Social casino games are free games on the internet. They are set up to be like traditional casino games. Gamers are provided with free virtual credits to make their bet, and do not use real money. Free credits are reloaded periodically for gamers to use. However, gamers can buy more credits to continue playing after they lose or to play games with higher stakes. Gamers are often encouraged to buy more credits from the gaming operators. The purchase of virtual credits makes playing social casino games more similar to gambling with real money. It is possible that the more a person plays social casino games with virtual credits, the more likely it is for the person to see gambling as an acceptable activity. The researchers examined whether playing social casino games could lead to online gambling. They also examined factors that could influence moving from playing social casino games to online gambling.
