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The Centennial State is chock-full of folk like you and I who love a spot of casino-style gaming. But right now, real money casinos are prohibited in CO. The best alternative? Colorado’s sweepstakes casinos, of course.
If you haven’t heard of sweepstakes casinos before, don’t worry – because I’m about to bare all in today’s guide. Basically, they’re virtual-coin-powered gaming sites that offer free-to-play slots, roulette and other casino-inspired games. Here, I’ll explore how these sites work, what CO laws have to say about them, and which ones are best.
In recent years, sweepstakes casinos in California, New York, Utah and, of course, Colorado have emerged to plug a gap in the iGaming market.
When it comes to their look, feel and the types of games they have on offer, they’re pretty much the same as your run-of-the-mill, real-money-powered casino. But of course, beneath the surface lie one or two absolutely essential differences – which I reckon are best conveyed by way of a table:
What are they? | What kinds of games do they offer? | Do I need to make a deposit / purchase to play? | What currencies can you use to play their games? | |
---|---|---|---|---|
🤑 “Real money” online casinos | iGaming sites that offer USD-powered games. | Vegas-style slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat and more. | Unless a “no deposit” bonus is available, then, yes. | |
⭐“Sweepstakes” casinos | iGaming sites that offer
virtual-coin-powered
games. | Again, Vegas-style slots and tables – and occasionally slingo and other games, too. | Nope, never. Sweepstakes casinos run on a “no purchase necessary” policy. | You guys get two options: |
Now there’s one key reason sweepstakes casinos in Florida, Mississippi, Colorado and beyond are rapidly growing in popularity, and that would be their broader legality and state-level availability when compared to real money casinos
You see, while USD-powered gaming sites are only legal in a handful of states, and in instances where the casino in question holds a localized gaming license, sweepstakes casinos are generally legally available in all US states bar WA, NV and MI – and with no licensing requirement, too.
Ordinarily, this is the case just so long as:
If you’ve been based in Colorful Colorado a while, I’m sure you’ll already know that real money online casinos have been blacklisted in the state for quite some time now. But I’m happy to tell you guys that it’s a very different story for Colorado sweepstakes casinos.
Right now, sweepstakes casinos are indeed legal in the state. In fact, at the time of writing, sweepstakes casinos are the only legal way Coloradans can legally play casino-style games online.
At the time of writing, sweepstakes laws in Colorado basically say that:
Legalese aside, this basically means that you Centennial State residents have a ton of exciting Colorado sweepstakes casinos to choose from right now. And guess what? I’ve already gone ahead and shortlisted the very best ones for you in the next section.
Before you register and start playing with any sweepstakes-style gaming sites in CO, it’s important you double-check their T&Cs to ensure they’re definitely accepting players from your state.
You see, while sweeps casinos as a concept are deemed legal in CO, once you start looking at individual brands’ T&Cs pages, you might find that sometimes, Texas sweepstakes casinos don’t accept Coloradans, or vice-versa, simply because sweeps brands like to set their own rules regarding availability.
On the upside, those of you reading my guide right now are in very good hands, because I’ve done all the hard work for you. As of now, I can confirm that the following top ten brands all offer their games to players in CO:
Bonus offer | Number of games | Types of games | |
---|---|---|---|
Stake.us | $55 SC + 260,000 GC + 5% Rakeback | 1,000+ | Slots, live dealer, table games, poker, scratchcards, Stake Originals |
Sweeptastic | 70,000 Lucky Coins (GC) + 44 SC | 400+ | Slots |
McLuck | 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC | 700+ | Slots, live dealer, slingo |
WOW Vegas | 1.75m WOW Coins (GC) + 35 SC | 900+ | Slots |
Sportzino | 1,570,000 GC + 45 SC | 589 | Slots, social betting |
Vegas Gems | 1000 Gems (SC) + 50% extra Gems on your first Shards (GC) purchase | 400+ | Slots |
Hello Millions | 15,000 GC + 2.5 SC | 700+ | Slots, slingo |
Zula Casino | 100,000 GC + 10 SC | 700+ | Slots |
Fortune Coins | 650,000 GC + 1,400 Fortune Coins (SC) | 550+ | Slots |
High 5 Casino | 5 SC + 250 GC + 600 Diamonds | 1,200+ | Slots, live dealer, slingo |
The operators listed above are all Colorado-friendly for a reason – and that’s because they’re all fully compliant with the Colorado sweepstakes laws I ran through earlier. This means that every single one of them:
You can rest-assured that all the brands I’ve shortlisted are currently up-for-grabs in The Centennial State. However, should you wish to go shopping around for sweepstakes casinos elsewhere, you’ll need to check any other brands’ T&Cs to ensure they’re fully compliant with Colorado sweepstakes law. And to make sure they’re definitely accepting new registrants from CO, too.
I know, I know – my table above listed ten different Colorado sweepstakes casinos. But the reality is, there are five sites that stand head and shoulders above the rest. They are Stake.us, WOW Vegas, McLuck, High5Casino and Vegas Gems – and here’s why:
Stake.us’ ever-expanding game selection – which is bettered in size only by that of High 5 Casino, is currently up-for-grabs in Colorado, as well as 43 other US states.
As far as game variety and quality goes, the Stake.us portfolio is pretty much unrivalled – you’ll find anything from classic Pragmatic Play slots to in-house-developed keno and crash games here, as well as a few live dealer tables, too.
And best of all, the brand’s currently offering an amazing welcome bonus that’s good for $55 SC + 260,00 GC + 5% rakeback in CO, which I reckon will keep you guys gaming for quite some time. Other standout features here include 24/7 live chat support, and super-fast SC redemptions. In all, it’s the complete sweepstakes package.
WOW Vegas is another of Colorado’s sweepstakes casinos that’s growing super-popular in the state – and it isn’t half hard to see why.
With a staggering 1.75 million WOW Coin (GC) + 35 SC welcome promo on the cards, you’ll get an epic head start here bonus-wise. It’s possible to play more than 900 different casino-style games here, too and the site’s legally accessible in most parts of the US, with the exception of ID, MI, NV and WA.
The only real downside I encountered here is that the operator’s portfolio is made up exclusively of slot games – meaning WOW Vegas might not be your cup of tea if you’re more of a card shark.
If you’ve been hunting for Vegas-style tables that are fully compliant with Colorado sweepstakes law, look no farther than McLuck.
These guys offer four incredible live dealer-led games powered by major software house Beter Live, as well as hundreds of casino-style slots and a handful of slingo games to boot. High-rollers will feel right at home here, too. The brand’s bonus might not be massively competitive, but they offer ever-changing “McJackpots” to existing players, where you guys can compete in sweepstakes tournaments that dish out prizes from six-figure GC prize pools.
In my experiences, I’ve found that Colorado sweepstakes casinos seldom come as VIP-oriented as High 5 Casino.
Here, you’ll get a 5 SC, 250 GC + 600 Diamonds three-in-one bonus on sign-up – the latter of which can be used like loyalty points on the site, and put toward unlocking big-value coin boosts and exclusive bonuses.
On top of that, the brand runs an even higher-level loyalty program called Club High Five, where you can climb tiers and unlock trewards such as dedicated VIP managers and weekly email bonuses for the foreseeable.
Any of you who’ve played with brands that are compliant with Colorado sweepstakes law before will know that one of the best aspects of sweeps gaming is, of course, redeeming your SC for prizes.
Well, Vegas Gems is a brand that not only makes the redemption process real easy, but also offers an excellent range of different SC prize options to Coloradans, ranging from gift cards and merch, to cryptocurrencies and actual cash prizes processed directly to your bank.
You’ll need to collect at least 100 Shards (the site’s name for SC) to request a prize redemption here, but there are more than 400 exciting games to try-out in your efforts to accumulate them.
As you’ll no doubt have noticed from my comparison table and reviews, Colorado’s sweepstakes casinos come in a bunch of different shapes and sizes.
Whether you’re looking for New York sweepstakes casinos or the very best brands available in CO, here’s what you should keep in mind when picking-out the ideal operator for you:
To enjoy sweepstakes games in Colorado to their fullest potential, it’s essential you play by the rules. To recap, this means being 21+, only playing with brands that willingly accept Coloradans, and only ever firing-up games that can be enjoyed without an up-front purchase requirement.
All ten sweepstakes casinos I’ve featured in my guide here fit the bill, but Stake.us, WOW Vegas, McLuck, High 5 Casino and Vegas Gems are without doubt my favorites. For me, WOW Vegas is a slots-lover’s heaven, McLuck is unrivaled for live dealer games, and High 5 Casino offers the best VIP and loyalty rewards. That said, it’s Stake.us that’s the best all-rounder when it comes to offering a complete sweepstakes package that absolutely anybody can enjoy.
No, absolutely not. If you guys want to play at casino-style games in The Centennial State, your only option is sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us, McLuck and WOW Vegas.
In a nutshell, sweepstakes casinos are legal in CO. However, brands can only accept over-21s and must offer their games with no up-front purchase requirement. Discover gaming sites that fit the bill with my latest guides and reviews.
No, you can’t. GC are just-for-fun coins that have no prize-redeemable value. To get your hands on IRL prizes, you’ll need to play using SC, and accumulate enough SC coins to be able to request an SC prize exchange.
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.