Social Casinos: A New Way to Enjoy Free Casino Games
Fancy casino thrills without the real-money risk? Social casinos are taking South Africa by storm! These online gaming sites offer all the excitement of slots, roulette, and more, completely free. It's pure entertainment, no deposits or withdrawals needed.
Join the fun directly through social media platforms or dedicated apps. Play your favourite casino games online, build your virtual bankroll, and climb the leaderboards – all without spending a Rand.
Whether you prefer solo spins or connecting with friends, social casinos offer flexible gameplay. Enjoy a relaxed, risk-free casino experience and discover a new way to play online in South Africa.
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What Exactly Are Social Casinos?
Social casinos are simple, mobile-friendly online platforms and apps that give players access to free-to-play social gambling games. Think of them as the fun, no-stakes version of your favourite casino games, perfect for a quick spin anytime, anywhere in South Africa.
What Games Can You Play at Social Casinos?
Expect a wide variety of classic online casino games, such as roulette, slots, Texas hold'em poker, and blackjack. You'll also find some fresh, fun twists on these classics, keeping things exciting for South African players.
In fact, some of the most popular social casino apps globally include titles that are also big hits with players in South Africa, like Coin Master, alongside games like Teen Patti Gold Poker and Rummy.
Why Are Social Casinos So Popular Worldwide, Including in SA?
Millions of players worldwide, and certainly many here in South Africa, use their phones or computers to access online casino games, far exceeding the numbers playing for real money.
The main draw for most social casino players is the sheer entertainment value of playing casino games online without any financial risk. It’s all about the fun and the buzz of playing, the way you might enjoy a casual game of cards with mates. gambling at online casinos.
For many South Africans, these free-to-play platforms are a go-to for pure entertainment. Around 80% of social casino players access these platforms exclusively on their mobile devices or tablets. This means they're enjoying casino games for fun on their phones while commuting, waiting in line, or just to break up the day.
Another major reason for their popularity is the integration with social media. We love sharing our lives and connecting with friends and family online. Social casinos tap into this by creating communities where you can share your gaming experiences.
So, linking social media platforms with social casino features makes perfect sense.
Many social gamblers like to keep track of their scores and compare them with friends or family who are also playing on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This enhances that feeling of connection and community, creating a bit of friendly competition, or "gees" as we say in South Africa.bonhomie, and community.
Another reason these casinos are so popular is that, aside from the initial setup of a login profile or user account, there’s no buying or selling of real money involved. This means you don’t need to worry about secure payment methods, banking options, or making deposits.
New customers get all the gambling excitement without any delays or risk.
Plus, there are usually extra perks, like free virtual bonuses and free spins.
What About Payouts in Social Casinos?
When you play casino games on social casino apps, any winnings are virtual coins. You still get the thrill of winning, but there are no actual monetary gains or losses. It's all play money.
For this reason, social casinos are a fun, safe way to pass the time, practice your gambling strategies, or simply entertain yourself without any financial commitment.
How to Get Started with Social Casinos in South Africa
It's super easy to start playing on your mobile device or computer. Just find a social casino you like, download its app or access its website, and you're good to go.
You can even access and play these games in countries or regions where real-money online casino gambling might be restricted, as social casinos are not considered actual gambling.
Ready to Play? Here's How to Start
To get started, simply create your account on your chosen social casino site. You can use your email address or link your social media profile, like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Then, dive right into playing your favourite games online.
You'll find a huge selection of popular games, including progressive jackpot slots, table games like roulette, card games like blackjack and baccarat, games with free sweepstakes coins, big jackpot slots, and even live dealer games like poker.
Many social casino games are story-driven and feature progression levels, much like progressive jackpot slots. You'll often find tutorials to help you learn how to play and progress through the game for that satisfying feeling of achievement.
Your account will be pre-loaded with virtual chips, so you can start playing straight away without any financial commitment.
The Lowdown on How to Play
The rules for social casino games are generally the same as their real-money counterparts and vary depending on the specific game you choose to play. So, whether you're playing slots, poker, or blackjack, the gameplay mechanics will feel familiar.
However, with online gaming on social gambling sites, if you win, instead of winning a payout or cash prizes, you will get more chips. But, if you lose the bet, you lose the chips you’ve bet on. Nor will your chips respawn right away.
You can always try to win more chips, or, if you don’t want to wait 24 hours, you can spend some real money and buy more chips to continue playing.
If you have gambled at a land-based casino, or an online casino before, then you will feel right at home on a social casino site.
This is because the actual gaming experience is pretty similar to a Real Money casino, where you play for payouts. The only difference is, social casinos are cash-free. However, you may be charged for upgrades or to access pro features.
What to Expect
When you play at your social casino, you can expect the same experience you are used to in real person or online at your regular online casino.
The Las Vegas-style games you find in these casinos are designed to imitate the look and feel, and even the sounds of casino games that you know from traditional casinos and your favorite online casino.
Most casinos offer other perks aside from social games, such as tournaments, a free bonus or two, maybe cash prizes, gold coins, maybe real money prizes, free sweeps coins, free spins, free slots, bonus features, and weekly challenges to keep you entertained.
Play Social Casinos for Free
Thanks to social media and social casino gaming apps, you can play for free whenever you want to. Once you have downloaded the app, or have logged into the social casino site, you can start playing.
You can play free slot machine games, free-to-play poker through Facebook, or any classic or modern table games or card games you like that you would usually find on an online casino or regular casino gaming platform.
You can even play big jackpot slots, with a progressive jackpot, and other Las Vegas-type gambling games.
Look on Google Play for android or on your iPhone’s app store to find your favorite online gaming app for casino games and free games.
However, even though the game is free and there is no financial risk, it is still a highly addictive activity. Winning gold coins, enjoying bonus offers, and playing favorite games online on a user-friendly platform is a great distraction, but it can be detrimental to those with a gambling problem.
Play Social Casinos for Real Money
If you are tired of playing for free, and you are ready to play for payouts, then you can find an online casino with real money gambling.
If you want a safe top online casino from anywhere in the world, then ensure the online casino is safe and trustworthy and offers casino bonuses and promotions, sports betting, sporting events, and other online casino games to keep you entertained for longer.
Then, use your money to buy chips and place your bet on your favorite online casino games. Or, if you prefer, you can do sports betting, bet on horse racing, or any other game you like.
Different Versions of Casinos
There are two kinds of online casinos: real money casinos, and free-to-play social casinos.
Land-based or online casinos
The traditional online casino is where gamblers buy chips to place bets on their game of choice with real money. Here, gamblers play casino games such as slot machines, table games such as blackjack or craps, or other games such as roulette, baccarat, poker, and more. They play with their own money and get real money payouts, and so these are called real money casino games.
Social casinos
These casinos, on the other hand, allow players to play whatever gambling game they want to, but with virtual chips that cost them nothing. Winnings are also virtual.
Social casino games are freely available as downloadable apps and, as a result of them being free and highly entertaining, social casinos are more prevalent than land-based or traditional online casinos.
While these present zero financial risk, and many gaming options, they also offer no real reward (aside from the thrill of winning).
Both of these types of casinos are available online, be it on your mobile phone, your tablet, or your computer.
How to Win at Social Casinos
These casinos on your mobile device or tablet follow the same rules as other casinos - be they brick-and-mortar buildings or online. However, the great thing about social casinos is that - aside from the games themselves - there are often storylines and a sense of progression for the players.
Winning on social casino sites and apps is all about making it to the next level.
Each game will have its own set of rules and criteria that you will have to meet in order to progress to the next level.
What to Look for in Social Casinos
The first thing to look out for when looking for the best social casino is that it offers free-to-play games.
You can also look for perks such as free spins, the number of virtual chips you get, the variety of games available, and ease of use to identify the best social casinos online.
Ideally, you want the site to have online games that include:
- Roulette - This famous game has some of the highest-paying online casinos for gamblers.
- Blackjack - Enjoyed by millions, online, and in real life, blackjack is a staple game.
- Baccarat - Popular and exciting, this online casino card game is played by baccarat lovers.
- Poker - As far as popularity goes, this card game wins, hands down.
- Slots - Whether online or in a classic casino, slots are a firm favorite game.
- Bingo - Popular around the world, this game has been around since 1530!
- Craps - A dice game played online and in land-based casinos with great enjoyment.
- Dragon Tiger - One of the most popular casino card games played online today!
Plus, if you really want the best social casino for your online gaming, then find one that also has some of the other online gambling games.
These could include games such as Caribbean Stud, Faro, Keno, Mini Roulette, Slingo, Punto Banco, Casino Holdem, Flop Poker, Lottery, Monopoly Big Baller, Rummy, Sports Betting, Casino War, Football Betting, Mahjong, Video Poker, Online Betting, Scratch Cards, Texas Holdem, Dream Catcher, God of Fortune, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow, Sic Bo, and Three Card Poker, to name a few.
Here are some of the best sites for online gambling games, with free bonuses and spins:
- 1xBet - Get up to €1500 plus 150 free spins.
- Play Ojo - Get 80 wager-free spins.
- Casino.com - Get up to $400 plus 200 free spins.
Discover Top Social Casino Providers
There are many sites that say they are the best social casinos available. However, there are a host of social casino providers you can choose from. See our list at the top of this page.
If you want to dip your toe into the world of real money online casinos that are safe, well-trusted, and easy to play, then check out our list of top online casino games.
Safety and Security
There are plenty of social gambling sites on the market, but not all of them are safe to gamble on.
As a result, we have created lists of safe online casinos and providers that have been investigated by us, against our strict protocols and years of experience.
This ensures that you will only get the safest, most trustworthy online sites and the best online gambling games.
Since social and online casinos have many overlaps but some differences, our approach to security and safety is different between them. When evaluating a site, country laws and regulations must be taken into account.
Our main concern is ensuring that the site is regulated and that the deposit methods available are legitimate and reputable.
Online CasinoRank won't feature a site that isn't secure!
FAQ
Can gambling providers offer social casinos from multiple software providers in South Africa?
Yes. Many software providers are used to ensure a diverse range of safe online casino games are available to South African players.
Can you beat social casinos in South Africa?
No. Social casinos, like other online casinos and brick-and-mortar gambling establishments, use random number generators (RNGs) for their games. This means there's no strategy, skill, or trick to guarantee success at social casinos. It's similar to slot machines – no matter how much you practice or strategize, the outcome is random.
Is Return to Player (RTP) important for South African players in social casinos?
Return to player (RTP) is crucial for regular online casinos where real money is involved. However, it's less relevant for social casinos. RTP represents the percentage of total bets on a game that's paid back to players over time. It's how regular casinos maintain profitability.
This isn't as important in social casinos, as the games are primarily for entertainment and don't involve real money winnings.
Can social casinos in South Africa be hacked or rigged?
Online casinos invest heavily in cybersecurity. Hacking is extremely unlikely and rare.
Since social casinos don't involve real money, rigging is improbable. Winning is symbolic, using virtual tokens or chips to show progress, not financial rewards. The longer players stay engaged, the more revenue the app or site generates through advertising. Therefore, it benefits them to keep players entertained and avoid excessive losses that might cause them to quit.
Which social casinos offer free bonuses to South African players?
Most online casinos, especially social casinos, provide free bonuses. Expect free spins and free tokens or chips to play without cost. Social casinos aim to keep you playing longer, earning revenue through ads. The more you play, the more ads you see, increasing their profit. Rewards and free bonuses are common for new and loyal players, encouraging extended gameplay and return visits. Other bonuses vary depending on the specific site or app.
