Online gaming is big business and millions of people around the world play video games regularly on the internet.
The online gaming industry is massive and now rivals the music and movie industries as being the most lucrative on the planet. Some video games that can be played online must be purchased but there are many video games that have been created specifically for online play, and a lot of them are free.
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If the companies are giving away online games for free, how do they make any money? Advertising within the game is one way to make revenue but another popular way for an online game to make money is by using loot boxes and gold coins.
Loot Boxes
There are many online games in which paying to open loot boxes will increase the chances of winning the game or provide a better gaming experience.
Some video games will have free loot boxes which can be won by playing the game but it takes a lot of time to get hold of the items needed in the game to succeed quickly.
Loot boxes that are for sale give players the opportunity to try and gain items earlier in the game, without having to complete levels or achievements. Depending on the game, some of the items in loot boxes can be used to progress through the levels of the game faster, such as weapons, and other items are purely cosmetic, such as clothing for a character.
For players who want to progress quickly through an online game or want to have the best chance of beating an opponent, buying and opening loot boxes is extremely tempting. However, there is a risk involved when opening loot boxes because the content of the loot boxes is not guaranteed. There is a chance that the loot box will contain little in the way of value or it could contain something extremely valuable, the latter of which is rare in most online video games.
Gold Coins
Gold coins differ from loot boxes because they are used at online sweepstake casinos.
When joining a sweepstake casino, there is usually a welcome bonus that awards free gold coins to new players. You can find out more about these offers at sweepstake-casinos.com/bonuses/ and they are a good way to play online casino games for free in regions where real money online casinos are illegal. Gold coins have no real world value and there is no chance of winning real cash prizes when using them to play games at sweepstake casinos.
Gold coins are like loot boxes in that the contents of the boxes have no value in the real world but can be useful for the purposes of the game. Sweepstake casinos, like other forms of online gaming, need to make money to operate and they do that by selling gold coins. The free gold coins offered as part of the welcome package will eventually run out and the only way to keep playing is by purchasing more gold coins.
There is also a chance of receiving some sweeps coins as a bonus when buying gold coins and sweeps coins can be used to win real cash prizes when playing games at sweepstake casinos. For those who would like to have the opportunity to play online casino games to win real prizes, buying gold coins is tempting because of the additional sweeps coins that could come in the package.
Loot Box Controversy
Unlike gold coins, that when used for playing online casino games is not classed as gambling, there is some controversy surrounding loot boxes.
There have been calls around the globe for loot boxes in video games to be banned because they are a form of gambling and people, including children, have spent a lot of money with little reward. When buying gold coins at a sweepstake casino, nothing is hidden and the amount of gold coins is declared at the time of purchase.
When buying a loot box in an online video game, the contents is usually hidden and as the cost of the box involves real money, this can be classed as gambling. The European Parliament have been looking closely at loot boxes in online gaming and steps are being taken to protect consumers, with the focus on minors.
