you must make a deposit to play the game on offer. You are using your own bankroll, which brings advantages and disadvantages. The first is that you can lose money. In extreme circumstances, this can lead to problem gambling, but even when done sensibly, it still cuts into your hard-earned funds. The caveat is that you can actually win, which is not possible with social casinos.

There are now only eight states in the US that allow real money casinos. These are Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maine, and West Virginia. Thus, without social casinos like RealPrize, it would be almost impossible to play these games elsewhere.

A History of Social Gaming

While this type of gaming may seem like a new concept, it has been around for some time. Its roots come from social media platforms in the early 2000s, when they realised that games could be integrated into their systems. This was a perfect match for titles like roulette and poker, which could be played against friends, also on the network. With leaderboards and high scores, social gaming was born.

As social games became more sophisticated and real money casinos proliferated, they began to fork. It seemed that social casinos were redundant for a while, until regulations changed and tightened around real money casinos. People realised that the fun is in playing these games, not just winning. This led to the proliferation of social casino sites in the late 2010s.

This then led to the era of the smartphone, when casual mobile gaming really came into its own. Around 55% of adults in the US play some form of game on their mobile device. Casino games were the perfect fit for this, and without cash incentives, they could operate in places other casino titles could not.

Thus, if you want to try casual gaming and don’t want the hassle of making deposits, or can't legally play them in your state, then go to a social casino like RealPrize. The added advantage is the atmosphere it brings, such as gamification elements like leaderboards and high scores.