A new era of social gaming was ushered in on Tuesday as Facebook launched the first real money game on its ubiquitous social networking platform. Bingo Friendzy, developed by the London-based firm Gamesys, allows players to wager real currency for the chance to win cash prizes.Most, if not all, games on Facebook give users the option to pay real money to enhance their experience or allow them to advance further in the game, but the money is used to buy credits that can then be converted into in-game currency. Additionally, real money cannot be cashed out of games, so even though people can put money into a game like Zynga Poker, they can’t get anything back out.
Bingo Friendzy, on the other hand, will allow players to wager actual real world currency on the outcomes of bingo games, with winners receiving real winnings in return.
The game is available only to players in the United Kingdom at this time and people must be at least 18 years old to play. BBC News, among other media outlets, has reported that Facebook will use its “age-gating” technology to prevent access by “vulnerable people” and those who are underage.
This technology will also block Bingo Friendzy activity messages on the timelines of friends who are under 18 so that they are not accidentally exposed to the game. Users will have to go through an identity verification process in order to play, and self-help tools, such as spending limits, will be available.Why bingo? Why not online poker? The reason seems to be because bingo is a very simple game played by people of all ages, has a short learning curve, and is a great game for socializing. It doesn’t hurt that it is extremely popular, either. In a Financial Times article, Clive Hawkswood, Chief Executive of the Remote Gambling Association, spoke to this, saying, “Bingo is at the softer end of the gambling spectrum, and online bingo often has chat forums alongside, so it’s an obvious match for Facebook.”
Added Facebook’s Head of Gaming for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Julien Codorniou, “Gambling is very popular and well regulated in the UK… For millions of bingo users, it’s already a social experience, [so] it makes sense [for us] to offer that.”
Real money gaming has been a goal of Facebook for some time. In late 2011, eGaming Review reported that Facebook was working on a plan to launch real money gambling apps. The company, EGR said, “is known to have sketched out a plan to offer an initial eight licenses to eight individual operators, two from each of the four verticals, with the social network being used as a platform for the firms to integrate their apps.”
In addition, last month, social gaming company Zynga, whose name is virtually synonymous with Facebook, began the process of seeking out a real money gambling partner. It opened a tender for a real money gaming platform and invited qualified gaming developers to bid for the business.Several of the reported suitors have a wealth of experience in real money online poker, including Playtech (iPoker Network), Microgaming, and GTECH G2 (International Poker Network). With its fortunes tied so closely to Facebook’s, Zynga almost certainly would not be taking this significant step without the idea that it would eventually launch real money games on Facebook at some point.
While Bingo Friendzy is not poker and is limited to just residents of the UK, it is a major step toward the potential launch of a real money poker app on Facebook. Should the game succeed, the doors will likely begin to open for other real money games like poker.
