Pricing freelance work is complicated. I asked three developers how they charge for social casino mini-games.

Q: Hourly or project-based?

"Project-based, always," Dmitri states. He's freelanced for four years. "Social casino work involves too many variables. I quoted hourly once for a 'simple' wheel game. Client changed the probability model six times. What should've been 20 hours became 60. Ate all my profit."

Priya agrees but adds nuance. "I do project-based with defined revision rounds. Three rounds of changes included, additional revisions billed separately at my hourly rate. Sets clear boundaries."

Q: What's a typical mini-game worth?

"Depends wildly on complexity," Dmitri explains. "Basic slot variant with standard mechanics? I charge £2,800-3,500. Original bonus round with custom math models? £5,000-7,000. Multi-stage game with leaderboards and social features? £8,000+."

Luis, who works primarily with smaller studios, prices lower. "I'm at £1,800-2,400 for basic games. But I'm in Eastern Europe where cost of living is different. I can be competitive on price and still make good money."

Q: What about ongoing work versus one-offs?

"Retainer relationships are gold," Priya says. "I have two clients who pay £4,000 monthly for roughly 60 hours of work. Slightly lower hourly rate than project work, but guaranteed income. I can plan my finances."

Q: How do you handle clients who want cheap work?

"Walk away," Dmitri says bluntly. "If someone's opening bid is 'we found developers in [country] for half your rate,' they're not serious. Quality clients understand you get what you pay for."

Luis adds: "I'm the cheaper option sometimes, and that's fine. But clients trying to negotiate me down 40%? Not worth the headache. They'll micromanage everything."