As a no-cost alternative to traditional Internet casinos, sweepstakes and social casinos have greatly impacted gaming in the United States. Both sweepstakes and social casinos offer entertaining gaming possibilities and the chance to win rewards.
With the exception of Washington and Idaho, sweepstakes casinos are legal in the U.S. primarily because they are considered a form of entertainment that can be played completely for free. Keep reading to learn more about the best Sweepstakes casinos among players in the US, including how to find the best platform for you.
Understanding Sweepstakes and Social Casinos
Many social casinos hold various sweepstakes, which are free-to-enter contests or promotions where participants 18 and older can win a prize. Since most social casino platforms have apps optimized for smartphones, gamers can collect coins and enter contests while on the go or at home. Results are determined by chance, with prizes being distributed to winners via a lottery-like balloting system.
The major difference between this genre of gaming and traditional casino gambling is you cannot win real money by playing online sweepstakes casino games since there is no real money involved in the first place. So then how do you play the various sweepstakes games?
Sweepstakes casinos utilize their own virtual currencies, typically called either gold coins or sweeps coins. From popular slots and poker to roulette and baccarat, gamers can use these coins to play many different entertaining titles to participate in sweepstakes without using their own money.
Getting Started With Sweepstakes Casino Games
Unlike traditional casinos where you can simply deposit real money to your account, you can only obtain sweeps coins by playing the free games available for use with gold coins, or by winning social contests.
Gold coins are typically offered to gamers upon signing up with a social casino as part of a welcome bonus. In addition to gold coins, sweeps coins are also sometimes offered to new customers. Gamers can use both types of coins to play for free and when they have accumulated enough sweeps coins, they may exchange them for actual rewards, including cash payouts.
After hours of entertainment, you may find yourself running a bit low on coins. If this happens, you simply need to buy a gold coin package to continue playing, which will also likely include extra free sweeps coins. Additionally, many operators will announce contests on their social media pages that often divvy out large amounts of coins for willing participants. Just be sure to follow the rules as you may need to like, follow, or retweet a post to qualify.
Finding the Right Sweepstakes Casino
When it comes time to find the right platform for your free gaming experience, you should weigh factors like the number and quality of sweepstakes casino games available, the overall design of the website or app and offers such as a free sweeps coins bonus.
Many operators will extend comparable offers, but not all platforms are created equal. While one site might feature your favorite slot game, another with an even better free coins bonus may not have as good of a selection of games. Winning a sweepstakes contest will require luck, but you can boost your chances of success by playing games like sweeps slots that have the best return to player (RTP) rates.
Consider reading user reviews to get an idea of what kind of experience you can expect from a particular platform. People are usually happy to talk about their success stories of winning sweepstakes contests and may be willing to share tips that led to their success or even how to earn more coins.
Redeeming Sweeps Coins for Cash and Other Prizes
While you may not be able to buy sweeps coins, you can use sweeps coins on a sweepstakes site to redeem real cash prizes. Here's how to do it:
- Like traditional online gambling sites, you will need to verify your identity before redeeming cash prizes. Typically, you can upload an official government document such as a driver's license or passport to prove you are of legal age and are who you say you are.
- This document may also confirm your proof of residence, but sometimes an electric bill is required to ensure you aren't playing from a location where sweepstakes and social casinos are prohibited.
- Next, you will need to link your bank account by providing either a bank statement or a notarized lease agreement form.
- After submitting the required documentation and having your identity confirmed, you may exchange your sweepstakes coins for real US dollars. Withdrawal times vary across platforms, but you can typically expect the money to hit your bank account in a few business days.
Sweepstakes and social casinos offer gamers a truly risk-free way to play their favorite games. The best part is sweeps coins can be earned, collected and redeemed to win real prizes like cash, gift cards and more. It's important to read and understand a site's rules and regulations when it comes to specific sweepstakes as there may be special requirements for redeeming cash and other prizes. Always be sure to stay up to date on the various new sweepstakes so you can enter to win special giveaways.