Social Casino vs Real Money Casino: Key Differences

The difference is the money. In a real-money casino you deposit cash and winnings can be withdrawn. In a social casino, such as Cashout Arcade, you play with virtual coins that cannot be withdrawn, exchanged for prizes, sold or transferred. Everything else follows from that: who regulates the game, what protections exist, and what the real risks are.

At a glance

The licensing and regulator rows are general. Regulators and rules differ by country and state, and a social casino may still be covered by consumer protection law. We do not list jurisdictions here; for the legal side see Are Social Casinos Legal in the US? What to Know.

Money

In a real-money casino every bet puts real money at risk, and a win can be withdrawn. That makes losses and wins real.

In Cashout Arcade you can also spend real money, but only to buy coins. Pack prices run from $1.99 to $99.99 and are billed through Apple. What you buy is a limited licence to use coins in the game: our Terms of Use state that you do not own them and they have no value outside the app. If you lose every coin, you have lost the use of those coins; you have not lost anything that could have been paid out. That does not make the spending harmless, because the money you paid is gone either way. The Social Casino Spending: How In-App Purchases Work guide covers this.

Odds and RTP

Return to player (RTP) is the share of money wagered that a game pays back over a very long run; the rest is the house edge. See RTP (return to player).

• Real-money casino games commonly have RTPs that depend on the game and the operator. We do not quote typical ranges here, because published ranges vary by jurisdiction and by source and we have not verified one to cite.
• In Cashout Arcade most games return 97% (a 3% house edge). Games with a fixed prize table return a little less (at least 96.5%), and Shell Game, a game of skill, returns 90% for a player who only guesses. Blackjack and Poker assume best play for their 97%. Every figure is on the Odds page and in each game's info screen.

The key point does not change between the two: a house edge means that over time the house keeps a share, so no betting pattern changes the long-run result. That holds for both kinds of casino.

Regulation and protections

Real-money casinos operate under a gambling licence in most places that allow them, and licences usually come with testing, advertising and player-protection conditions.

Social casinos mostly sit outside gambling licensing, because no prize is paid. They are still bound by the rules of the platforms they run on. Apple, for example, places "frequent simulated gambling" in its 18+ age tier and requires apps that sell randomised items to disclose the odds of each item before purchase (guideline 3.1.1). That odds rule is about randomised items; coin packs in Cashout Arcade are fixed-size purchases and do not contain random items.

That is a thinner net than a gambling licence, which is the best reason to look at what the publisher itself provides: published odds, a spend limit, breaks, and a clear statement of what coins are.

Where the risks are

In a real-money casino the main risk is financial and personal harm from gambling. In a social casino the money at risk is smaller per round and cannot be won back as cash, but three risks remain:

1. Overspending on coins. The coins run out, and buying more is one tap.
2. Time. The games are built to be played in short, repeatable rounds.
3. A bridge to real gambling for some people. In a 2016 survey of 521 adult players, most said social casino games had no effect on their gambling; 19.4% said they had gambled for money as a direct result. The study shows an association and cannot prove cause. See Are Social Casinos Gambling? What the Law and Research Say.

Which is right for you

This site does not recommend real-money gambling, and we do not give personalised financial advice. If your question is "which one should I pick", a few honest pointers:

• If you want to play casino-style games for entertainment only, a social casino carries no payout and no withdrawal, so nothing can be "won" in money. Use the limits and take breaks.
• If you want to gamble for money, understand that it is a paid entertainment with a built-in cost, that your jurisdiction may restrict it, and that help is available if it causes harm. Start with How to Stop Gambling: Practical, Evidence-Based Steps if you are trying to cut down.
• If you have had problems with gambling, casino-style games of any kind may be a trigger. Talk to a professional or a helpline before deciding.

Sweepstakes casinos are a third category that blends the two; see Social Casino vs Sweepstakes Casino: What Is the Difference?.