Chumba Casino Review

Chumba Casino Overview

As you probably know, not all the US states have opened their doors to online gambling, nor are planning on endorsing this activity. Yet, people find their ways to make bets and play online games by staying within the limits of current regulations, mainly by looking for some loopholes.

For that reason, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the popularity of US-friendly Chumba Casino exploded instantly, as it offered consumers the opportunity to play casino games without making real money bets. This concept is called sweepstakes or giveaways, and it revolutionized this branch of entertainment by providing customers the chance to interact with social games in a completely different way.

Established in 2012, Chumba Casino is an online platform that offers participants the chance to play games for entertainment and enjoyment. It operates on two different types of coins- Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, the latter of which can be obtained in four different ways. Players can receive them as a complimentary bonus when purchasing Gold Coins, upon entering contests, logging in, or requesting them via post (that’s right, a handwritten letter).

While the concept itself does look interesting and rewarding, not all the players have had positive experiences so far. Some of them were blocked due to “having multiple accounts”, as explained by the support department, the others never received their cash prizes due to malfunctions with games.

Stay tuned for the full Chumba Casino review and find out whether this place is the right one for you!

How to Register at Chumba Casino?

Becoming a member of this platform is super-easy. One of the ways is to sign-up with Facebook, the other is to register via e-mail. If that’s the case, all you have to do is enter your first and last name, e-mail address, and password.

There’s one important thing players should be aware of- multiple accounts. It is not permitted to make one account through Facebook and the other through an email sign-up. If such behavior is spotted, the accounts will be blocked, without the option to redeem or withdraw credits. 

Also, according to the official Terms:

“Only players in the continental United States and Hawaii (excluding the state of Washington) and Canada (excluding Quebec) are eligible to play the games.”

The same country limitations apply to entering the sweepstakes in general.

Is ID Verification Required?

It is not necessary to submit any personal information when opening the account. However, ID verification is required when making payments.

As stated in the Terms, the operator has the right to request documents and information to verify legal and beneficial ownership of the payment method used to purchase Gold Coins. In case the name on the player’s account doesn’t match the one on the payment medium, the account gets suspended.

In that case, consumers may be asked to submit the following:

• ID document with a photo
• Proof of address
• Source of wealth/ source of funds

How Does Sweepstakes Model Work?

In terms of gaming on the internet, sweepstakes casinos represent some sort of social casinos with cash prizes. This form of entertainment and reward distribution may not be so popular in Europe, but it is widely spread in the United States.

One of the crucial things a consumer needs to know is that contests, sweepstakes, and lotteries are not synonymous terms. Each of them does encompass some sort of reward, but they are obtained in a completely different way.

To start with, sweepstakes, also known as prize giveaways where the winners are drawn randomly from among all valid entries. In contests, you usually have “the most…” categories, and the winners are selected based on voting. To participate in lotteries, entrants must pay money to buy tickets and participate.

Sweepstakes/ giveaways have been used by companies and individuals as an alternative for promotional purposes on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter basically since those platforms went live. Sometimes they are referred to as contests or social media contests, but as we explained, these terms should not be interchanged. 

That being said, we could now give an even more precise definition of Chumba casino- it is a social casino site that relies on the sweepstakes concept. So, instead of playing for real money, players can opt for standard play mode with Gold Coins or promotional play with Sweeps Coins. Only when playing with sweeps coins one can redeem and win cash prizes.

Does Chumba Casino Have a Good Selection of Games?

Chumba Casino doesn’t have a massive library of games, as the vast majority of traditional online casinos do. Yet, there’s more than enough to choose from, as all main categories are covered- slots, Blackjack, Roulette, and video poker games. No live games are offered though.

Taking a look at the portfolio, punters will notice that majority of games displayed in the catalog are proprietary VGW creations. Virtual Gaming Worlds studio has been part of the industry since 2010, and it also supplies Global Poker Limited, and LuckyLand Slots.

Other than this, players shall encounter some excellent releases delivered by Pear Fiction Studios, Golden Rock Studios, and 2BY2 Gaming, some of the most inventive content developers of today.

Slots: Dancing Gold, Stallion Grand, The Sand Princess, Cupid’s Fortune, Gustavo El Luchador, Celtic Goddess, Monsoon Dragons, Medusa’s Golden Gaze, Viking Odyssey, Wild Roads, and more.

How to play those games without making a deposit?

Games are played with Gold Coins which are given free of charge when consumer signs up to a platform and at regular intervals when he/she logs into a platform. This is called the standard play. Gold Coins can be won while playing, but they can also be purchased for real money.

It’s important to stress that punters cannot win prizes when participating in standard play. Chumba Casino may assign the min and max Gold Coin purchases.

There are other types of coins as well, called Sweeps Coins. Those are granted to punters free of charge when you register, as a bonus when purchasing Gold Coins, or via free alternative methods of entry More Sweeps Coins can be gained when playing Sweepstakes Games. Players cannot purchase Sweeps Coins.

Bonuses and Promotions

Having in mind that Chumba Casino is not a traditional online casino, it doesn’t come as a surprise that punters won’t spot typical bonuses and promotions. The amount is determined on an individual basis and can be found on Chumba’s Facebook page.

From time to time, the operator holds no-cost giveaway contests where a small number of winners are picked to receive Sweeps. The amount generally ranges from 10 to 50. Also, occasional special pop-up deals are offered, giving punters the chance to get 10 in Sweeps for just $5, for example.

On top of that, there are some interesting ways to lay hands on additional coins. For example, U.S. and Canadian players can get more free Sweeps Coins by writing a letter to the registered address of Chumba Casino.

Players should be aware that prize redemption comes with a processing fee. Also, the redemption is limited to up to USD$10,000 per day. While the request is processed within 24 hours, it may take up to 10 business days to process the relevant payment into the player’s nominated bank account.

Banking Options at Chumba Casino

According to the official Terms:

“The games and platform do not offer real money gambling, and no actual money is required to play.”

So, does it mean that there’s no need to talk about deposits and withdrawals, processing times, and cashout limits? Of course, there is, at least in terms of payment provider availability.

Players can purchase coins via credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Discover, Amex), e-wallets, or online banking. Do note that not all e-wallets allow payment transactions for sweepstakes purposes, so before authorizing transactions do check their policy on this particular segment.

As this is not a real money casino, there is no precise information on the max and min amount of money one can use to buy Coins. It probably depends on one payment operator to another.

These are the rules related to money transfers:

“You can request redemption of any prizes by selecting the “redeem” button on the platform. where players redeem prizes for gift cards, such prizes will be allocated to the email address registered against the player’s customer account, and if this is not technically possible, then to a nominated email address. Where players redeem prizes for cash, such prizes will be paid to the payment medium from which you purchased gold coins, and if this is not technically possible, then to a nominated bank account.”

So, to play slots and other online casino games, punters use Gold Coins which represent the virtual social gameplay currency with no monetary value. As indicated, a consumer needs to win a minimum of 100 Sweeps Coins as prizes before he/she can redeem them for cash. There is currently no maximum amount.

Also, consumers living outside the United States or Canada cannot exchange their Sweep Coins for real cash that can then be withdrawn. They can play games, though, but in case they win something, they wouldn’t be able to cash out.

Finally, there are no hints whether Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies can be used in Chumba Casino.

Is Chumba Casino Mobile-Ready?

Knowing that people are constantly on the go, every platform which sticks to itself needs to be optimized for portable gadgets. This social casino is no exception to the rule, as it offers top-quality entertainment for mobile devices, thanks to cutting-edge HTML5 technology.

Be it a tablet or a mobile phone, Chumba Casino runs well on all kinds of devices (iPhone, iPad, or Android). Worth adding is that there’s a FB app as well, as well as Chumba Lite - Fun & Free Slots Casino app in the Google Play Store. But, as we said, no app is needed to access the site (if you are not a fan of installing those on your smartphones and tablets), you can play directly in the browser.

License and Security

Chumba Casino is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which is one of the most rigorous regulatory institutions there are. Licensees certified by this body need to be compliant with an extensive set of rules and follow strict policies, otherwise, they risk getting fined. At the time of our visit, the status of the license was “valid”.

Also, the casino utilizes the RNG which relies on Mersenne Twister with background cycling. iTech Labs and Gaming Associates have found that the number of sequences delivered is unpredictable, non-repeatable, and uniformly distributed.

Customer Support

To communicate with the support department, players can contact them via e-mail or live chat (available only when making a purchase). There’s an insightful FAQ section where questions and answers are grouped into a couple of categories.

Similar to online casinos, players can impose limits on Gold Coins purchases or the amount of Sweeps Coins they play. Also, punters can opt for time-out or self-exclusion in case they feel the need to take a break from playing social games. There’s a dedicated page that instructs punters how to stay responsible while gaming, along with a self-assessment questionnaire.

Closing Comments on Chumba Casino

While technically it is legal for United States players to play games at Chumba Casino, they should always check the local laws on this particular form of entertainment as some US states prohibit it.

The concept itself does look interesting and it gives players a chance to check out some cool online casino games legally, but apparently, it has some flaws. Unlike with a typical iGaming website, some segments are either not fully explained or simply confusing, which led to this place being classified as a sweepstakes scam.

For that reason, consumers are advised to proceed with caution and thoroughly analyze Terms. To get the maximum from this form of online gambling, they should fully familiarize themselves with how the concept work and what to expect in terms of prizes and real cash redemption.

Play responsibly!

Helpful Links

• Our project "From the Players for the Players - Chumba Casino"