Sweepstakes casinos have emerged as popular alternatives to traditional online casinos in the US. They are unique and offer a fun gaming experience where you can win cash prizes and gift cards without real money wagers.
Today, you can play at sweeps casinos in almost every US state, explaining their growing popularity. Our experts at EsportsBets have been on a testing spree and present the best sweepstakes casinos in the US. In this guide, you will learn everything about sweeps casinos, including how they operate, their legality, getting started at a sweepstakes casino, and more.
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Instead of real-money bets, sweepstakes casinos use virtual currencies—Gold Coins (GC) for fun play and Sweeps Coins (SC) that can be redeemed for cash prizes or gift cards.
These platforms are legal in nearly every U.S. state, except for a few like Washington, Idaho, and Nevada, due to their compliance with U.S. sweepstakes laws.
To begin, select a reputable sweepstakes casino, sign up, verify your account, claim available welcome bonuses, and start playing.
It’s advisable to practice with Gold Coins before using Sweeps Coins for potential cash rewards.
Sweepstakes casinos offer a free and entertaining gaming experience with the added benefit of winning cash prizes. They provide a legal and accessible alternative to real-money online casinos, featuring a diverse selection of games and regular promotions.
- 1. Best Online Sweepstakes Casino to Join Today
- 2. What is a sweepstakes casino?
- 3. Sweepstakes casinos vs real money online casinos
- Gold coins and sweepstakes coins explained
- Who can play at a sweepstakes casino?
- Are sweepstakes casinos legal?
- 4. Getting started at a sweepstakes casino
- 1. Select the best online sweepstakes casino
- 2. Sign up for an account
- 3. Verify your account
- 4. Claim the welcome bonus
- 5. Choose a game and start playing
- Redeem real cash prizes
- 5. How we rate the best sweepstakes casinos
- Legality and safety
- Game library
- Game providers
- No deposit bonuses and promotions
- Customer service
- Mobile experience
- Banking options
- Purchasing and redeeming coins
- Purchasing gold coin packages
- Redeeming sweeps coins
- 6. Advantages of Sweepstakes Casinos
- 7. Sweepstakes: The Ever-Growing Industry
What is a sweepstakes casino?
A sweepstakes casino operates similarly to a regular online casino, allowing you to play casino-style games. These games range from slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, video poker, and live dealer games. But there is a major difference. Instead of using real-money wagers, a sweepstakes casino will use virtual currencies called Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC).
This operating model makes sweeps sites legal in the US in nearly every state, except for a few like Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. It differs from traditional online casinos (aka ‘iGaming’ or ‘iCasino’) that are only legal in six states.
Sweepstakes casinos vs real money online casinos
As mentioned, both offer a similar experience, where you can sign up and play casino-style games. Sweepstake casinos partner with licensed software developers who supply these games, ensuring the level of entertainment is similar.
The difference is in real money deposits needed at regular online casinos since sweepstakes casinos offer a fremium free-to-play option to win prizes.
The table below draws the differences between sweepstakes and real-money online casinos:
| Sweepstakes Online Casinos | Real-Money Online Casinos |
|---|---|
| Its model allows gambling in most US states | Only legal in six US states |
| Use a dual currency system with virtual currencies | Use real money deposits |
| Fewer casino-style games | More casino-style games |
| Variety of prizes, including gift cards | Only real-money winnings |
| Offer free no deposit bonuses | Most bonuses require deposits |
| Smaller win potential | Higher win potential |
| Low risk involved | High risk involved |
Pro tip: There is a difference between a sweepstakes casino and a social casino despite the terms being used interchangeably. While they operate similarly and allow players to play casino-style games for free, social casinos use a single currency system.
They only use gold coins that hold no monetary value. It means you can only play for fun and entertainment but cannot win real cash prizes at a social casino. In contrast, a sweepstakes casino will use a dual currency system, with SC coins allowing for cash prizes or gift card redemptions.
Gold coins and sweepstakes coins explained
Gold coins and sweepstakes coins are the virtual currencies used in sweepstakes sites. Legal platforms should provide these coins for free through promos and allow purchasing more GCs if needed.
Gold coins hold no monetary value and are available to play games for fun. In contrast, sweeps coins are redeemable for cash prizes or gift cards. SCs are non-purchasable and can only be won through SC gameplay or as a bonus from purchasing GC packages.
Who can play at a sweepstakes casino?
Sweepstakes casino sites have requirements for any person interested in trying them out. These requirements include:
- You must be 18+ years old to play at a sweepstakes casino.
- Some states may require players aged 19+, with others allowing only players aged 21+ to buy coins.
- You must be a US resident located in the legal states. WA, ID, NV, and MI are some restricted states.
- You must hold a verified account to purchase GCs or redeem SCs.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal?
Sweepstakes casino sites are legal in all states except Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Michigan.
There are exceptions per individual brands, so it is best to check the terms and conditions of your preferred site. Unlike regular online casinos and sites offering sports and esports betting in the USA, sweeps casinos do not require state-by-state licensing as they operate on a unique model with no real money wagering.
But they are still subject to US sweepstakes laws that call for a ‘no purchase necessary’ requirement. The requirement is such that legal sweeps cash casinos provide players with free coins to eliminate the need to purchase them. To achieve this, legal sweepstakes casino sites provide free bonuses for new and existing players to keep their accounts loaded with coins. They include welcome bonuses, daily login, refer-a-friend, mail-in, and social media contests, giveaways, or tournaments.
Of course, the EsportsBets team has you covered to ease your mind. We provide a list of sweepstakes casinos that meet the mentioned standards and requirements.
Getting started at a sweepstakes casino
Now that you know the best legal sweepstakes casinos to play and how they operate, the next thing is to understand how to get started. Below is a step-by-step guide to playing at a sweeps cash casino:
1. Select the best online sweepstakes casino
The first step is to check our list of the best legal sweepstakes casinos and find one you prefer. Each platform provides a fun and safe experience and offers a chance to win cash prizes.
2. Sign up for an account
Click on the link beside your preferred sweepstakes casino site to access the registration page. Provide accurate information on the required fields. For example, WOW Vegas is one of the best social casinos in the US. New players registering here must provide a username, email address, password, full name, country, state, and birth date. Keep an eye on any promo codes we may offer and use them while signing up to unlock exclusive bonuses.
3. Verify your account
Every sweepstakes site will require verifying your account to ensure seamless GC purchases and SC redemptions. Verification will involve sending proof of your identity, address, and payment method. These proofs include valid ID/driver’s license/passport, utility bill, bank statement, and copies of your credit/debit cards.
4. Claim the welcome bonus
Nearly all the best sweepstakes casinos offer a welcome bonus to new players. The bonus is mostly a no deposit bonus consisting of GC and free SC coins. Some also provide a first purchase bonus after purchasing the first GC coin package. The bonus offers more value for a discounted price.
5. Choose a game and start playing
Hop into the game collection and find a game you prefer. Launch the game, match the bet size, and start playing. Our EsportsBets experts recommend you start playing with GC before playing with SC for real money winnings.
Redeem real cash prizes
The final step is to redeem SCs for cash prizes or gift cards. However, ensure that wagering requirements are met before redeeming. They are 1x in most sweepstakes sites. Also ensure to meet the minimum SC requirement before making a redemption request.
How we rate the best sweepstakes casinos
Choosing the best sweepstakes casinos is almost similar to choosing the top traditional online ones. Our experts have a rating system that helps distinguish the best and most reputable platforms. The criteria include checking the legality status, bonuses, games, mobile access, customer support, payment methods, etc. Below, we take a look:
Legality and safety
The first mark of approval is checking whether the sweeps cash casino is legal and adheres to the ‘no purchase necessary’ requirement. In addition, the sweeps site must guarantee the safety of players by offering top industry-standard security measures. They may range from 2FA and technologies like firewalls and SSL encryption.
Game library
The best sweepstakes casinos in the US will offer a game library that blends quantity and quality. While slots remain popular among many sites, we prefer a platform that blends other casino-style games like table games, video poker, scratch cards, and live dealer options. A great game selection ensures all players are catered to regarding themes, bet limits, RTP, volatility, etc.
Game providers
Complimenting the game library are providers. The best sweepstakes casinos will partner with top and reputable providers to ensure a quality game library. Sites like McLuck, WOW Vegas, and Stake.us have 800+ games with 10+ providers like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Hacksaw Gaming, Relax Gaming, and Playson.
No deposit bonuses and promotions
Legal sweepstakes sites should provide regular bonuses and promotions to offer new and existing players free GC and SC coins. The best sites will offer bonuses, including welcome, daily login, mail-in, referral, VIP schemes, tournaments, and social media contests.
Customer service
A responsive customer support team is another pointer of a top sweepstakes casino. Players should find a professional, prompt, and helpful team that is easily reachable through several options. They include live chat, email support, phone support, and social media channels.
Mobile experience
The best sweeps cash casinos do not restrict play to desktops only. They offer a mobile-responsive website that is easy to interact with and a replica of the desktop version in aspects like user interface, games, and bonuses. It is always a bonus point if there is a sweepstakes casino app for an improved gaming experience.
Banking options
A top sweepstakes site must support the optional GC package purchase and SC redemption. In this case, we review the banking options the online site supports. The best sweepstakes casinos will offer convenient, fast, and secure options, including credit/debit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards, bank transfers, etc.
Purchasing and redeeming coins
What sets sweepstakes cash casinos apart from online casinos is that one can play for cash prizes without purchase. You will receive generous free coins through daily bonuses and promotions, negating the need to purchase more. However, the best sweepstakes casinos allow you to buy more coins should you need them. You will find a set number of gold coins, bonus sweeps coins, and the price listed for every coin package.
For the first purchase, some sweepstakes cash casinos go a notch higher to offer first-purchase bonuses, allowing players to enjoy discounted packages.
Purchasing gold coin packages
Here is how to purchase gold coin packages on a verified account:
- Log into your account and tap the ‘Buy’ option at the top.
- Choose a GC package that fits your budget from the list provided. They might go as low as $4.99.
- Click ‘Buy’ and select your preferred banking option.
- Confirm your purchase and complete the purchase.
- The coins will be credited instantly.
Redeeming sweeps coins
You can only redeem prizes if you play with SC coins. Once you are ready to redeem, you will follow a similar process to withdrawing at real money online casinos. Here is how to redeem sweeps coins on a verified account:
- Log into your account and head to the cashier, my account, or withdrawal section.
- Click ‘Redeem’ and enter the amount of SC coins to redeem.
- Select your preferred banking option.
- Follow the prompts and complete the transaction.
- Wait to receive funds after approval.
A successful withdrawal at a sweepstakes casino needs to meet some requirements. The common ones across most sites are as follows:
- Have a verified account
- Play SC at least once
- Check the minimum SC threshold and maximum redemption amounts
- The exchange rate is 1SC for 1 USD
Important: Wagering requirements, minimum and maximum SC limits, exchange rates, and redemption timelines might differ depending on individual brands. Ensure to check the details under the terms and conditions page.
Advantages of Sweepstakes Casinos
Still not sure why you should play at reputable sweepstakes casino apps like Fliff? Here are the advantages of playing at a sweepstakes casino site:
- Free to play: Playing at a legal sweepstakes casino is free with no purchase required.
- Fun to play: The low-risk venture makes playing at sweepstakes sites fun.
- Widely available in the US: Sweepstakes casino sites are legal and accessible in most states except WA, ID, and NV.
- Can win cash prizes: Despite playing for free, legal sweeps cash casinos allow you to win cash prizes through SC.
- Similar to real-money casinos: Sweepstakes casinos are the perfect alternative to real-money gambling sites. They offer similar casino-style games, bonuses, payment methods, etc., and allow you to win cash prizes.
Sweepstakes: The Ever-Growing Industry
Sweepstakes casinos remain the perfect alternative for real-money online casinos in the US. Their constantly growing popularity is down to the unique model that allows you to play casino-style games for free and win cash prizes.
We have eased your search process with our list of the best sweepstakes casinos. But it does not stop there, with new sweepstakes casino platforms coming up now and then. Find one that meets your gaming preferences, sign up, and start playing for cash prizes. Your journey to casino-style, free-to-play entertainment and potentially impressive prizes begins here!
