Latest research shows that social gambling is overtaking regular social gaming
Social gambling is set to boom in the next few years, according to the latest research, demonstrating that Zynga and other social game makers have made the right decision by moving into real-money betting.
Social gambling boom
Annual revenue from real-money social game gambling should reach $1.6 billion by the end of this year, rising gradually to a peak of about $2.4 billion by the year 2015, according to the latest report on Social Casino Metrics compiled by SuperData, a leading research firm on the topic.
According to SuperData, the average social gambler already spends almost double the amount of cash-free social game players. Real-money social gamers spent $78 on average in July, compared to their non-money counterparts with $43. Almost half these gamers are situated in the US, where there are more than 35 million social gamers.
Putting it into practice
Zynga, the world's largest social gaming provider, has been talking of online gambling for a while. Recent moves suggest the implementation of real-money gaming is high up on the agenda, and it could be a matter of time before its services are integrated with real-money platforms on Facebook.
In a sign of things to come, Facebook and independent gaming partner Gamesys have already begun offering a real-money version of online bingo for British users of the social network who are aged 18 and over. If successful, the trial could change the face of the entire online gambling industry.
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