In June, the real-money gambling market on Facebook lost an operator when GameSys pulled Bingo Friendzy and Slots Friendzy from the site. Now, there will be even fewer options for players who wish to gamble on Facebook, as 888 will be pulling its MAGIC888 casino. Last year, real-money social gambling was considered to be the future of the online casino market.

When Facebook opened up its App Market to real-money gambling operators, gaming firms jumped at the chance to obtain licenses. However, it seems that they may have jumped the gun as well, since real-money social gambling has not taken off in the way that the industry had expected. According to eGaming Review, the company has decided to pull the app before the UK’s Point of Consumption Tax is introduced.

An additional tax on an underperforming product would certainly have resulted in losses for the company, and it is a wise business decision. “It’s no secret that social real-money casino is not doing very well, but on the other hand Bingo Appy is performing strongly and we intend to increase our footprint there,” 888 COO Itai Frieberger says.

“It makes no sense [to keep Magic888 Casino] before Point of Consumption because it’s going to be very tough to run something which was always marginal,” he added. Still, 888 recognises the value in its real-money bingo offering on Facebook. As such, that part of the app will still continue to operate as usual.

While several real-money Facebook casinos are leaving the market, there are still plenty of options available. Zynga Plus Casino and Jackpot Joy offer players the chance to wager real money on Facebook casino games. Paddy Power has also entered into the mix recently, providing players with another option for real-money Facebook gambling.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.