Mobile phones, tablets and social networking sites have permanently changed the face of the gaming industry. Initially, social gaming was thought to be a passing fad, but it seems that it is here to stay. The industry has become so well-known and successful that even the internet casinos designers have made the decision to try their side at creating social activities that will entice a new audience of players.
Zynga was one of the first designers to make the connection between social gaming and gambling. One of its first launches was Zynga poker, an on-line poker application that worked like any other poker network – with the addition of social gaming features. Gamers were able to share their progress with friends and level up to add improvements. The Zynga poker and it’s success began the trend of social gambling. Soon, Zynga made the decision to release other social casino apps, and it was not long before Zynga Slots was available on the Facebook Application market. This app provides player free-play slots activities, with plenty of ‘unlockable’ functions and shareable content. It led to the making of Zynga elite slots, which brought a new significance to the term ‘social gaming’ by permitting players to play together to win slots jackpots and complete levels. For a long time, Zynga had a monopoly on the social gambling industry, but it was not long before other designers began to get involved. Dual Down Interactive released the incredibly well-liked Dual Down Casino application, which was quickly seized up by internet gambling designer IGT (International Game Technology). IGT was one of the first real-money gambling designers to try its side in the social gaming world, and it has turned out to be a successful venture thus far. Dual Down’s games are still free slots but the application provides significant amounts of ad income for IGT.
