Sweepstakes Casinos

A booming sector of the online gaming industry, sweepstakes casinos offer a unique alternative to traditional gambling websites. As incredible as it may sound, they let you play for free and win real prizes.

Operating legally in more than forty U.S. states, these platforms deliver the thrills of the most exciting Vegas-style games in a social interactive environment, catering to diverse audiences. More and more players are showing interest in this concept but many are still confused about how sweepstakes casinos work and whether they are the same thing as social casinos.

If you are looking for more information about the world of Sweeps Coins, read on to find out all the details that will help you decide whether or not this innovative form of entertainment is worth a shot.

What are Sweepstakes Casinos?

At the core, sweepstakes casinos are gaming websites that operate on a freemium business model, providing free access to the content and basic features and leaving customers the opportunity to unlock premium features through purchases.

What does freemium mean in this specific case? You can play all the games you like and take part in all the promotions and contests you want for free. There are plenty of ways to regularly earn coins without spending a dime literally, from a welcome offer to daily bonuses and loyalty rewards. However, if you want more coins here and now, you can always purchase one of the packages to accommodate your needs.

This type of casino operates on a dual-coin system, featuring Sweeps Coins in addition to their in-house virtual currency. The latter is often called Gold Coins or may be named after the casino (Wow Coins, Tao Coins, etc.).

Gold Coins are used to play all games available on the website while Sweeps Coins (SC) let players participate in promotions and redeem their winnings for cash prizes. The main difference between the two is that in contrast to Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins cannot be purchased but can only be obtained for free through various bonuses and events or received as a gift when purchasing one of the Gold Coins packages.

How to Get Sweeps Coins

Conceived as “no-purchase-necessary” platforms, these casinos have tons of Sweeps Coins up for grabs – players just need to know how to obtain them. Remember, SC are not for sale and you cannot buy them directly, but there are plenty of ways to get them for free:

• Welcome bonus – the vast majority of sweepstakes casinos treat new customers to a hefty no-purchase welcome package that contains both Gold and sweeps Coins.
• Daily login reward – typically, players receive a certain amount of Sweeps Coins just for simply logging in to their accounts every 24 hours.
• Promotions and tournaments – players can earn Sweeps Coins by taking part in different promotions and leaderboards, as well as by completing fun missions.
• Social media giveaways – players who follow their casino on social media will have a great many opportunities to receive Sweeps Coins.
• Mail-in requests – this may sound old-fashioned but completing and sending compliant mail-in request forms can fuel your Sweeps Coins balance on a daily basis – the number of such requests is unlimited.
• Refer-a-Friend – yes, the referral scheme also works at sweepstakes casinos, bringing Sweeps Coins for each referred friend.
• Free gift with every purchase of Gold Coins – every GC package contains a certain amount of complimentary Sweeps Coins.

Laws and Regulations

Sweepstakes casinos are legit and their legality rests on the respective U.S. laws, not only federal such as the Fair Credit Billing Act but also local, hence the rules differ from one state to another. The essential point is that sweepstakes laws allow operators to run contests and award prizes without categorizing them as gambling activities.

Still, in some states, including Nevada, Washington, and Michigan, sweepstakes casinos do not have a green light while certain platforms may be unavailable in other states due to local restrictions. But, the vast majority of states let their residents take full advantage of this type of gaming site.

Below are the key terms regarding the operation of sweepstakes casinos:

• Players must be at least 18 years old.
• Sweeps Coins cannot be purchased. They can only be given to players for free through bonuses, rewards, requests sent by mail, or as a gift within one of the Gold Coins packages.
• No purchase of coins may increase the chances of winning.
• Such platforms are only allowed to offer games of chance where outcomes are absolutely random.

Pros and Cons of Sweepstakes Casinos

There is no perfect type of gaming website, each concept has its pros and cons. At the end of the day, everything boils down to what you as a player are looking for and which platform suits your needs the most.

Sweepstakes casinos are not an exception, they also have benefits and disadvantages, especially when compared to traditional online casinos. While you can always register at one of the sweepstakes sites featured on this page to obtain first-hand experience, why not check out the pros and cons listed below to get an idea of what to expect?

Benefits:

• A broad selection of free-to-play games, ranging from the most action-packed slots to the most immersive live dealer tables.
• Sweepstake casinos operate on a no-purchase-necessary basis, meaning that players do not need to make a deposit in order to enjoy games and participate in promotions.
• Sweepstakes casinos can legally operate in the majority of U.S. states since they are not classified by the laws as gambling websites.
• Even though players are not required to spend their own money to play games, they have the possibility to redeem winnings for cash prizes.

Disadvantages:

• The redemption of winnings is often subject to various restrictions and limits.
• Compared to traditional online casinos, the selection of bonuses is smaller while their value is lower.
• Customer support is often not available via Live Chat, not to mention telephone.
• Many operators are unlicensed and resolving a complaint can take a while.

Popular Software Providers

Games are what really matter when it comes to choosing a place to have fun, whether we like it or not. The larger and more diverse the library, the more players it attracts.

Even though sweepstakes casinos cannot (yet) compete with their real-money counterparts in terms of the number of software providers, they take pride in cooperating with the industry’s cream of the crop. From Evolution, which is a gold standard in providing live dealer solutions to BGaming, a pioneer of provably fair gaming – only the best of the best.

Naturally, the roster of developers that provide content to a certain website may vary, that’s why if you have your favorite studio, make sure to read our comprehensive casino reviews that contain the list of software among other useful pieces of information.

It is worth mentioning that currently, not many sweepstakes casinos offer live dealer entertainment, but this trend is changing. The great news also is, online slots come in abundance, including titles enhanced with Megaways, Hold and Win, and other incredibly popular reel mechanics.

As for RNG roulette, blackjack, and other Vegas classics, some platforms have them too while others ignore this category. On the bright side, you are likely to come across exciting crash games  spiced up with whopping multipliers.

Payment Methods for Purchasing Coins

We cannot repeat it enough, at sweepstakes casinos, you can play your favorite games for free and for as long as you want. However, for those who always want more, such websites provide the opportunity to purchase various coin packages.

Just like with traditional online casinos, the selection of payment methods may vary greatly from one sweepstakes casino to another. Depending on the target audience of a particular brand, the choice may be limited to long-time rivals Visa and American Express or include Skrill, UnionPay, and even Trustly.

Some websites also let players benefit from the use of cryptocurrencies, featuring Bitcoin, USDT, and other popular digital assets while many sweepstakes casinos are cryptocurrency-only.

Social vs Sweepstakes Casinos

Even though we often see these two terms used interchangeably, sweepstakes and social casinos are not the same thing. It is true, they have a lot in common – if anything, both are based on the aforementioned freemium model and both belong to the social gaming vertical.

In fact, a sweepstake casino can be defined as a social casino with a sweepstakes mode. Users can choose whether to play for fun or switch to the sweeps mode that offers the possibility of winning real prizes or gift cards. In its turn, a “plain” social casino is nothing more than a play-for-fun website.

As you can see, there is a difference between the two and, from a player's perspective, this difference is huge. You can easily tell one from another – just take a closer look at the main page for the mention of Sweeps Coins.

Written by Anna.B hobnob

Senior Content Writer

Expert On: Software reviews Casino reviews

7 years of experience

707 Written reviews

Anna holds a law degree from the Institute of Finance and Law and has extensive experience as a professional journalist in both online and print media. Combining her passion for writing with expert knowledge of card and table games, particularly Preferans and Blackjack, she delivers content that is both engaging and insightful. A seasoned traveler with experiences from around the globe, Anna brings a worldly perspective and a deep understanding of gaming strategy to every piece she creates.

Fact-checked by Melanie Melcb

Chief Marketing & Compliance Officer