Last year, Facebook was considered to be the next frontier for online gambling. Casino operators took note of the success experienced by social games developers, and they hopped on the bandwagon.
Unfortunately, things have not gone according to plan for some operators, and we have seen two companies pull their games from Facebook.
GameSys – Bingo Friendzy and Slots Friendzy
GameSys was the original trailblazer in the real-money Facebook gambling market. The company’s Bingo Friendzy game allowed players to spend actual cash on bingo games for the chance to win generous prizes.
It was the first game on Facebook that allowed players to wager real-money on casino games, and it was so popular that GameSys launched another app: Slots Friendzy.
However, it seems as though that popularity was short-lived – or, that the game never took off in the way that GameSys had hoped. In June 2014, the company pulled both games from the real-money Facebook gambling market.
Players were given advance notice, and told to withdraw their funds. To this day, GameSys has not provided a solid reason for its withdrawal of the games.
888 – MAGIC888
When Bingo Friendzy and Slots Friendzy were pulled from the online gambling market, gaming industry professionals suggested that MAGIC888 would be the next best solution. The real-money Facebook casino was launched in 2013, shortly after Bingo Friendzy and Slots Friendzy.
The app offered players the chance to wager on the game types of casino games that they could find on 888’s casino site while providing them with social tools that allowed them to interact with other players.
It was a great idea, but it seems as though the app never took off. At its peak, the app had a few thousands users every month. This sounds impressive for a new app and new gaming concept but it paled in comparison to more popular games. For example, Jackpot Joy’s real-money Facebook casino sees over 500 000 users on a monthly basis.
With the UK’s new Point of Consumption Tax ready to be passed, it simply did not make sense for 888 to keep the casino around. However, the real-money bingo aspect of the site will remain.
What Now?
We do believe that companies can have successful Facebook casinos, but it is still quite hit-or-miss. With big players like Jackpot Joy in the market, it will be difficult for new brands to make a name for themselves.
However, the market continues to diversify as Paddy Power has just launch a real-money gambling app on Facebook. It will be a slow climb, but we’ll see more operators in the market son.
