Are sweepstakes casinos legal in California?
Yes. Sweepstakes are social casinos, with no purchase necessary to play and win vouchers, prizes and redeem coins for cash. Also, you are not able to purchase Sweepstakes Coins, but instead they re gifted when you purchase free play coins (often called Gold Coins). This means they are legitimate and legal under sweepstakes laws.
Sweepstakes are legal in pretty much all American States, and Canada. One notable exception is Michigan, but they offer real money casino, regulated by their State Government, so players still have great options. They just don't get the no purchase necessary to win benefit that you get if you can play at sweepstakes.
Whether sweepstakes casinos will be legal in California in the future is a different question. If they decide to legalize real money casino, they may well bring in a law that would ban sweepstakes. This is logical, because the State would want to maximize their revenues from the real money casino.
Will genuine Vegas brands be available at California sweepstakes soon?
Even though the selection of slots available at sweepstakes casinos is immense, and of a world-class quality (10x better than you get in offshore real money casinos), a lot of us still yearn for the exact same games we play in Vegas.
The list of those games is huge, but for a start, I'd personally love to see Buffalo, Buffalo Gold, Cleopatra, Wheel of Fortune 3 reel games, and some of the old school classics like Texas Tea, Lobstermania, DaVinci Diamonds, and Quick Hit.
There definitely is a chance that these games appear in sweepstake casinos in California at some stage. This is because many of the biggest and best producers have already moved into social casino already. But that is pure social, but not yet sweepstakes social casinos, where you can redeem coins for vouchers and cash.
One Californian sweepstakes casino that is worth looking at is High 5 Casino. High 5 is owned by Scientific Gaming, which also owns IGT and WMS. So we could see some amazing games appear there soon.
Likewise, Aristocrat, who make games like Buffalo, Miss Kitty, Queen of the Nile, 50 Lions, Timber Wolf etc., also run a social casino that is very highly rated. This casino is called Heart of Vegas and is a pure play social casino.
So, you can play just for fun, but there is no sweepstakes aspect to it. This means you don't get to redeem coins for cash prizes, but it is still great fun. Hopefully they introduce sweepstakes soon to make it even more fun.
History of Sweepstakes Casinos
Although online sweepstakes casinos have existed for over a decade, it's only since around 2022 that they started getting popular in the US, including California.
Over the last few years, several dozen online sweepstake casinos have emerged and created real competition between them. This is great for players, because they are competing to be the best at everything, including the games they offer, the customer support, regulatory, and banking methods, amongst many other important things.
That said, there is still quite a bit of uncertainty, with some States tightening the rules, making it less likely for the industry to move forward and causing numerous platforms to leave the state altogether. Thankfully, California isn’t one of these, but it is the jurisdiction where the first lawsuit against a sweepstakes casino was filed.
In response to the continued pressure, 11 sweepstakes and social casino industry organizations have formed the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA). This lobbying group promotes the current legality of sweepstakes casinos and advocates for responsible gaming.
What Are Sweepstakes Casinos and How Do They Work?
Sweepstakes casinos are online casino-style platforms that let you play various casino-style games like slots, table games, live dealers, and crash releases entirely for free. You’re welcome to purchase additional gold coins if you lack them, but you can also obtain them through various promos.
These platforms are similar to the real thing, but the critical distinction is that they are free to use and play.
However, you’ve likely heard that they allow redemptions where you redeem specific virtual currency for cash prizes. This is enabled through the unique model of gold and sweepstakes coins:
● Gold coins — A fake virtual currency used for playing only. You can get it through gold coin packages, promotions, and by playing casino-style games. You can’t redeem or use gold coins outside that specific sweepstakes casino.
● Sweepstakes coins — A virtual currency used for both playing and redemptions. You get it as a free bonus in gold coin packages, through promos, and by winning in casino-style games as long as you’ve used these coins to play. You can redeem sweepstakes coins for cash prizes, which is the only way to get cash prizes in sweepstakes casinos.
This important distinction between these two types of coins is what makes the sweepstakes model possible. However, you cannot exchange one type of coin for the other. You can only get sweepstakes coins through promotions, for free by sending a letter to the sweepstakes casino operator, by playing games with them and winning, and as free extras within gold coin packages.
In California, you’ll find several dozen sweepstakes casinos that operate like this, including Mega Bonanza, WOW Vegas, Fortune Coins, Pulsz, Zula Casino, McLuck, and Stake.us.
FAQ
Are sweepstakes social casinos legal in California?
Yes, sweepstakes casinos are entirely legal in California, without significant restrictions found in a few other states. More than that, most of the top brands in the industry are available in the state, meaning you have many options to choose from.
Can I win actual funds by playing in California sweepstakes casinos?
No, you can’t win directly, but you can obtain cash prizes through the redemption system, where you redeem played sweepstakes coins for cash prizes based on the casino’s exchange rate, which is usually 1:1.
Can I claim bonuses in California sweepstakes casinos?
No, sweepstakes sites don’t have standard bonuses, but they have various promotions like a no deposit bonus, a daily login bonus, various social media contests and giveaways, and much more. You can also purchase gold coin packages containing gold coins and usually sweepstakes coins as a free extra.
What would happen if California decided to ban sweepstakes casinos?
If sweepstakes did get banned one day, players would get their money back for any coins packages they may have purchased, or get plenty of chance to redeem their tokens for cash or vouchers prizes to the casino closing it's doors.
The sweepstakes casinos out there trading are all registered in the US to trade under sweepstakes law. Although they don't trade under gambling licences (as it is not classed as gambling, given the 'no purchase necessary' sweepstake requirement), they do have to comply with US laws.
Are Sweepstakes Casinos legal in the US, in general, or just California?
Sweepstakes casinos are fully legal in at the federal level because you can only purchase virtual gold coins. The sweepstakes coins, which can be redeemed for cash tend to be gifted to players, and no purchase is required to play, win or redeem cash prizes.
As long as the state doesn’t explicitly ban this form of casino-style gaming, sweepstakes casinos are legal. California has no restrictions, unlike Michigan, Nevada, and a few others. There are no limits as to how many cash prizes you can receive through redemptions. As long as sites follow the sweepstakes model, they can operate in California, as well as many other States.
