Online gaming is generally considered anything that deals with internet casinos. However, it can also extend to anything else online that involves a gamble.
Social casinos and loot boxes fall into this category. They both require you to gamble in an effort to win something of value—even if it’s not directly worth money.
Assuming you’re looking to bet on something outside of the casino, then you may be interested in knowing more about loot boxes and social casinos. This guide discusses more on these types of gaming and compares them as well.
What Is a Loot Box?
Certain video games feature special weapons, spells, character actions, currencies and skins (changes character’s appearance) that you obtain through leveling up. These items are referred to as “loot.”
Some loot is easy to get and overly common. For example, you won’t experience much difficulty getting “voice lines” (character lines) in Overwatch.
Other items are rare and considered valuable due to their scarcity. You might play Overwatch for countless hours and never receive certain victory poses.
Regarding the latter, some developers now include loot boxes in their games to help you quickly obtain what you’re looking for. You pay money to get a certain amount of boxes that contain mystery items.
Most of the loot that you get from these boxes will essentially be worthless. Such skins and weapons are easy to locate and don’t have much, if any, value.
On lucky occasions, though, you can get rare items that have significant monetary value. You may even consider selling such loot through a third-party marketplace.
The gambling aspect comes into play when given that you’re spending money to get mystery items. You have no idea if the contents will include hard-to-find loot or something that’s overly abundant.
Luckily, you only have to spend a few dollars to get several boxes in many cases. But you’ll usually need to spend much more to obtain a specific item.
What Is a Social Casino?
A social casino looks and seems like a normal real money online casino. It has many of the same types of games, including slots, blackjack, and roulette.
However, it differs by incorporating social elements that regular internet casinos don’t offer. You’ll be able to invite friends to join you, share achievements on social media sites, and send gifts to buddies.
These casinos don’t see you actually gamble money. Instead, you can purchase chips and earn achievements and other accolades.
Social casino apps will start you off with a certain amount of free chips. They offer these bonuses to hook you into playing.
Assuming you go on a hot streak and keep winning, you may never need to reload chips. The more likely scenario, though, is that you’ll eventually lose all of your chips and have to buy more at some point.
Social casinos give you the option to do this through different packages. Here are examples on the different chip purchases you might be able to make:
- 100,000 chips for $20
- 500,000 chips for $35
- 1 million chips for $60
If you find a social gaming site entertaining, you’ll naturally be motivated to purchase chips. But you’ll also discover that keeping up with your friends is a powerful motivator too.
Assuming you have one or more friends who play at the same casino, you might see that they reach a certain level. You may buy more chips just to keep up with them.
Similarities Between Social Casinos & Loot Boxes
The biggest similarity between loot boxes and social gaming sites is that neither one involves real money gambling. Unlike a regular casino, online sportsbook, or esports betting site, you’re not placing bets to win back money.
Instead, you make purchases that can help you achieve goals. In the case of a social casino, goals normally involve increasing your level/status and impressing your friends. Regarding loot boxes, you want to eventually buy a box that contains a rare item.
These two forms of gaming are also legal in many parts of the world. Unlike internet betting sites or online casinos, for example, they don’t deal with strict regulations from governments.
Of course, some lawmakers have called out both loot boxes and social casinos for their addictive qualities. By and large, through, they escape the same red tape that gambling sites deal with.
Social gaming and loot boxes also deal with uncertainty. Regarding the latter, you pay money to obtain mystery items from boxes.
A social casino sees you play games of chance just like a normal gaming site. You never know how many chips you’re going to win in return.
Differences Between a Social Casino & Loot Box
The most-obvious way that loot boxes and social casinos differ is their gameplay. A social gaming site features a variety of casino games, like baccarat, blackjack, craps, and slots.
A loot box is more like buying a lottery ticket. You simply open the virtual box and hope that it contains something good.
These forms of gaming also vary in terms of prizes. Loot consists of random skins and weapons—ranging from common to uncommon items.
Social casinos can offer cool avatars, special achievements, and new levels. Many of these prizes are meant to build your profile and impress buddies.
Finally, social gaming sites don’t initially require that you spend money to play. Most give you free chips in order to try out their sites.
Loot boxes always cost money to buy. Granted, you only need to spend a few dollars at a time, but you’re forced to spend something.
One upside of these boxes, though, is that their contents can lead to money. Third-party marketplaces exist that allow you to sell loot.
You’re not going to make much money from common items. However, you can look forward to a nice return from rare weapons and skins.
Is One Type of Gaming Better Than the Other?
Whether you like social casinos or loot boxes better mainly comes down to your preferred type of gaming. If you like the combination of casino games and social media, then you’re going to love social gaming sites.
These casinos give you an opportunity to play many popular table games and slots. You’ll get plenty of play out of your bankroll too.
Of course, you can’t parlay the chips you win into anything of monetary value. But you can at least have fun and participate in online gaming with your friends.
A loot box, meanwhile, is appealing if you’re into video games. Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, and League of Legends are some popular games that feature these boxes.
Loot can also lead to you earning actual money. If you find an extremely rare item, you can parlay it into cash through a third-party website.
Unfortunately, you won’t get much entertainment out of loot boxes in terms of time. But you may find the brief moment before you buy and open the boxes to be exciting.
Conclusion
Social casinos and loot boxes are fun ways to gamble without getting too serious about the matter. You may not be able to win real money back, but you at least get some entertainment out of the matter.
A social casino looks and feels much like a traditional online casino. The big difference, though, is that the chips have no monetary value. You can purchase more chips if you run out and try to earn achievements and level up.
A loot box gives you an opportunity to win a skin, weapon, spell, and/or other special items. For a relatively cheap price, you can buy multiple boxes and try to get rare loot.
You may ultimately prefer real money gambling at online casinos, poker rooms, or betting sites. But both loot boxes and social casinos offer a nice and entertaining breather from the norm.
Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. …
