Gambling Apps for Real Money vs. Play Money

Authentic Gaming: Play Money vs Real Money Gambling Apps

Gambling apps are all the rage these days. Whether it’s casino games, poker, sports, horse racing, lotteries, etc., the digital age has given everyone, all over the world, access to this unparalleled form of entertainment.

Not everyone is inclined to risk real money, though. There are countless players out there who enjoy these games for sheer entertainment purposes. In the same token, millions of people utilize gambling apps for real money play every day. The differences between the aren’t as obvious as you may think.

Play Money vs Real Money Gambling Apps

There are quite a few differences between these types of mobile gaming apps. Obviously, the biggest difference is the cost to play. Real money apps require a deposit, and afford an opportunity to win, and withdraw, actual cash. Play money gambling apps will never pay out cash winnings. They are 100% free to play, although users can make in-app purchases to acquire extra coins or unlock new gaming titles.

Aside from this, there’s an enormous difference in availability. There is no shortage of play money casino apps for Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phone. The Google Play and Apple iTunes stores are teeming with them—thousands upon thousands to choose from!

There are so many, in fact, that our only recommendation for choosing one is to look for your preferred game variety, then narrow the results by the number of downloads and positive user reviews. The more downloads there are, and more positive reviews, the more likely you are to enjoy them. And there’s no risk in taking the trial-and-error approach, keeping the good ones and deleting the bad from your phone.

Real money gaming apps, on the other hand, come in significantly lesser quantities. Depending on where you live, and the legality of online gambling therein, you may or may not be able to find them on branded mobile app stores. In this case, you must download the app directly from the online gambling site for which it was made.

Game variety is another area where these apps differ. Because there’s less back-end security and information being handled in play money games, these apps tend to have a much wider array of gambling amusements to choose from. Of course, they also come in smaller installments, catering singly to slots players, blackjack players, poker players, etc.

Most, but not all, real money gambling apps are restricted to smaller categories of games. This keeps the application light weight and more convenient for players seeking a wholly secure, fast-paced gaming experience.

The last major difference between these apps is regulatory compliance. Since there’s no cash involved, free-to-play apps have no regulatory restrictions. The developers can set, and alter, the theoretical return to player (RTP) any way they wish. They can set the slots to be loose, with an above 100% RTP. Or, they can set them with low RTPs in hopes of getting more players to purchase coins. Due to the enormous range of competition in this market, however, most developers set their RTPs high to deliver a more entertaining experience.

Real money gambling apps—the reputable ones, anyway—cannot and will not alter their RTPs. They are bound by strict licensing regulations that require them to provide a fair RTP on every game. The blackjack games must have the same random odds of a physical shuffled deck of cards. The slots cannot pay an RTP lower, or higher, than jurisdictional law permits. In this way, players are guaranteed to get an authentic, fair gaming experience every time the place a bet.