Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has had a rough go of things since going public in 2011. The social gaming market has changed from a browser based world to a place where there are more players engaging with content on tablets and smartphones. While Zynga has tried to keep up with these changing trends in their traditional social free-to-play games, it’s apparently also had something cooking on the back-burner.
Some of Zynga’s most popular core social games are casino style offerings. These games that replicate slot machines and poker matches are played by millions of people every day in a free, play money form. Starting today, gamblers in the UK can wager real money in the Zynga Plus Casino.
The Zynga Casino will offer real money poker games in various popular online formats, there are numerous iterations of slot machines, all boasting big payouts. The Zynga Plus Casino is already claiming to have over 3.5 million in total jackpots.
While it doesn’t look like Zynga is slowing down on the free-to-play social aspect by any means, they’ve certainly aligned their focus towards an area that will bolster the bottom line. Right now, the real money gambling is only available in the UK, but with recent legislation in New Jersey and Nevada, it might not be long before we see real money online wagering world wide from the social gaming company.
