iGaming Editor
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Sweepstakes casinos are popular free-to-play platforms that offer a legal alternative to traditional casino gaming. In fact, sweepstakes casinos are available in 49 states, so it’s a good time to learn about sweepstakes rules.
The good news is that it’s all very straightforward, making sweepstakes casinos the perfect place for beginners and experienced gamers alike. All it takes really is an understanding of the virtual currency system that uses Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins instead of real money.
When we consider what was the first social casino, it is interesting to think about how different the market is now, with casinos offering more games than ever before.
Sweepstakes rules and regulations are there to make sure that everyone enjoys a fair gaming experience. Sweepstakes casinos are legal in most US states for one reason – there is a no purchase necessary rule. This means that you can play casino-style games without spending any money. In most states, you must be at least 18 years old to access these platforms, however, some states will require you to be 21 years old or over.
Instead of spending real money, you will use virtual coins known as Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. These currencies are not available outside of the casino site and hold no monetary value. Here’s how they work:
Gold Coins are used to play games for entertainment purposes only. They resemble the act of using real money, except these would have been given to you for free. You can claim Gold Coins in a variety of promotions including welcome bonuses, daily login bonuses, and VIP programs. While you can purchase bundles of Gold Coins to boost your bankroll even more, this is completely optional.
If you’re looking to win real prizes, this is the coin for you. You can get your hands on Sweeps Coins through promotions, much like Gold Coins, except you cannot purchase Sweeps Coins. Once you have collected enough Sweeps Coins, you can redeem them for prizes such as cash, gift cards, and merchandise.
Both Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins can be found in many ways. Here’s a quick guide for where to look:
Welcome bonus | First-time player reward |
Daily login bonus | A certain reward for logging in |
VIP program | A tier-based reward system |
Social media entries | Exclusive offers or competitions for social media followers |
When you claim any of the above, you will usually be given free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. While you will receive more Gold Coins than anything else, the more you collect the better chance you have at redeeming real prizes.
Now that you understand the basics of the sweepstakes rules, you’ll be ready to give them a try. Here are six excellent sweepstakes casinos that I’d recommend you start with:
This is a great sweepstakes casino that offers you the perfect way to use your knowledge of sweepstakes rules. After all, you can play all of the hundreds of casino games for fun, or use Stake Cash to redeem prizes like crypto, gift cards or merchandise. Plus if you use the exclusive JAXON code, you could get a welcome offer of $25 in no deposit bonuses alongside 250,000 Gold Coins and 5% rakeback on your losses. Just so you know, the game selection at Stake.us is excellent with slots, table games, live dealer games and those innovative Stake Originals.
I would definitely recommend Wow Vegas to anyone who wants to play sweepstakes slot games. After all, there are literally hundreds of slots here and what’s best is that they come from some of my favorite gaming studios like Betsoft and Pragmatic Play. You can sign up to Wow Vegas and get a great welcome that gives you 30 SCs on your first purchase and you’ll also get 4.5 SCs free. From here you can use those SCs to play the games and potentially redeem real money prizes. A great introduction to what sweepstakes casino gaming is all about.
This is yet another sweepstakes casino with a hugely impressive range of slot games. What’s best is that many of these are High 5 exclusives meaning that you can play them here and nowhere else. I loved the welcome offer at High 5 Casino as it gives you $5 in no deposit bonus, 250 GameCoins and 600 Diamonds. Those Diamonds can be used to boost whatever wins you make, and this means that you’ll stand to redeem even more cash prizes and gift cards when you play here.
If you’re still unsure about the sweepstakes rules, you could do a lot worse than playing at Fortune Coins. After all, this is a wonderfully user-friendly sweepstakes casino that is perfect for newbies. You can sign up here and get a great offer that gives you $10 in no deposit free coins, 360,000 Gold Coins and $8 more free coins. From here, you can use your free credit to play lots of fun slots, as well as everything from video poker to keno. Plus with the chance of redeeming some real money prizes, I think you’ll have a great time at Fortune Coins.
This is a wonderful sweepstakes casino site where you can purchase credit and find that some of your payments can go to a charity of your own choice. Not that charitable causes is the only good thing about Golden Hearts Games and it is an excellent sweepstakes casino in its own right. You can sign up here and get 250,000 Gold Coins and 3,000 free Sweeps Coins and if you win back enough Sweeps Coins you could redeem cash prizes or gift cards. The game selection here is great with lots of slot games, alongside blackjack, bingo, scratchcards and even video poker.
Sweeptastic is a relatively new sweepstakes casino and it’s got lots of helpful articles on its site that explains how the site works and how you can redeem your Sweeps Coins for real money prizes. I love the game selection at Sweeptastic as it features a vast range of slots, dice games, card games and those Originals will give you a whole new way to play. There’s also a pretty good welcome offer here that simply gives you 25 SCs extra free on first purchase and 2 SCs free.
As you’ll see in all our social casino guides, it’s pretty easy to get started. While every sweepstakes casino’s registration process will vary, here’s a rough step-by-step guide on what you can expect:
Free online gaming is the perfect solution for anyone who is in a restricted area with no traditional casinos available. These casinos are also great for beginners or anyone who doesn’t fancy investing their own money. The rules are simple – rather than using real money, you will use virtual coins instead. These coins are Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, which can be used to play games and redeem prizes.
When casino operators write the rules it involves defining the methods of entry, prizes, and eligibility criteria. It also takes into account the local gaming laws, so make sure they are complying.
Yes, sweepstakes casinos are legal in most states in the US. As a result, you can enjoy casino-style gaming from almost anywhere, thanks to the virtual currency system.
No sweepstakes casino can be crowned ‘the best’, as this all comes down to individual preference. If you’re wondering where to start, check out the recommended operators via the banners on this page.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.