It has only been a couple of years since casino type games went live on Facebook. At one stage this social networking site would not even allow casino game ads at their site. It appears that they have seen the error of their ways, and the effect of supply and demand now dictates what is popular or not.

In a recent list of the top twenty-three games played at this site, it seems that five of these are casino type games. Gaming in a social media type environment has grown in popularity, and grown exponentially for users at many of these sites. So, the 2013 top “Games of the Year” list was put together based on a selection of criteria. Facebook complied data from "user ratings, implementation, growth and overall quality."

The increase in mobile social media activity has also seen an increase in gaming, and gambling over this channel. This led to the fact that many in the top twenty-three can be enjoyed on both Internet and mobile platforms. Pundits are saying that approximately $12 million will be spent on mobile gambling this year (2014), so, the possibility exists that 2013 mobile growth may have contributed to the Facebook growth in gaming popularity. Hence the reason why five gambling games also made it into their favourites list.

Most online gambling operators are not surprised by the fact that despite the diversity of games available in this space – Hit it Rich Casino Slots, Double Down Casino, Slotmania, DoubleUCasino, and Heart of Vegas, made it to the top. Hit it Rich Casino was also dubbed the Best New Game of the Year. Consumer behaviour seems to be dictating that the Facebook space will soon be inundated with popular online gambling games.

We are not in the least bit surprised by this latest list. The online gambling industry has turned into a mainstream industry Globally, and looks set to grow even more with doors opening in the USA. There are still quite a few global market places that still remain untapped, and with the spread of high speed broadband into Southern American Countries, Africa and Asia, even more growth is bound to be the order of the day. Add to this the fact that mobile, and smartphone use is spreading across the world, and it appears as though the industry might be in for a nice growth surprise. In fact this growth has been speculated on, but could even turn out to be better than the industry is betting on.

Over the past few years, socializing online has become very important to millions (if not billions) of people. Both Facebook and Twitter have seen to these, with a few more social media also trying their luck. But apart from an inherent need to share online, these users have also become increasingly mobile in their tastes. Certainly technology such as the smartphone, has made this more possible, and just as much fun. Now with online gambling becoming so popular, the need to share while we have a little flutter on a casino game, has also boomed.

Human beings are social animals by their very nature. We love communicating with one-another – Tweeting about the book we are reading, sharing with Facebook friends whatever is on the menu for dinner. It seems odd that online gambling and social media have become bedfellows, but they have.

Online bingo has always been known for the fact that the socialising is fun. But not only that, like-minded people play together, made friends, stay in touch and play a soft gambling game. Today this gaming and social activity has extended to many other gambling games, so, people now play games and chat simultaneously to other lovers of these games. The fact is that doing this by mobile media has become absolutely normal, and right now a social, mobile gambling boom is being seen!

Of course the reason why this form of socializing and wagering at the same time has become so popular, is because it is just so easy to do, and people love being winners. It is unlike that growth in this marketplace will stop anytime soon. More and more people are getting smartphone savvy, and realising that a lot more than making a telephone call can be done with these phones. It has even been predicted that smartphone sales will way outstrip that of desk-tops and lap-tops very soon.

Zynga is an example of a mobile an online games developer which has had huge success together with Facebook as its platform, but they are also seriously getting involved with developing mobile gambling games. In fact many once-social games only companies are talking about monetizing their games.

Once Zynga Poker was the benchmark for just about every social gaming company based on its Facebook success, and it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for the company. They have a massive reach in the social gaming marketplace, and they also employ some exceptionally experience developers who know that that marketplace wants from a social gaming perspective.

While Zynga appears to have reached critical mass in recent times, and is not performing very well financially, by monetizing their gaming offering, this might turn things around. Certainly if they succeed, again they will be the benchmark for other players who are interested in getting into the mobile/social gambling game. Experts are saying that the Facebook game bubble has burst, so, we wait with baited breath to see what becomes popular next.

One thing we can be certain of is that whatever it is, it will be mobile.

It has been called the new frontier in online gambling, and while some gambling games are by nature more social than others, this new zeitgeist promises to make playing virtually any gambling game a social experience. It has become such an important factor to the industry that a conference has been specifically called for dealing with what seems to have become another sector of this incredibly successful industry. We’ll take a wager that when the first gambling game went live online, the developers/operators had absolutely no idea just how big this genre would become!

The first Social Gambling Conference takes place on 16th November in London – Dexter House on Tower Hill. iGaming Business is the host.

As experts in the field of gambling online claim they see huge opportunities opening up in the social space, the big question is "where is the money?" Of course this question is as relevant to operators as it is to social gamers who are keen to win prizes. It is the online gambling part of the equation where attention should be focused, but there also has to be a way to get the balance right. This gathering hopes to address the intricacies and interesting facts of a rather complex subject.

As we see social gambling transform into real money gambling online, the same is taking place from the real money online gambling point of view, where this business is becoming more social. So, like in all instances of just about everything, there are two sides to the coin… thank goodness for that…that is how we achieve balance.

Implications include legal and regulatory requirements as the social gaming market unfolds. But as the experts tell us, there are a great many opportunities presenting themselves. All we need to think about to grasp the idea; is the fact that Globally there are close to 1 billion Facebook users. Already more than 11 million regular (daily) users have made social media platforms the place play to win, and it is estimated that 50% of Facebook users play social games.

Facebooks five top casino games are Texas Hold Em, Slotomania, Double Down, Bingo Blitz, and "Best Casino", so, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that a huge new market is readily available for existing online gambling operators – but, and here is the rub, they have to make the games social. The five games we mentioned attract a fairly incredible 11,240,000 daily players; who wouldn’t want a slice of that pie?

The two sides of this global online gambling and social gaming equation has become a classic "you scratch my back, and I will scratch yours" scenario. Each business sector is being offered the opportunity to accelerate one-another’s growth. Money is made from the sale of virtual goods, such as coins to unlock more advanced features. It is in this aspect that money is made. Getting ahead appeals to the need for personal achievement and status, so, players spend the money. Social gamers are therefore not so much different from online gamblers, and in fact many play both types of games.

A brand new Facebook Poker app seems to be hot in the news – driven by actor Kevin Pollak and his apparent love for this game. For those of you who don’t know who Kevin Pollak is don’t feel alone, neither did we. However, after conducting a little research we found that he certainly has a very well-known face; claims to fame roles in A Few Good Men, The Whole Nine Yards, The Wedding Planner and more. He hosted the first season of Celebrity Poker Showdown, and regularly invites friends over to his house for poker nights.

Anyway it seems he is also the host for the brand new Facebook poker app, which has been aptly named – Hollywood Poker. The app debuts on the 8th October, 2012, and basically offers players a chance to win into star-studded poker games. This is not a “play for real money” game, but apparently does offer great prizes.

So far the names being dropped include: James Woods, Dennis Quaid, Peter Facinelli of Twilight fame (he plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen), John O’Hurley from Seinfeld, Scott Baio, Tim Busfield of The West Wing, Dean Cain of Las Vegas, Rob Riggle of 21 Jump Street, and of course plenty more. While we did not see Ben Affleck or Matt Damon on the list, and they are well-known for their celebrity poker antics, there is still a whole load of shining stars who seem keen to participate in this game, and have also committed themselves to playing Hollywood Poker.

While Hollywood Poker launches on Facebook on the 8th October, the tournament won’t start right away. Members will be playing their best game of poker to win entry into the first tournament which takes place on the 20thOctober. It offers a "rare and exciting chance to play Texas Hold’Em Poker" with Kevin Pollak and his chosen celebrity friends. Three lucky winners will get to play in this single table event. What a rush?!

This is one of the first poker games to be launched by Facebook themselves, and no poker player worth their salt is going to want to miss out on the chance. It is their first ever celebrity games, and over 160 stars of movies, TV, Sports and Media have pledged to play Hollywood Poker. Films and shows such as Too Big to Fail, Saturday Night Live, Vegas, Vampire Diaries, Revolution, News Radio, Charles in Charge, 7th Heaven, Melrose Place, 30 Rock and more to be confirmed will be represented.

Hollywood Poker is easy to use – its designed this way – and fun for everyone. Fans get to interact directly with stars, rub virtual shoulders and chat with them, while playing poker. Visitors can follow the action, as well as become a member, and prizes include trips to star-studded events. This game is playable on most devices which includes mobile for iPad, with support for iPhone and Android being well on their way.

While there has been no doubt about the fact that real money gambling online is here, and here to stay, and this is a well-entrenched industry in the UK; Facebook so far, has not wished to get in on the action. However, now there seems to be a reversal of roles, while this social media application with gaming capabilities wants in on the real money action; real money gambling sites want in on the social gaming aspect.

But that also having been said, Facebook have recently launched their first real money gambling app. They are betting on the British industry because it is more or less a sure thing, and they are hedging their bets even further, by putting their money on bingo.

Bingo has enjoyed massive popularity in Britain over time; first in the live gambling game, and more recently with online bingo. The new Facebook bingo is rather fetchingly called "Friendzy Bingo". Clever little play on words that!

This app allows users to bet on real money games, where obviously they win real money prizes. Although how good the prizes actually are remains to be seen as it is early days yet. Generally speaking the better liquidity (more money) a gambling game has poured into it, the better the prizes will be, and one thing Facebook has never had a problem with is raising a fan following. The more paying traffic there is, the better this bingo will be for all concerned.

CEO – Mark Zuckerberg is launching the product in the hopes that it will boost revenue – that much is obvious. So it is not like all the other virtual money apps, it is a true gambling app. Now UK Facebook users aged 18 to 80 and older can make gambling stakes in real British pounds, and expect to be paid winnings in these. According to the Financial Times the app was launched last Tuesday.
So far this global social networking giant has been precluded from the gambling sphere due to legal restrictions outside the UK. But this does not explain their slow up-take into the UK market. However, Clive Hawkswood of the Remote Gambling Association explains the move as being an obvious match for Facebook. This is chiefly because bingo is of the ‘soft gambling’ ilk, and has always had the reputation of working hand-in-hand with chat forums. Many people are driven to play online bingo by the fact that it is such a social game.

Slots will be coming to Bingo Friendzy in the not too distant future – one assumes they will see how Facebook fans take to the bingo games first. One of the biggest things going for it is the fact that the software platform is powered by Gamesys, an exclusive software brand which powers only a very few sites. Their biggest claim to fame being Jackpot Joy, and Sun Bingo, two of the biggest online bingo brands in the land.