Back in the day, the main draw of online casinos was the convenience of logging in and playing from anywhere, anytime. But with the rise of social media, players are increasingly looking for social elements that let them interact with live dealers and fellow players. This sense of community is crucial to keeping your users loyal and engaged.
This article looks at the five main benefits a social gaming casino brings to your business. We’ll also discuss how casinos add social interaction to their platforms and look at the trends shaping the future of social iGaming.
Free online casino games from providers like Playtika and Zynga have plenty to teach us about player engagement. What keeps players coming back without the draw of a real-money win? The answer lies partly in social mechanics.
In short, successful social casinos cultivate interactions that make players feel seen and supported. As a result, social casinos make up a thriving industry that saw a worldwide gross revenue of $6.2 billion in 2020.
How does this success transfer to online casino gaming? Social interaction brings five main benefits to your player base.
More competition, better collaboration
Multiplayer games and tournaments let your players join team-based competitions, fostering competition and collaboration simultaneously. Tournaments and leaderboards also offer an avenue to showcase skills, achieve recognition, and win material rewards.
A stronger sense of community
Engaging with other players through chat rooms creates a stronger sense of support and belonging, bringing players back to you. And since users from all over the world can come together on one platform, these gambling communities also become a space for cultural exchange. This could attract even more customers in a world that values diversity and inclusiveness.
Players are likely to have more trust and confidence in a casino when they see other players from their country, region, or cultural background. They also get to reach out to other users, ask questions, and air their concerns.
A stronger, more personalised virtual presence
Adding a social element to your casino immerses players more deeply in the environment by letting them craft their virtual presence and connect with like-minded people. Features like avatars and leaderboards allow gamers to show off their unique skills and character. All this makes players feel more invested in their virtual persona and keeps them coming back for more.
Higher player engagement, loyalty, and support
Opportunities to interact with other gamblers make a game more fun and keep players returning for more. Social interactions contribute to a positive feedback loop, fun camaraderie, and a sense of validation – a great recipe for customer loyalty.
Gambling communities also help promote responsible gambling, as fellow players offer guidance and keep each other in check.
Stronger advocacy
Today’s world makes it especially easy for people to rave about their positive gaming experiences. Channels ranging from TikTok and Facebook to chat rooms and multiplayer video games allow players to share their successes, and adding a social element to your casino makes advocacy even easier.
Where do you start if you’re sold on adding a more social element to your platform? Here are six features and add-ons to help build your social gaming casino.
A live gaming environment
Live gaming recreates the thrill and dynamics of brick-and-mortar casinos through an interactive gaming experience. It fosters social dynamics with
- Themed gaming rooms that bring enthusiasts together
- Sound and visual effects that create an engaging atmosphere
- Friendly dealers who promote a positive gaming environment
With live gaming, solitary players enter the experience feeling like they’re in a fun social setting.
Chat rooms
Chat rooms give live dealers a way to actively respond to players. They also enable players to interact and connect with people with shared interests. This social component builds trust and rapport between players and your casino, effectively boosting player engagement and loyalty.
Multiplayer games
Online multiplayer casino games enable collaborative gameplay for people in different locations. Players can strategise and work toward the same goals and also showcase and rank their skills.
Tournaments and leaderboards
Tournaments are a great way to stoke the competitive spirit in players and offer incentive prizes. Leaderboards give players a reason to keep coming back as they aim to outdo other players, level up, and earn badges.
Avatar personalisation
Social interactions are as much about self-expression as they are about connecting with other people. Adding personalised avatars and custom profiles to your casino lets players express themselves and create an identity on your platform, which promotes social interaction in the virtual world.
Online gambling platform PKR demonstrated just how important a role avatars can play in fostering a sense of community among gamblers. PKR’s personalised avatars allowed players to communicate indirectly through avatar appearance and gestures — with avatars, poker gamblers could even go as far as to bluff and share niceties with other players.
Social media integration
Incorporating social sharing tools into your gaming platform lets players share their achievements across social media channels. It’s a win-win: players earn social recognition, and your casino gets greater exposure.
These features pave the way for stronger social communities that benefit your business and your players.
Next up, we’ll explore the tech trends that show where the future of online casinos could be headed.
The future of online casinos lies in increased social interaction. Here are the leading tech trends to follow in 2024 and beyond.
Telegram casinos
The popular messaging app Telegram has been making waves in the world of mobile gambling by leveraging the convenience of gambling on the go. Game providers integrate an AI-powered chatbot into the platform, making it easy to register, select a game, and start playing without leaving the app.
Casino operators can also bring together players from all over the world into Telegram groups without worrying about a cap on the number of people who can join. This makes it easy for like-minded players to get together, communicate, and play with each other.
Whale.io, a popular Telegram online casino and sportsbook, hosts weekly competitions and a social page for general communication.
Growing adoption of VR and AR
Virtual reality allows users to interact with live dealers and other players in a lifelike casino environment, while augmented reality adds to the excitement by superimposing digital information into the simulated gaming experience.
The adoption of VR and AR is expected to increase, with the projected total unit sales of VR headsets for 2024 more than double 2021 figures. This could mean that we see more and more players stepping into simulated three-dimensional casino games and interacting with each other.
Metaverse casinos
The metaverse — a more expansive and deeper experience than VR — offers a three-dimensional realm that allows players to interact not only with each other but with digital objects and gaming environments. Players get to step into a life-like virtual casino from the comfort of their own homes, and with superimposed digital elements spicing up the gaming environment, they get an experience unrivalled even by brick-and-mortar casinos.
The metaverse is built on a variety of technologies, including AR, VR, AI, and the blockchain. Its potential impact on the gaming market is huge, with a predicted CAGR of almost 40% by 2028.
Adding social elements to your online casino is a great way to stay ahead of the competition and grow a community of highly engaged and loyal players. To do it well, you’ll need various features, including chat rooms, live dealers, and an immersive gaming environment.
Most likely, you’ll also need a specialised tech partner to help with feature development and integration. VeliTech is just the partner you’re looking for. Our VeliPlay game development studio boasts outstanding crash games, all built in-house. And our tech teams understand the importance of social interaction, placing a lot of emphasis on an immersive gaming environment. All it takes is your vision or existing platform to get started.
Contact VeliTech to make your vision a reality and bring the power of social interaction to your online casino, starting today.
