🤔 How does sweepstakes work? A quick guide to online sweepstakes
The fundamental difference between
free online casinos with cash prizes
and traditional casinos is the types of coins that are used. On sweepstakes casinos, you will use virtual coins known as
Sweepstakes Gold Coins
and Sweeps Coins. All sweepstakes casinos will dish these out for free in a variety of promotions and by playing games. Although, you do have the option to purchase extra bundles of Gold Coins.
But as these two virtual coins have different functions, here’s a
social casino games explanation
of how the coins work:
| Coin | Can they be purchased? | Can I redeem prizes? | Purpose |
| Gold Coins | Yes | No | To play games |
| Sweeps Coins | No | Yes | To win real prizes |
It’s important to note here that Sweeps Coins can be used to play games, but only in sweepstakes mode. This means that you will be playing for a chance at winning more Sweeps Coins, which can then be used to redeem prizes later.
⚖ Pros and cons of playing sweepstakes games
- Beginner friendly
- Real prizes, including cash and gift cards
- No purchase necessary
- Not available in all states
🔎 Check out the best sweepstakes casinos sites
I’ve spent plenty of time playing at online sweepstakes casinos and I believe the following six brands should give you a great taste of the kind of thing that you should be looking for:
Stake.us: Pros & Cons
- Exclusive promo code
- 500+ casino games
- Stake Originals
Stake.us is one of the hottest sweepstakes casinos in the US and it’s easy to see why. After all, the brand’s site features hundreds of quality slots and table games that come from major developers like Pragmatic Play, and then it’s got a great live casino and those Stake Originals too.
The best part is that you can sign up using our exclusive
JAXON
code to get a welcome offer that gives you $25 in no deposit bonuses alongside 250,000 Gold Coins and 5% rakeback on your losses. Plus with the ability to redeem prizes like cryptos, gift cards and merchandise, there’s no real option but to sign up to Stake.us and start playing.
$55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Stake.us Highlights
- Hundreds of top-quality slots
- Stake Originals, including Crash
- Live dealer games
😲 Wow Vegas – A great choice for slot fans
Wow Vegas: Pros & Cons
- Decent first purchase bonus
- Hundreds of slots
- Daily login bonuses
- No free coins for signing up
This is a sweepstakes casino that has been picking up plenty of fans as a result of its huge collection of slot games. There are literally hundreds of online slots here and you can also look forward to playing table games like roulette and blackjack. Wow Vegas has a great welcome offer that gives you 30 SCs on your first purchase and you’ll also get 4.5 SCs free. Perfect for making a good start to being able to redeem those cash prizes.
35 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins
Wow Vegas Highlights
- New player welcome bonus
- 800+ slot games
- Major game studios
🎲 High5Casino – Simply a great sweepstakes casino welcome bonus
High5Casino: Pros & Cons
- Exclusive High 5 slots
- Good welcome offer
- Excellent mobile apps
- Relatively few table games
High 5 is well known for being a great slots developer but the brand has also launched its own sweepstakes casino. This means that you can play at the site or download the High 5 Casino app and enjoy playing literally hundreds of those famous slot games for free. It’s also worth noting that you can redeem cash prizes and gift cards from this sweepstakes casino, and there’s a welcome offer that gives you $5 in no deposit bonus, 250 GameCoins and 600 Diamonds.
5 SC FREE + 250 Game Coins and 600 Diamonds
High5Casino Highlights
- 1200+ Games, Slots & Live Dealer Games!
- FREE Daily Rewards
- Authentic brand, made in the USA
- Claim free coins
🪙 Fortune Coins – Good option for sweepstakes newbies
Fortune Coins: Pros & Cons
- Excellent welcome offer
- Fun jackpot slots
- Interesting fishing games
- Fairly small sweepstakes casino
I think that Fortune Coins is a great choice for anyone new to online sweepstakes gaming. OK, so it isn’t the largest sweepstakes casino that you will ever see, but you’ll get to play lots of fun slot games and there are also some interesting games of video poker, keno and even some fishing games. Fortune Coins has a great welcome offer that gives you $10 in no deposit free coins, 360,000 Gold Coins and $8 more free coins. Plus with the ability to redeem cash prizes, I think that there is a fair chance that you might start playing here.
Claim Your Free 650,000 Gold Coins & 1,400 Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Highlights
- Growing collection of top-quality slots.
- Fish table games.
- Free gameplay with real prizes available.
💖 Golden Hearts Games – A feelgood sweepstakes casino site
Golden Hearts Games: Pros & Cons
- Charity based sweepstakes casino
- Great welcome offer
- Daily cash prizes
- Not too many casino games
You’ll love playing at Golden Hearts Games because this is a charity based sweepstakes casino where a proportion of your payments goes to a charity of your choosing. But the feelgood factor doesn’t end there as you can redeem cash prizes and gift cards here too. The action starts with a welcome offer that gives you 250,000 Gold Coins and 3,000 free Sweeps Coins, and from here you can use this credit to play lots of slots, bingo games, blackjack, scratchcards and much more.
250,000 Gold Coins + 500 FREE Sweeps Coins & First Purchase 1,750,000 Gold Coins + 12,500 Sweeps Coins for $9.99
Golden Hearts Games Highlights
- Bingo games available 24/7
- Slots and instant win games
- Play for fun or to redeem prizes.
Play casino games. Win Sweeps Coins. Redeem for cash! Use this link to get: Sign-up bonus: 250,000 Gold Coins + 3,000 FREE Sweeps Coins! No purchase necessary. U.S. residents only. 18+.
Sweeptastic: Pros & Cons
- Great game variety
- Fun Originals games
- Redeem cash prizes
This is one of the most exciting new sweepstakes casinos to hit the US for quite some time. Much of this is down to the fact that Sweeptastic has an excellent variety of casino games that take in slots, card games, dice games and fun Originals like Crash. You can start here with a bonus that gives you 25 SCs extra free on first purchase and 2 SCs free and from here you can keep playing to redeem prizes like cash, gift cards and merchandise. Highly recommended.
33 SC FREE and 67,777 Lucky Coins
Sweeptastic Highlights
- Great casino game variety
- Stunning Originals games
- Top card and dice games
✅ A step-by-step guide to joining a sweepstakes casino
Getting started is easy, check out more in this sweepstakes casino guides to registration to find out how to create your account:
- Head to the sweepstakes casino website
- Select ‘Register’ or ‘Sign Up’ to complete the form
- Claim your welcome bonus upon account activation
- Play casino games using your free coins
- Activate further promos for more coins or purchase bundles of GC
- Redeem your SC for prizes
Most sweepstakes casinos will give you a welcome bonus upon sign-up. From there, you will be able to find further promotions including daily login bonuses, VIP programs, and competitions. While the promotions will vary depending on your chosen casino, you can expect to find a good selection of ongoing offers.
👀 Things to be aware of when playing at sweepstakes casinos
In most countries, you need to be at least 18 years old to access sweepstakes casinos. However, some US states require you to be 21 years old or above. You should familiarize yourself with your local laws to make sure that you are legally allowed to play at online sweepstakes casinos. If you’re not sure, my guides to online sweepstakes in the US will be able to help.
If you’re new to the world of online gaming, you will also need to be vigilant about using reputable brands. You will find recommended lists of operators on the banners on this page. With common sweeps scams going around, you should only use operators that come highly recommended.
🔎 Are games at sweepstakes casinos gambling?
If you are checking out our social casino guides to understand the legality, I can help. As sweepstakes casinos are for fun and entertainment only, you don’t play with real money. Because of this, it is not considered to be a form of gambling.
Online gambling is restricted in most US states, but sweepstakes casinos are legal in most states except Idaho, Nevada, and Washington, for this very reason. While sweepstakes casinos work hard to replicate the experience, it’s fundamentally different.
🧐 Conclusion: Enjoy free gaming through sweepstakes casinos
As you can see, sweepstakes casinos offer a brilliant way of enjoying free online gaming. You will use virtual coins to play games which can be unlocked in a variety of promotions and competitions. If you get your hands on Sweeps Coins, you can also redeem them for real prizes.
With no financial risk, these types of casinos are perfect for beginners, those who live in areas where gambling is restricted, and anyone who wants to practise playing casino games. Overall, these sites are open to anyone of any skill level. Whatever games you enjoy playing, there will be the perfect sweepstakes casino out there for you.
Our favorite social casino bonuses
1.
5 SC FREE + 250 Game Coins and 600 Diamonds
Players from United States of America accepted
Requirements (WR): 1x Bonus
2.
25 SC FREE and 57.5K Gold Coins
Players from United States of America accepted
3.
27.5 SC FREE and 57.5K Gold Coins
Players from United States of America accepted
Requirements (WR): 1x Bonus
4.
$55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Players from United States of America accepted
Requirements (WR): 3x
5.
Purchase Offer: 20 SC FREE and 100K Gold Coins
Players from United States of America accepted
Min. Deposit: 20
❓ Guides to online sweepstakes FAQs
💰 Can I win real money at sweepstakes casinos?
Yes, any of the guides to online sweepstakes casinos will explain that this is possible. All you need to do is collect Sweeps Coins, which can then later be exchanged for prizes. The prizes will vary depending on your chosen casino, but it is typically a choice between real cash, gift cards, and merchandise.
🎰 What games are available at sweepstakes casinos?
Whatever your preferred games, there will be a sweepstakes casino that matches you perfectly. You will be able to find casinos with a selection of slots, table games, dice games, bingo, scratch cards, and much more.
👀 Are sweepstakes casinos legal in the US?
Sweepstakes casinos are more widely available in the US than traditional casino sites. This is because they don’t allow real money gambling. You can play at sweepstakes casinos in most states, except Washington.
📱 Can I play at sweepstakes casinos on mobile?
Yes, most sweepstakes casinos are mobile-friendly. Some will offer a downloadable mobile app, while others will offer a browser site. You will be able to find out the mobile gaming options for your chosen casino on the website upon sign-up.
CS2
Dota 2
LoL
Valorant
Fortnite
