Social casinos are free-to-play platforms where you play games like slots, blackjack, poker, roulette, and baccarat without risking real money. The free-to-play model makes them popular in the US, with their accessibility in most states.
This guide shines a light on social casinos, explaining how they operate, their legal status, aspects to consider while choosing one, and more.
Best Social Casinos in the US
The table below shows our picks for the best social casinos:
- Spend $50, Get up to $100 in Fliff Coins
- 1x Playthrough
- Use Promo Code: BONUSWIN
Get up to $100
- Get up to $1,000 in Bonus Cash
- PLUS a Pick'Em Special on Deposit
- Win Up to 100x Your Entry in a Single Night
- Use Bonus Code: ODDSWIN
- First Deposit Match up to $1,500
- Win up to 100x Payouts
- Place in-game Contest
- Use Promo Code: BETWIN
- Play Free for your Share of Millions with First Deposit
- CS:GO, LOL, Rocket League.
- Simulated Football & Basketball Contests
- T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
- Receive a Deposit Match up to $100
- Watch Sports, Play Fantasy, Win Cash!
- To Claim: Click Play Now
Deposit Match
- Over 1,000 Slots + Live Dealer Casino-Style Games
- 10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash Daily Bonus
- Partnerships with Drake, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, Everton FC, and more!
- Use Bonus Code: EBETS
Social Casinos offer free-to-play Casino games with real prize redemptions.
Social casinos operate on a freemium model, allowing you to enjoy slots, table games, and live dealers using Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC), without risking real money.
Social casinos are legal in most US states, operating under a ‘no purchase necessary’ model, making them widely accessible, except in states like Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and Michigan.
The best social casinos feature diverse game collections (slots, poker, blackjack, baccarat, live dealer games) and plentiful bonuses, including no deposit bonuses, daily login rewards, refer-a-friend offers, and VIP perks.
Social casinos that you’ll want to join offer mobile-friendly experiences, with some providing dedicated apps.
Social Casino: Definition
To the elephant in the room – what is a social casino? A social casino is a gaming platform allowing you to play casino-style games like slots, table games, and live dealer options for fun and entertainment without real money. But, you can win real money prizes.
In a nutshell, social casinos allow you to play for free and win cash prizes. This concept differentiates them from traditional online casinos that need real-money deposits and are legal in six US states.
Social casinos operate under a ‘no purchase necessary’ requirement, meaning you do not need to deposit funds to play on these platforms. Instead of real money, social casinos will use virtual currencies: gold coins and sweepstakes coins.
EsportsBets note: Social casinos and sweepstakes casinos are used interchangeably. Many sweepstakes casinos brand themselves as social casinos for marketing reasons.
How Social Casinos Work
Social casinos operate on a free-to-play model that negates using real money deposits to play games and win prizes. These sites will use virtual coins awarded for free to players through bonuses or standard gameplay. However, social casinos leave the option of purchasing more coins should you so choose.
You can only purchase gold coins at social casinos. Gold coin bundles are often include sweeps coins as bonuses.
- Gold coins have no monetary value and are non-redeemable.
- Sweeps coins are non-purchasable but redeemable for cash prizes or gift vouchers.
There is regulatory flexibility on social casinos due to their free-to-play model. They are not subject to heavy state-by-state regulation like regular online casinos. It explains why social gaming sites are legal in most states except a few, like Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and Michigan.
Also important to note is that social gaming emphasizes entertainment and social interaction. In ensuring social interaction, social casinos include social features like leaderboards, tournaments, multiplayer options, and progression systems in their gameplay.
Generally, social casinos work quite similarly to regular online casinos, where you play casino-style games like slots, table games, poker, and live dealer options and win prizes. However, there are several differences, as the table below shows:
| Social Casinos | Traditional Online Casinos |
|---|---|
| Use virtual currency | Use real money |
| Use a freemium model emphasizing playing for entertainment and social interaction | Use a pay-to-win model emphasizing playing for money |
| Legal in most states | Legal in six states |
| Low wagering requirements, mostly 1x | Higher wagering requirements |
| A wide range of no deposit bonuses | A wide range of deposit bonuses |
| Limited gaming options | More gaming options |
| Limited banking options | More banking options |
How to Choose the Right Social Casino
Looking for new social casino real money sites? Here are the features we look for to ensure you play at the best social casinos in the US. They are:
🟠 Legality status
Social casinos do not require licenses to operate. However, the right social casino must adhere to the US sweepstakes laws that require a ‘no purchase necessary’ principle. This means you do not need to pay to enter and play games on the platform. Instead, it should be free to join and play, with the platform offering free coins to use and redeem for prizes.
🟠 Game selection
Social casino games selection is an important aspect to consider when choosing the right social casino. While the selection at social casinos is smaller than traditional online casinos, we expect a diverse collection that covers all bases. It means having options like slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker, bingo, live dealers, etc.
🟠 Bonuses and promotions
The quality and quantity of social casino bonuses and promotions are other features our experts look out for. Considering legal social casinos dispense free coins through bonuses, having tons of them is always a positive. We expect the best social casinos to have bonuses like no deposit welcome bonus, daily login, mail-in, refer-a-friend, VIP schemes, daily wheels, and more.
🟠 Mobile experience
Most players prefer to play while on the move, and the best social casino sites should provide the option. Top sites will ensure that besides mobile accessibility, players can expect a well-designed interface that is easy to navigate with high-quality graphics. It is a plus for platforms with dedicated social casino apps.
🟠 Banking options
While social gambling is mostly about entertainment and social interaction, you may need to top up your GC balance or redeem SC winnings. Therefore, banking options at a social casino platform remain essential. We recommend sites offering diversity through credit/debit cards, prepaid cards, e-wallets, bank transfers, and cryptocurrencies.
🟠 Customer support
While playing, you may encounter issues such as games crashing, payments not going through, and trouble logging into your account. Such problems call for a readily available support team that is responsive through several options. They include email, phone, and live chat.
Benefits of Playing at Social Casinos
- Risk-free fun: Social casinos provide a risk-free environment, allowing players to use free virtual coins to play and win prizes. Accounts can easily be replenished with daily bonuses at most social casinos. This ensures players don’t have a reason to pay real money to top up their balances.
- Widely accessible: Unlike traditional online casinos restricted to six states, social casinos offer similar gameplay and are accessible in most states.
- Enable social interaction: Social casinos primarily focus on entertainment and social interaction through several aspects. They include allowing interaction with a community of friends, joining clubs, and featuring in-game mechanics like chat options and leaderboards.
- Game diversity: Social casino games mirror those found in real-money online casinos, ensuring players in restricted states can still enjoy games like slots, roulette, poker, and baccarat.
- Win real money: Players can win real-money prizes at social casinos without spending a dime. You only need to play using SC and accumulate the required amount to redeem.
Conclusion
Social casinos are the perfect choice for players looking to play casino-style games for fun without risking their money. They are constantly launching and the future looks bright with new technological advancements expected to feature.
