What Is a Sweepstakes Casino? Best Guide in 2024

The sweepstakes model is taking the casino gaming world by storm, gaining traction as one of the most popular casino-style contests people can participate in. This is particularly true in the United States and other regions where conventional casino gaming faces some regulatory hurdles.

A sweepstakes software is similar to a regular casino in the sense that it offers access to a similar set of games, including conventional slots and table games. However, it differs in how players can access these games and the kinds of prizes they can win for playing. In this article, we define a sweepstakes casino, how the model works, and how to get started with sweepstakes gaming. 

• A sweepstakes casino is a type of online casino that operates on a free-to-play model.
• Sweepstakes casinos allow players to spin slots and play table games using virtual currencies known as Gold Coins. 
• Players can win real-world gifts and cash prizes on sweepstakes casinos if they accumulate enough redeemable Sweeps Coins.

What Are Sweepstakes Casinos?

Let’s begin with definitions. What are sweepstakes casinos and how do they really work? 

Sweepstakes casinos operate on a unique free-to-play model. They offer a casino-style gaming experience but without the encumbrance of real money betting. This means players are free to play casino games for fun and entertainment without betting actual money. 

To play games on sweepstakes casinos, players use virtual currencies (Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins). Gold Coins are usually used for fun, with no monetary rewards, while Sweeps Coins can be used to enter sweepstakes or tournaments, often redeemable for real-world prizes such as gift cards or even cash.

Because sweepstakes sites barely pose significant financial risks to players, they’re completely legal in almost all states in the USA. 

If you want to know more about sweepstakes check out our comprehensive guide on what are sweepstakes.

Comparison of Sweepstakes Casinos with Real Money Online Casinos

To really understand how sweepstakes gaming works, a comparison between sweepstakes casinos vs traditional casinos might help. Here’s how these two gaming options compare in terms of their gameplay, currency use, and overall player experience.

Gameplay 

The common denominator between sweepstakes sites and real money casinos is the gameplay. Both platforms allow players to play casino-style games from various software providers. 

You’ll find the same or similar set of games on both sweepstakes sites and traditional casinos, although the total number of games tends to vary. Sweepstakes casinos typically offer fewer games and are often limited to slots and a few table games, unlike traditional casinos where you may also find live dealer games and instant win games. 

Currency 

To play games in a traditional casino, players use real money to place wagers on game outcomes, winning real money in return based on specific odds. On the other hand, sweepstake casinos use virtual currency instead of actual cash. The virtual currency may be in the form of tokens, coins, and tickets. Prizes are also won as tokens, but these are often redeemable for real-world prizes like vouchers, merchandise, or even cash prizes at a predetermined rate.  

Overall Gaming Experience 

Traditional casino gaming is a high-stakes, high-reward experience for players. There’s a real risk of losing money, and this adds to the thrill for players. Sweepstake casinos don’t involve direct money wagers, and this can make them slightly less thrilling. While there’s often an option to buy more virtual tokens, the experience is slightly different.

Sweepstake sites often make up for this by adding a social element to the gaming experience. Most sweepstakes casinos incorporate chat rooms, leaderboards, and other social interaction features to boost the overall experience for players. 

Getting Started with Playing in Sweepstakes Casinos

Convenience and ease of access are part of the hallmarks of sweepstakes gaming. Consequently, players often have no hard time getting started on these sites. All you have to do is select a suitable site, get virtual cash, and start playing for fun or real prizes. 

Selecting a Site

The first step to sweepstakes gaming is to select a site to play on. While the pressure to select a high-paying site is not as high, a sweepstakes casino is often subjected to the same criteria as regular casino sites. This includes: 

• Checking if the site is secure or safe by verifying its license and other security measures.
• Confirming the number and quality of games.
• Checking the process of collecting tokens including how convenient it is and the number of tokens you’ll get. 
• The ease of redeeming prizes if you do win.

Fortunately, you can always find detailed guides and reviews about each site you intend to play on before you register so you can check for all of these attributes before you proceed to create an account. 

Purchasing Virtual Coins

After creating an account, the next step is to get virtual coins. You’ll need these to access games and place wagers on sweepstakes sites instead of placing real money wagers. Given the free-to-play nature of sweepstakes sites, the casino often provides a generous amount of virtual cash (especially Gold Coins) for players.

While there is always an option to get more Gold Coins, making a purchase is not a requirement, and you can always make do with the free virtual currency provided by the casino as daily or weekly bonuses. 

Winning and Redeeming Prizes

As a new player, it is important that you understand the mechanics of games on online sweepstakes casinos as well as the process of redeeming the prizes you could potentially win. You should start by exploring the games with the Gold Coins to get a general feel of the platform and how things work. 

After this, you can proceed to play with Sweeps Coins. This is more high stakes since free Sweeps Coins are often given in smaller quantities. You should watch out for social media contests and other opportunities that can help you earn more Sweeps Coins. 

The prizes available and the process for redeeming them varies from one casino to the other. You should review these terms carefully and understand how to convert the coins that sweepstakes casinos provide into real money in your bank account. 

How Sweepstakes Casinos Work

Understanding how virtual currencies work is a core aspect of learning how sweepstakes casinos work. Generally, casinos offer two types of virtual currencies; Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Note that some sites may designate unique names to these virtual tokens, but they essentially work the same way.  

Gold Coins are used for regular gameplay for fun and entertainment. The casino will typically provide a generous amount of this token on signup. You will also receive free Gold Coins for daily logins, earn them by participating in promotions, or increase your balance by winning more coins during gameplay. This token cannot be redeemed for real prizes. Sweepstakes sites often allow players to buy more Gold Coins with their money if they wish to do so. 

The second kind of token is the premium token known as the Sweeps Coins. This cannot be purchased directly from the casino. However, some sites typically add free Sweeps Coins to player accounts when they purchase Gold Coins. It may also be awarded through social contests or as mail-in offers. You’ll need Sweeps Coins to enter sweepstake contests or play premium casino games that can earn you actual win prizes.

On some sweepstakes sites, Sweeps Coins have direct monetary value, typically pegged to the US dollars by a given ratio. However, the common option is to give players the option to redeem their Sweeps Coins for other prizes. 

Before withdrawing the Sweeps Coins, a player has to meet the wagering requirement. This is the minimum number of times the player must roll over the coins before they can withdraw it out of the casino. The playthrough requirement varies from one casino to the other.

Sweepstakes sites also tend to offer a wide range of redemption methods. You should check this as well to determine how you’ll get the money out of the casino account. 

Legal Aspects of Sweepstakes Casinos

Now that we know how sweepstakes gaming works, how do these casinos operate from a legal perspective? Generally, sweepstakes casinos enjoy more legal leeway compared to conventional casinos. 

In fact, in the United States where most forms of online gambling are banned, sweepstakes gaming is legal in almost all states. The only three states where this form of gaming is facing an outright ban are Nevada, Idaho, and Washington. A handful of other states like California and New Jersey have strict regulations, but not outright bans. If you want to know how to tell if a sweepstakes is legitimate, read our article about sweepstakes scams.

You should always check to see if a sweepstakes casino is available in your state before joining, though. Operators typically restrict their services to certain states, so you might want to watch out for this. 

Payout Procedures and Speed

Redeeming your Sweeps Coins for real cash prizes is a straightforward process. Most casinos typically indicate a wagering requirement for the coins. Once this requirement has been met, you simply click the redeem button to initiate the payout process. 

You will be prompted to enter the number of redeemable Sweeps Coins you want to withdraw. Enter this and select the withdrawal method. The site may indicate a minimum withdrawal limit for each method (for instance, 100 Sweeps Coins for cash prize withdrawal or 50 Sweeps Coins for gift cards). 

To redeem Sweeps Coins on sweepstakes casinos, you may be required to verify your ID and payment details. This is a standard legal process that may take a few hours to some days depending on the casino. To speed up your withdrawal process, it is best you complete this process right after signing up on the site. 

Apart from the verification, the payment method selected will also determine the timeline of your withdrawals. This may be anything from one to a few business days. For instance, crypto withdrawals are often processed within a few hours, while bank transfers or e-wallets might take a couple of days. 

Mobile Apps for Sweepstakes Casinos

Recognizing the need to support mobile play to promote convenience and ease of access, many sweepstakes casinos now offer mobile apps. Even operators with no dedicated app for Android or iOS devices, usually have a responsive browser-based interface. Such sites offer an equally smooth mobile experience, which works for most players. 

Whether players are using a casino app or a web interface, a mobile sweepstakes casino offers convenience and optimal device compatibility for players. They can access games on the go, with an experience that’s just as smooth as playing on bigger screens. Some sites may even offer exclusive bonuses for mobile players, which further adds to the appeal of mobile play. 

Pros and Cons of Sweepstakes Casinos

Pros of Sweepstakes Casinos 

• Legally accessible in most jurisdictions 
• Access to casino-style gaming without the financial risk 
• Large and diverse game collections
• Offer features that encourage social interactions 

Cons of Sweepstakes Casinos 

• May not offer the same thrill as real money gaming 
• Not suitable for high-rollers 
• Redemption options are often limited 

Popular Sweepstakes Casino Games

As explained earlier, one attribute of sweepstakes betting sites is that they offer similar games to conventional online casinos. While the average sweepstakes site tends to offer fewer games compared to traditional casinos, some sweepstakes sites have over a thousand games in their gallery. This mainly includes slots, table games, and Slingo.

These games are often grouped into various categories including popular, trending/hot, new, and so on to make them easier to find. Here’s an overview of some of the most popular game categories on sweepstakes sites.

• Slots: The biggest category on sweepstakes casino sites that often offer a variety of slots, covering a wide range of themes and game mechanics. Some of the biggest slot categories include video slots, classics, progressive jackpots, and mega ways. You’ll find titles from some of the biggest names in the industry such as NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, Games Global, etc. Some examples of popular slot games include Wanted Dead, Sweet Bonanza, and Big Bass.  
• Table Games: Table games like sweepstakes poker, roulette, and blackjack are often available on sweepstakes casino sites. While the number and variety are often less than the slot games, you’ll still find a handful of table game titles, with some sites offering some unique variations of the classics.
• Live Casino Games: Live games are even less common on sweepstakes sites than in other game categories. Most sites don’t offer this at all, but a few like McLuck, and Stake.us have a live game section on their sites. Live games are versions of conventional table games hosted by a real human. This provides an authentic gaming experience compared to virtual versions. On sites with this option, you can play live versions of roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and other table games. 
• Slingo: This is another game category that isn’t quite common on sweepstakes casinos. Slingos are unique games that combine slots and bingo into one exciting experience. The goal is to match the numbers on the reels to the numbers on a Slingo grid. Sweepstakes casinos like McLuck offer a few Slingo titles for players who enjoy playing them. 

Sweepstakes Casino Bonuses and Promotions

It’s not enough that sweepstakes casinos are already free to play. These sites help players get more from their playing experience by offering bonuses and promotions. Such promotions grant players more virtual coins, which allows them to continue playing without spending any money. Some of the bonus offers you can expect to find on sweepstakes casinos include: 

• Welcome Bonuses: Sweepstakes casinos are big on welcome bonuses. Most sites offer players thousands (or even millions) of Gold Coins and a small amount of Sweeps Coins. This is triggered as soon as you sign up on the site and gives you instant access to casino games. Although not mandatory, offering a generous welcome bonus helps casinos comply with sweepstakes law.
• Login Bonuses: Each day you log into your sweepstakes casino account, you’ll get additional Gold Coins from the casino. Although the number of coins is often smaller than what you got at signup, it’s often enough to keep you going without making extra purchases. 
• Free Spins: This is a bonus granted for specific slot games which allows you to spin the reels a given number of times without deducting from your token balance. Free spins can be granted as part of daily logins or included in other casino promotions. 
• Bonus Codes: Some bonuses require promo codes. These are unique codes generated by the casino and given to players when they meet certain conditions. When the player enters a promo code on the casino, the system triggers a reward associated with the code. 
• Competition/Contests: Sweepstake casino brands typically host competitions or contests with various bonuses up for grabs. This might be in the form of leaderboard contests on the site with a jackpot up for grabs or bonus drops on social media platforms that involve completing a social task such as liking or sharing a post.

Top Sweepstakes Casino Sites

The list of sweepstakes casino sites available in the United States is quite long. You’ll find several remarkable options with a large library of games, numerous bonuses, and a thrilling gaming experience. Some of the most popular sweepstakes examples you can check out include: 

WoW Vegas

WoW Vegas is one of the top sweepstakes casinos in the United States. And with a library of over a thousand games, it is also one of the biggest. New players get to kickstart their experience on this site with 1,500,000 WOW Coins (the site’s version of Gold Coins) and 35 Sweepstake Coins all for free. 

Fortune Coins 

Fortune Coins casino welcomes new players with a generous bonus of 20,000,000 Gold Coins on startup. You’re up for a thrilling casino gaming experience on this site, with a selection of over 250 casino-style games to keep you entertained. 

Stake.us

Stake.us is undoubtedly one of the most notable sweepstakes casino sites in America. New players get a generous offer of 550,000 Gold Coins and $55 worth of Sweeps Coins. What makes the site even more interesting is its large library of games which includes over 3000 games from some of the industry’s biggest providers. Stake.us is also one of the few sites with live dealer game options. 

Pulsz

As a new player on Pulsz casino, you will be greeted with a welcome offer of up to 367,000 Gold Coins and 32.3 Sweepstakes coins. With a library of over 700 games, you’ll have tons of options to choose from.

Do You Have Questions About Sweepstakes Casinos? Contact CrustLab!

Interested in creating a sweepstakes gaming experience for your business? You need to talk to a software development expert with experience in sweepstakes gaming.

Our vast experience in the iGaming space with specific expertise in the sweepstakes niche makes us the perfect partner for creating an immersive and scalable sweepstakes gaming solution. Contact us today to get started.