Let’s talk football for a moment, specifically FIFA. The International Federation of Association Football is the benchmark of excellence in world football, a.k.a. soccer. As the sport’s governing association, this Zurich-headquartered Association oversees eight national associations across Europe and 211 National associations worldwide. 

The worldwide popularity of football – as a game, a sport, and an industry is immense. In 2021 alone, FIFA generated revenues of $766 million alone. That figure is rapidly rising.

Plus, there are plenty of online and mobile gaming attractions, sports-themed games, and add-ons turning a massive profit. Consider FIFA Soccer as a case in point. It generated $104.87 million in revenue in 2023, followed by a distant second (in terms of most popular mobile gaming apps) of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes at $49.95 million, and Golf Clash in third place at $47.35 million. 

But the popularity of football continues unabated with titles like EA Sports FIFA 23 Companion at $8.86 million – another top 10 contributor for the 2023 year-to-date. We can expect these and similar games to continue rising in the rankings for the current year, reeling in millions of dollars in revenues, with many spin-offs.

But it’s not only football-themed attractions ruling the roost in the online gaming world. There is plenty of interest in social casino games, across the continental United States, Europe, Asia, and beyond. 

Unlike traditional online casinos which have stringent regulatory and licensing requirements, real money betting, and an inherent house edge, social casinos are truly social gaming enclaves. That means they are first and foremost entertainment destinations with players can congregate in a social setting online. There is no need to wager real money, since real money gold coins (GCs) are used.  

Enter the Realm of the Social Casino

The social casino scene has set the gaming world abuzz, with top-tier online casino experiences. As of 2021, industry aficionados estimate the US-based social casino market at $6 billion, with expected revenues of $9 billion by 2027. This begs the question: why are social casinos so popular? 

To answer this, it’s worth reading about HelloMillions.com – a ranking operator in the highly competitive social casino scene. During the pandemic, land-based gaming ground to a halt. So, players switched to online casino games and that’s precisely where sweeps casinos and gold coin casinos came into their own.

Since they are effectively free to play, players do not use their own money to wager on card games, table games, or slots games. Players can claim generous welcome bonuses when registering with the premier social casinos. However, players are required to buy gold coin packages (GCs) to play social play casino games. 

The gold coins are used for wagering purposes, allowing social casinos to work around the mandatory licensing and regulation requirements. Plus, the GCs serve as a practical limit on the value of deposits made by players. Limited regulatory constraints govern the social casino scene, allowing many more players to enjoy the festive milieu of the online casino world.

The 18+ age requirement is certainly a big boost to the social casino scene, better than the 21+ minimum age of online casinos. A bigger market attracts a bigger audience, and we see evidence of this with the groundswell of support for top-tier online slots, card games, table games, tournaments, and other social gaming attractions. 

Social casinos’ promotional offers warrant consideration, since they are plenty generous. Players can claim many gold coins in social contests, daily giveaways, deals, and tournaments.

2024 certainly bodes well for an exciting year in the gaming world. We are seeing unprecedented interest in online entertainment, spurred by the rapid rise in mobile gaming. Players seeking the thrill of Vegas-esque entertainment are turning out en masse for the social casino scene over traditional online casinos with all the attendant benefits and little of the downside risks.