Gaming has become more social year by year. Whereas in the past, many people enjoyed themselves alone in front of game consoles, for example, engaging in the main storylines of games, today social gaming with friends and not-so-familiar people is more the rule than the exception.
The rise in popularity of social gaming and multiplayer games is not limited to traditional console and video games, but the same phenomenon has also reached the iGaming world. Many new casinos in particular are taking advantage of the social gaming innovation, but more and more older online casinos have also jumped on the bandwagon.
So how does this social gaming work in practice at online casinos? We’ll go into more detail in this article!
What is social gambling?
Before we delve into the different forms of social gambling, it’s a good idea to understand what social gambling actually means.
The idea behind social gambling is to gamble together with other players . This does not require meeting in a specific location or being physically present, but everything happens conveniently online .
This type of gambling can be specific to a single online casino, or it can be social gambling that crosses the boundaries of casinos. This depends entirely on what form of social gambling you are talking about. We will take a closer look at them below!
Different forms of social gaming at online casinos
There are many different types of social gaming available at today’s online casinos . Here are the most typical examples:
- Livespins feature
- Live games
- Poker rooms
- Progressive jackpots
Let’s start opening up these areas step by step.
What is Livespins?
Developed by Happy Hour Solutions Limited, the Livespins feature brings gamblers together through live streamers.
The idea behind the Livespins feature is that at an online casino that uses it, a live streamer plays various games of chance and you, together with other customers of the site, can participate in these sessions with any stake you want . You can join the live stream with, for example, 5, 15 or 120 euros, but there is no limit to the stakes.
In these sessions, you don’t play just any casino or gambling games, but only those with developers who have a Livespins agreement. These include:
- Yggdrasil (including Vikings Go To Berzerk and Vikings Go To Valhalla)
- Endorphina (e.g. Mongol Treasures 2 and Joker Stoker)
- Relax Gaming (including Money Train 3 and Temple Tumble)
- iSoftbet (including Majestic Gold Megaways and Aztec Gold Megaways)
If the streamer manages to win, you will also be paid according to the odds the streamer received . So, for example, if you bet 0.50 euros and the live streamer wins with odds of 30x, you will win 15 euros.
What makes this social gaming experience, in addition to the fact that everyone can participate, is that you can chat with other players and the streamer themselves . For example, if you have a question, you can send the streamer a message via chat and they will answer you by speaking.
Live games run by real dealers
Live games have really taken off in the last couple of years, and their popularity shows no sign of stopping. So what exactly are they?
For a long time, table games such as blackjack and roulette were only available to play on a computer. With the development of technology, online casinos have become available with live games, which are table and entertainment games run by real dealers .
Live games are streamed either from real casinos or from studios produced by game developers such as Evolution Gaming . The game sessions are running 24/7 and you can participate in them together with other players via the network . You do not need to have a camera or microphone on, but you can chat with the game operator and other participants via chat.
The live games portfolio currently includes the following games:
- Dice games (including craps and sic bo)
- Blackjack
- Poker
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Game show games (e.g. Monopoly Live)
- National lottery
Poker rooms at online casinos
Online poker was especially popular in the 2000s, but its popularity waned in the 2010s. However, in the 2020s, online poker seems to have taken off, as many casino sites now have their own poker rooms .
The idea behind poker rooms is that you can sit at a poker table of your choice and play poker with other players online . So you don’t have to be content with playing poker against the computer, but you can play cards socially with other people.
As long as you know the secrets of poker well enough, you can make good profits from it. For example, two-time world champion in online poker Henri Koivisto won a total of about $400,000 in winnings between 2018 and 2020 .
Progressive jackpots
Progressive jackpot games are just like slot machines in terms of their operating mechanics, but they only offer significantly larger jackpots.
As the name suggests, progressive jackpots pay out progressively growing pots. Progressive growth occurs in such a way that a small portion of each bet on the game in question is set aside for the main prize . This does not only happen at one casino, but the same pot is grown from bets from all online casinos, i.e. it is a so-called “cross-border online casino” gaming. At best, that amount can grow to tens of millions of euros , so we are definitely not talking about small money.
Here are some examples of the most famous progressive jackpot games:
- Mega Moolah Goddess
- Divine Fortune
- Temple Tumble Dream Drop
- Mega Fortune
- Wolf Blaze WOWPOT Megaways
- Ted Jackpot King
- Wolf Gold Power Jackpot
Progressive jackpots have made a few Finns multimillionaires over the years. For example, a man from southeastern Finland won over 3.4 million euros on the Mega Fortune Dreams game in 2016. There are many other winners, but we want to emphasize that winning the main jackpot, which resets to the base level after triggering, is extremely unlikely due to high volatility, low return rates and the nature of the games.