I was, for a long time, a dedicated Hit It Rich player. I love slot machines, and I often indulge in playing them at home, or on the go. And the best way to play them free is a social game – at least that was what I thought at first. But now I know better. Today I won’t even touch any social casinos, although I get DoubleDown, MyVegas, and Slotomania invitations day after day.
Why do you say they are evil?
Social casino games are fun, with a lot of entertainment value – but their only goal is to make money for their publishers. OK, real money casinos do the same. But Euro Palace, a place where I now satisfy my daily slot machine needs, has two things that make it better than any social casino game: it has a truly free option, and it gives its players the chance to actually win money with its games.
The social hypocrisy
There are multiple prices you pay for social casino games.
First, you pay the publisher with exposure – whenever you share your progress through the levels, you let your friends and family know what you are playing, and often attracting them to play themselves. Sometimes you even invite them to play with you.
Second, whenever you see an ad in your social game of choice, you pay them money. Advertisers pay the publisher for you seeing that ad. And smartphones have no ad blockers to keep the annoying banners away – not inside apps, at least. So you pay them whether you want to or not.
Third, there are the in-app purchases. Of course, topping up your account with virtual coins is not very expensive, but in the long term, it adds up. And you spend that money on gambling games with no chance to win them back.
What’s the deal with real money casinos?
One of the reasons why I play the latest casino games at Euro Palace is that it has lots of them. Hundreds, to be exact. No social casino can come even close to the variety of games Euro Palace has. Another reason why I will always prefer Euro Palace to Slotomania, DoubleDown or any other social game is that it is straightforward. It tells you that you can play free, without ads and any incentives, for as long as you like, but your winnings will all be virtual. To win real money, they say, you have to pay real money, and obey the rules. No hidden messages, no ads, and most importantly, not advertised as free. In short, no hypocrisy.
