What are Sweepstake Casinos & How do they Work?

Sweepstakes are the best option for US players looking to play real money casino online

If you live in the US, and like to play real money casino online, you may have had real problems in the past. Especially if were looking find a place that is legal, has plenty of Vegas slot options, casino games, and video poker, that will accept your debit card to make payments easily and to cash out quickly.

Fortunately, sweepstake casinos have changed all that. Because sweepstakes are legal and regulated in most (but not all) States, you can play casino games in the form of a sweepstake, and be able to play, and cash out winnings.

This might sound like a weird concept at first. How on earth can you play a slot game, as a sweepstake, is the first question that comes to mind. Here, in the article below, we answer those questions and hopefully help you find a really good pace to play with the games you want, and great bonus offers.

How do Sweepstake casinos work?

A sweepstake casino, gives players a chance to win real money through a model that is new to online gaming. In general, they are all either very similar, or identical in the way they work.

They offer two types of coins: Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC).

The Gold Coins are used to play slots and casino games for free play, and they don't have any real monetary value. The Sweeps Coins can be exchanged for real money prizes, or sometimes (if you prefer), you can get gift vouchers.

- When you play in Gold Coin mode, you are playing for free.

- When you play in Sweeps Coin mode, you are playing for real money.

So basically, you want to get as many Sweeps Coins, as you can get, because they are the same as cash, and can be redeemed for real money - 1 SC = 1 USD.

The question you are asking here is probably "ok, but how do I play slots for real money at a sweepstake casino?". The answer is that when you play slots and games with Sweeps Coins, you are basically playing with real money.

So I need Sweeps Coins to play for real money?

Correct.

- When you play in "Sweeps Coins Mode" you win cash

- When you play in "Gold Coins Mode" you are playing for fun

How do I get Sweeps Coins, to play for real money?

Quick answer:

You will receive them as a bonus with Gold Coin purchases or through other promotions.

Longer answer:

- Many sweepstakes casinos provide free Sweeps Coins when you register, as well as through daily and weekly promotions. One of our favourite casinos, Mega Bonanza, will give you 2.5 Sweeps Coins as part of their welcome bonus .

- When you buy Gold Coins (used for free play), casinos will quite often give you Sweeps Coins with your purchase.

- Regularly logging into your account can also earn you Sweeps Coins, as well as lots of other bonuses and prizes. Mega Bonanza, for example gives daily login bonuses that include Sweeps Coins.

- Some of them allow you to request free Sweeps Coins by sending a handwritten request via mail. This seems a bit old fashioned, and is hidden, but you could still find it in the casino's terms and conditions.

- Some casinos will offer giveaways when you participate in social media contests. That can often mean free Sweeps Coins.

Advantages of Sweepstake casinos vs regular online casino

The first advantage about sweepstake casinos is, if you live in the US, you can actually play real money slots and games legally, whereas before you couldn't. You only had one option, which was to play at an offshore casino.

A few of those offshore casinos are very good, but many analysts say they are illegal, which is a big worry.

More importantly, it can be incredibly difficult to make a deposit at an off-shore online casino. This is because the banks have been told to block the transactions to online casino. But this ban does not apply to sweepstake, because they are legal in most States.

The advantage of sweepstakes becomes even more apparent when you try to withdraw your winnings. Again, this is very easy and quick with a sweepstake (once you have done all the initial security checks). But it can be very hard, or even impossible to withdraw at some off-shore casinos.

Some offshore casinos will only allow Bitcoin withdrawals, which gives rise to a whole load of new and unnecessary problems, that you don't get with sweepstakes

So in summary, although regular casinos can still be very good,with sweepstakes you get legal real money play, easy deposits, and easy cashouts, using regular banking. You can use VISA, Mastercard etc to deposit and to cash out, as well as Skrill.

Bonuses are better with sweepstake casinos

The other big advantage about Sweeps Casinos, is when you get a bonus, there is no play-through requirement.

This means you can cash out whenever you want, and is pretty much unheard of with traditional online casinos. It makes playing a lot more fun, because if you take a bonus and hit a jackpot, you know you can cash it out.

Can I win real money for free?

Yes!

That's one of the great things about sweepstakes in the US. By law, they all have to offer a real chance of winning, with no purchase needed. But... that said, your chances are incredibly small, when you are just doing the free thing, rather than buying yourself a few Gold Coins, playing, and entering sweeps. But it is still possible to win, for free.

Are Sweepstake casinos legal?

Yes. Sweepstakes are generally legal in most States. But there are some regions where sweepstakes are not allowed. Also some of the sweep casinos do not offer their services in areas where the rules seems vague. They prefer to play it safe, and not risk bringing in players, and then being told the next week, that they can't service them.

To find out if a sweepstake casino is legal in your State, all you have to do is sign up and try to play. If it's not allowed, then they will not let you play. You will most likely be allowed to play for free, but not enter sweeps, or buy any coins.

Some casinos will simply not allow you to sign up at all, if you are in what they call a 'restricted territory', where this form of play is not regulated and fully legal.

Are Sweepstake casinos safe?

Yes, if you pick a reputable casino, like the ones we list here.

Although we haven't heard of any scam sweepstake sites yet, they will surely start to appear, as they become more and more popular. So, you are better off picking a few good ones, and sticking to them.

They all offer plenty of slots games, as well as table games and video poker, from lots of great developers. Which means you won't get bored. Also, they all offer terrific daily and weekly bonuses and the chance to win for free.

Which is the best Sweepstake casino to play?

The one we've been enjoying the most so far, is Mega Bonanza Casino.

We have a few more we are playing and also enjoying a lot, but we want to test them thoroughly first, before recommending. That means actually cashing out winnings, and if they offer them, cashing out gift cards. Then actually using them, to make sure they work! :)

We will add more casinos, as we test more, and find they are honest and paying out winnings.