What are Sweepstakes Casinos
Written by: Filip Gromovic Reviewed by: Nashon Khamala
Read time: 9 minutes
So you want to feel the rush of watching slot reels spin and double your bet? Unfortunately, you might live in a country where traditional gambling is restricted. If you are on this boat, there is a way around. Sweepstakes casinos offer the old-style casino ecstasy with a mix of casual modern sweeps contests, without the commitment of investing real money. Sounds strange? We will explain what is a sweepstakes casino in detail for you.
Virtual Currency System
As social casinos, sweepstakes use a virtual currency system with a strict no-deposit rule. So, users of this app or website can play all the games on their roster using the in-game coins. There are usually two forms of virtual cash: the Gold Coin (GC) and the Sweeps Coin (SC). Sweepstakes casinos offer users different ways to farm these virtual monies. But, what is the difference between the two?
Gold coins are the more regular currency that players use to enjoy titles on different slots. You will get a ton of it as part of your welcome bonus. In some cases, you can even replenish your account by logging in daily. There are several other ways to stack up your GC supply.
On the other hand, SCs are tokens handed to loyal punters by the casino as gifts, bonuses or rewards for completing different tasks—like inviting players to the platform using their unique referral link. While these platforms have zero betting with a real money policy, players can also get valuable SC by purchasing GC packages—which will come with some amount of SC as a bonus.
On most of the platforms we have visited, purchases are usually made through wire transfer or PayPal. SC is used for entering into tournaments or events – and this is where things start looking more like traditional online casinos.
Punters who meet the playthrough requirement can redeem their SC for real money – we will discuss that in detail later. So, if someone asks you what is a sweepstakes casino, and you get confused, just remember the dual-coin system and start your explanation from there. The major difference between sweeps and the OG casino in the iGaming industry is that in the former you can still have fun even without spending a dime, a feat that is impossible in the latter.
Getting Started
As you must have already discovered, there are thousands of sweepstakes casinos offering both fun and the excitement of potential wins. However, take your time to ensure you are registering for the right one for you.
Pay attention to their software provider and ask if their titles are fair and fun. Go through their list of available titles and see if they have the kind that gets you excited. Vet their security as well as deposit and withdrawal options to see if there may be a reason why your prize or account might be restricted in the future. Finally, make sure reaching their customer support doesn’t feel like another boring office queue. Once the sweepstakes casino ticks the boxes, you can give it a shot. The steps to getting started are as follows:
Registration
Now you know what are sweepstakes casinos and picked out the right one for you, it is time to sign up.
- Type their URL into your browser and click «Enter».
- Click on the «Sign Up» button, which should be somewhere at the top of the page.
- It will open a short form for name, email and other details.
- Fill in the required details and complete your sign-up.
You may get an email telling you if your sign-up was successful and what to do next. Upon the successful completion of your sign-up, your bonus GC should be deposited into your account.
Play
Visit the game section and find the ones you like by category and start playing with the virtual currency deposited in your account. We suggest exploring as many titles as possible until you build a list of maybe a dozen that you will play regularly. Complete daily activities to get more coins deposited into your account.
Popular Sweepstakes Casino Games
There are five unique game varieties that sweepstakes casinos offer. While most of them resemble what you will find in brick-and-mortar gambling houses, others are unique to the sweepstakes model.
Slots
This is arguably the most popular type of entertainment you will find. Most sweepstakes casinos have hundreds of slots with different unique themes and mechanics. They include the classic three-reel slots, five-reels, progressive jackpots and free video slots. Popular titles include Big Bass Floats My Boat from Pragmatic Play and Wanted Dead or a Wild by Hacksaw Gaming.
Table Games
Some social casinos have provisions for table games. However, the title roster is usually smaller compared to the number of slots. The staples that you will likely find include blackjack, roulette and baccarat.
Scratchcards
These games are reminiscent of popular promotion strategies used by companies for brand awareness. As the name suggests, you purchase a scratchcard with your virtual money and scratch off the silver panel to reveal and match items. Popular titles in this category include Shave the Beard and The Big One, both by Hacksaw Gaming.
Live Games
When you think of a sweepstakes casino what is it, live titles are the least option that would come to mind. The titles in this category are hosted by humans and streamed to the platform users. They are the closest to the traditional gambling experience.
Slingo
These games combine bingo and slots. They usually have a 5×5 grid that shares semblance with a bingo card but with reels underneath. To win, players must match the numbers on the reels with the grid. A popular option is Slingo Berserk by Gaming Realms.
Redeeming Prizes
In most sweepstakes gambling platforms, bonuses you earn from completing predefined activities are credited to your account instantly or after a few hours. Different platforms have different rules. As a rule of thumb, allow for up to five days to get your bonuses before contacting customer support.
GCs are purely used for entertainment and cannot be redeemed for prizes. Only SCs qualify to be swapped for real cash or gift cards. However, you must satisfy the casino’s playthrough requirement before you can proceed to redemption. Playthrough requirement is the number of times you must wager your SC. It can be as low as 1x or higher than 3x.
In most cases, your account must be verified for you to proceed to the next stage. The verification or KYC (Know Your Customer) process typically involves providing government-issued documents (proof of address and proof of ID) that will help the platform certify your identity and any other details you provided while signing up on the platform.
Once you have met all the requirements set by your preferred sweepstakes casino and have the minimum number of SC required to initiate a swap, follow the steps below to complete the conversion.
- Locate the redemption page. It should be accessible from the navigation menu in your account profile.
- Select your preferred redemption method (cash or gift card).
- Fill in the required fields and complete the process.
It may take anywhere from 24 hours to 10 days to get your cash, depending on your choice of financial institution. We have yet to spot a sweepstakes gambling platform that accepts cryptocurrency – which should have made the process faster.
Legal and Safety Information
Sweepstakes casinos occupy a unique niche in the iGaming industry. Because of their gameplay and reward model, they are usually not classified outrightly as gambling under federal law – most, especially the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This demarcation makes it possible for them to operate in all regions without the regulatory hiccups faced by traditional gambling houses.
To stay compliant with the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), these platforms must maintain a «no purchase necessary» policy. This opens their content to everyone, whether they choose to spend money or not. Perhaps, this is also one of the reasons why a lot of new entrants are confused and asking what are Sweepstakes casinos or curious to know how they make their money.
In terms of safety, reputable platforms always secure their platform using SSL encryption technology. This should be one of the first things you should validate when visiting an online gambling site. Since you will be required to provide personal documents for ID validation and card details for purchases, a strong encryption technology will help keep that sensitive information safe.
Also, verify that the software providers use a Random Number Generator (RNG) to ensure winning at any title is purely based on luck. All platforms that we have reviewed ticked the safety guidelines. Finally, take your time to read through the casino’s privacy policy to know the do’s and don’ts and conditions that could void your prize redemption.
Tips for Playing at Sweepstakes Casino
Now you know what is sweepstakes casino, the next logical step is to ask about playing tips, right? Well, the first step is always to understand the rules of the game because they have unique features that set them apart from real money games – especially the «no purchase necessary» rule.
There are usually two types of players on a Sweepstakes platform: those who are playing strictly for entertainment and those with their eyes fixed on potential rewards. Your approach will differ slightly depending on which side of the divide you belong.
If you are there for fun, your focus should be on maximizing your gold coins because they are your ticket to enjoying the different titles on the platforms. You should also note all the different ways or activities that will help you increase your GC balance.
On the other hand, if you are playing for prizes, your focus will be on how to expand your sweep coins balance. That may sometimes mean purchasing GC packages. Furthermore, you should understand the playthrough requirements, the minimum amount to redeem, and every other detail involved in redeeming your SC for prizes.
When you launch your favorite title, the first thing you should do is read through the rules of the game. Using slots as an example, you should learn about the max and min bets, the bet lines, the pay table and how to play. Having this information will help you to plan a winning strategy.
Filip Gromovic is a senior slots reviewer here at FreeSlots99 with over five years of experience evaluating the latest drops in the world of iGaming.
Being a slot fan himself, Filip approaches slot ratings just the way we like it – professionally, but also from a player’s standpoint.
That enables him to give his unbiased take on the slot’s features, gameplay and design, while only recommending top-tier releases to our readers.
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Having served FreeSlots99 for more than 5 years as a senior content editor and reviewer, Nashon Khamala has extensive knowledge in game slots and iGaming.
His membership in the Editorial Freelancers Association helps him deliver content that reaches both editorial excellence standards and an engaging information level.
By using his expertise in slots games combined with player-focused analysis, Nashon delivers a professional evaluation of slot features and player experiences in his reviews.
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