Games like solitaire, bubble shooters and quizzes have been online for as long as the internet has been around. Until recently, you were not able to play them for real money. Well, this is where Skillz comes in. You can enter tournaments or head-to-head format games against other players, winning real cash (or enjoying the fun-money versions).
The definition of a skill game could read: games determined by the player’s ability. Skill games for real money are evolving quickly on the internet, with all-time classics being brought to life and other titles invented to challenge your wit and your bankroll.
You can now play anything from Monopoly to Yahtzee to dominoes on the internet for real money. While there are varying degrees of professionalism associated with the sites that promote these products, real money skill games will almost certainly be one of the biggest growth areas in online gambling in coming years.
Consider this: Candy Crush has 93 million players daily. While we won’t debate the merits of whether that game is based on skill or luck, they market it as the former. There are already early versions of similar games available on the Web for real money and you could be fairly sure at least a small percentage of those 93 million people would be interested in playing a version where they can win money.
While there is still plenty of water to go under the bridge before skill games for real money are regarded as a mainstream pursuit, there is a growing market for these types of websites. People have been playing each other in skill games for prizes for a long time and it seems like a logical step in online gambling to push this revenue stream.
Skill games endorsed by the Word Gambling List
Skill games are springing up everywhere, largely driven by players in the USA buoyed by the fact this type of game is not banned by the “games of chance” laws. Here are a few skill games the World Gambling List endorses.
Yahtzee: A dice game with a huge following as an offline game. Online you place a wager before you start playing another person. The aim of the game is to get certain dice combinations varying in difficulty.
Backgammon: This game has had a real money following online for almost 10 years. It is an easy game to adapt to online play because there is a lesser threat of a player using a game emulator and cheating than there is in other games such as Scrabble.
Wheel of Fortune: Whether you watched Vanna White, John Burgess or many other hosts around the world or not, you most likely have heard of Wheel of Fortune. You solve word puzzles and spin a wheel, and now you can play for real money.
Scrabble: We mentioned this classic before and how playing online lends itself to cheating. Scrabble has had the format changed and you now make words from changing letters on a cube. If you enjoy Scrabble you will enjoy this game. There is also a “Boggle” version of Scrabble for real money.
Solitaire: More and more Solitaire titles are springing up for real money, with Spider, Adventure and Rush all available. The standard format, which can change depending on where you are playing, is to compete against other online players for various wagers.
Dice games: There are plenty of unique dice sites springing up, including bitcoin sites such as Satoshibet that have gained a lot of attention. There are also games popping up with dice that mirror the rules of poker and fall into the “skill game” category.
eSports: This term can relate to any number of gaming mediums, including consoles, but here we are talking about real money sites offering games such as mini golf, baseball and basketball in various forms. These types of sites are emerging quickly.
Other games: Cool sites have popped up such as Skill Ground, which pitted you against other players in games such as golf and football for real money. Unfortunately the website disappeared a few years ago. Other sites such as GameDuell have become popular for their unique real money challenges.
The World Gambling List, in time, will go into more depth about some of our favorite skill games and where to play them but at this point we are still doing our homework sifting through many contenders.
Mobile skill games
What Games Really Pay You To Play
This is a logical platform for skill games because generally you are playing against other people online. Despite this there are few real money skill sites catering for mobile players, although sites such as Skillz.com are showing plenty of promise.
One of the main stumbling blocks to real money skill games on mobile is the potential for the Google Play and App stores to block sale or distribution of certain apps in certain jurisdictions. For instance, Australians may struggle to get a RMSG from these means.
To give you an idea of just how real money skill games work on mobile, you can find titles similar to Fruit Ninja and Bejewelled on your device, with slight rule tweaks to cater for the monetary part of it.
Expect mobile skill gaming to become more popular over coming years with many sports and games suited to being adapted to real money play.
Deposit & withdrawal methods at skill sites
Depositing real money at online casinos is simple if you live in a region without strict gambling laws; for those who do there are still options.
For those of us lucky enough to live in countries where online wagering is legal, or at the very least not banned, we usually have a stack of deposit options available. These include Visa and other credit and debit cards, bank transfers, web wallets and alternate methods such as Paypal.
Dedicated skill game sites have not been as heavily developed as the casino industry, so there are usually fewer deposit options, but as the niche grows expect the banking options to increase.
If a deposit option is accepted in your country, you should be able to withdraw with this method as well. Just make sure you assess the site you have chosen and make sure they have the means for you to deposit AND withdraw.
WGL’s take on the future of real money skill games
This is possibly the most exciting prospect in random-number-generated, online casino gaming, even though it strays off the traditional path. Games developers are working hard on the next wave of skill games. Expect to see more classic games being modified and put on a real money platform.
Play Real Money Games Online
Real money skill games are expected to appeal to an entirely new demographic, although our guess is that many slots and poker players will fancy their chances of causing some trouble in this pursuit.
Looking into our crystal ball, we can see a day where chess is played via live streaming for real money, monopoly boards virtualizing (this is already happening) and giving us a chance to really end up in jail, if our luck goes awry (we’re joking, always bet within your means).
Play Online For Real Money
There has already been a brief venture into skill games on several slots machines with a WGL favorite Mr Vegas being a notable example, where you can play blackjack and roulette as your bonus games. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Some slots have had trivia questions associated with the bonus rounds, while on others you must solve a puzzle. There is one in development, we are told, where you need to solve a riddle to win the bonus. Exciting stuff.
We believe the possibility of playing against each other in various puzzle and sports games for real money will also prove a huge drawcard. E-gaming is becoming a huge business, with official tournaments and betting available on various computer games, including Call of Duty.