Gambling Goes Social: How Free-Play Gambling Became a Reality

Gambling is all about playing the odds by betting money, right? Technically, yes, but the gambling industry has evolved in recent years. With free-play and social gaming gaining traction, gambling companies have jumped on the bandwagon.

Before we get into the seemingly contradictory free-play gambling market, let’s set the scene. The term “social gaming” comes from the industry’s origins. After games started to appear on social media platforms such as Facebook in the 2010s, a new way of playing emerged.

The free-play aspect of these games, combined with their interactive elements, turned non-gamers into gamers. Fast-forward to 2024, and the industry is worth more than $82 billion. By 2028, analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers estimate the social gaming sector will be worth $106 billion. This growth has attracted companies who, for decades, have traditionally dealt in real-money gambling.

Let’s take a look at some of the big-name brands that have embraced free-play gambling and how they’ve done it.

The WSOP Goes Social

If you’ve got any interest in cards, you’ve probably seen the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN and CBS over the past decade or so. The annual series attracts 100,000+ players and pays $10 million in prize money to the main event winner every year.

For most poker players, playing at the WSOP is a dream. Eager to capitalize on this, the WSOP created a free-play app to give novices and fun-seekers a chance to enjoy the WSOP experience. In addition to a stacked line-up of Hold ’em and Omaha cash games, there’s a daily tournament schedule and special events. The WSOP poker bonus for new customers is worth 1 million chips.

These chips can be used to play for bracelets. They’re not real bracelets, unfortunately. However, if you’re someone with aspirations of playing in a live WSOP event, these tournaments are the perfect training ground. You see, poker can be volatile. Even though there’s a lot of skill involved, luck has an impact on your results.

BetRivers Free-Play Casino

Another gambling brand that straddles the real-money and free-play worlds is BetRivers. Based in the US, this brand has real-money online casinos and sportsbooks in 15 states, including Colorado and New Jersey. In states where real-money gambling isn’t regulated, BetRivers has a dot.net platform.

This platform features a virtually identical line-up of casino games as its real-money counterpart. The difference, however, is that players wager virtual chips instead of cash. This gives them an authentic casino gaming experience without the risk, something the social gaming industry is built on.

Fliff Social Sports Betting

Very few gambling companies have embraced social sports betting because it doesn’t offer the same thrill as free casino gaming and poker. That being said, it’s still fun to speculate on sports without risking any money or, in turn, having the chance to win any. Indeed, daily fantasy sports sites have traded on this for years, as explored by SkyQuest.

Buoyed by this, Fliff offers social sports betting and sweepstakes games. Customers wager Gold Coins on sporting events. Correct picks correlate to points that help players win challenges and leaderboard promotions. In addition to Gold Coins, customers can win Sweeps Coins that can be redeemed for prizes. This creates a social betting experience that’s suitable for sports fans who don’t want to risk any money.

A New Style of Gambling

Gambling has been popular for decades, but the industry has changed. As outlined by Statista, the real money market is booming.

However, alongside the traditional side of the industry is an emerging social gambling market. This has made pursuits such as poker, blackjack, and sports betting more accessible to the masses, which, in time, could take the gambling industry as a whole to new heights.