The Online Games Where the House Always Wins

The Online Games Where the House Always Wins

From Big Take by Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts

May 1, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

The episode explores the world of social casinos and the implications of their business practices amidst growing scrutiny and lawsuits.

Game apps like High 5 Casino and Monopoly GO! are wildly popular. Players pay up for perks and the mobile game industry makes money – a lot of money. But scrutiny on these kinds of games and what some players call addictive, gambling-like qualities could challenge the way they do business. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg reporter Vernon Silver go inside the world of so-called “social casinos.” Who’s profiting the most from them? And could a slate of ongoing lawsuits change their business model? Read more:  The $11 Billion Casino-Style Economy Built on Players Who Can Never Cash Out We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at  Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by David Fox; Reported by Vernon Silver and Peter Robison; Edited by Aaron Edwards. Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Sarah Holder

Guest: Vernon Silver

Topics covered

  • social casinos
  • mobile gaming
  • gambling-like qualities
  • lawsuits
  • business model
  • addiction

Keywords

  • social casinos
  • mobile games
  • gambling
  • High 5 Casino
  • Monopoly GO!
  • lawsuits
  • business model

Sponsors

Bloomberg

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bloomberg, iHeartPodcasts, Bloomberg.com

Products: High 5 Casino, Monopoly GO!

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