Online Sweepstakes Casinos USA 2023

Online Sweepstakes Casinos USA

While gambling laws in the US traditionally restrict online casinos to six states (NJ, WV, MI, CT, PA, DE), an ingenious loophole allows sweepstakes and social casinos to circumnavigate these restrictions and offer real money casino games to citizens across the US. It might sound too good to be true. But since VGW’s launch of Chumba Casino in 2012, sweepstakes casinos have proven themselves to be the real thing.

The secret is in the name. Sweepstakes. Because by basing themselves as a sweepstakes company, they can take all of the online casino games you’d expect at traditional online casinos and offer them in the form of a sweepstakes competition. In this guide, we’ll give you a comprehensive overview of how they are able to do this, plus we’ll also let you know how you can get started at sweepstakes casinos today.

Free Sweeps and Gold Coins Bonuses

If you’re going to become a pro at playing at social casinos, there are two terms you’ll need to understand. Gold coins & sweeps coins. This dual currency system is where the magic occurs. Because while gold coins are monetarily worthless when you purchase them, you are given a “free” bonus of sweeps coins — and it’s these sweeps coins that can then be used for real money play and eventually redeemed for real cash prizes.

But per sweepstakes rules, players must also be able to acquire these sweep coins for free. One way players can get them is by requesting them via a postcard sent to the casino’s office — similarly, some sweepstakes may also award them via a daily login bonus. However, another great way to get them is by taking advantage of their welcome offer.

In the below table, we’ll give you a quick summary of the best welcome offers from the best sweepstakes casinos.

🎰 Casino🎁 Welcome Offer🎲 Best Games
WOW Vegas1 Sweeps Coins + 5,000 WOW CoinsBack to Venus (Slot)
Baccarat (Table)
Good Girl Bad Girl (Slot)
High 5 Casino5 Sweeps Coins + 600 DiamondsTriple Monkey
Green Machine Deluxe
Goldstruck
Pulsz Casino2 Sweeps Coins + 5,000 Gold CoinsBlood Suckers 2 (Slot)
Medus Megaways (Slot)
Texas Hold’Em (Poker)
Fortune Coins500 Fortune Coins + 140,000 Gold CoinsEmily’s Treasure (Multiplayer Fish)
Fairy Tale (Slot)
Wheel of Luck (Wheel)
BetRivers.Net500 Virtual Credits With Code PLAY200Extreme Texas Hold’Em (Live Dealer)
European Roulette (Live Dealer)
Chicken Chase (Slot)
SweepSlots Casino1,000 Sweeps Coins + 10,000 Gold CoinsCleopatra’s Ancient Treasure (Slot)
Las Vegas Keno (Keno)
Treasure Wild Bears (Slot)
Golden Heart Games100% Matched First Deposit + $2 Free Play With Code USGOLDGolden Hearts Bingo (Bingo)
Old School Blackjack (Table)
Cash Mania Scratch (Scratchie)
Chumba Casino2 Sweeps Coins + 2,000,000 Gold CoinsThe Great Slotini (Slot)
The Big GoReela (Slot)
The Sand Princess (Slot)
Global Poker20 Sweeps Coins + 100,000 Gold CoinsTexas Hold’Em (Poker)
Omaha (Poker)
Omaha H/L (Poker)
Gambino Slots100,000 G-CoinsPortal of Fortunes (Slot)
Sugarland Blast (Slot)
WAR (War)
Funrize Casino125,000 TRN coins
Book of Nile, Hot Cash 777, and African King

You might be tempted by offers from less reputable Sweeps sites such as the Free Credits at Orions Stars Casino offer, but the above table of sweepstakes casinos provides a much safer and trustworthy selection of places to play at.

What to Look for in a Sweepstake Casino?

While Chumba Casino may have been the first, since 2012 many other sweepstakes casinos have come. Some have improved upon the groundwork VGW laid. Others not so much. When reviewing these casinos, there are a couple of telltale signs that we look for when considering whether or not a sweepstakes casino is one that we want to promote.

9 Top Sweeps Cash Casinos to Play Online September 2023

After reviewing every sweepstakes casino we could, nine casinos stood out. For simplicity, we’ve included our favorite aspect of each casino so you can scroll through the list and easily find the feature that you find the most important.

Pulsz – Best for Slot Games

Pulsz Casino - Best Slot Games

If you’re after a selection of mainstream slot machines that you’d expect to find at a traditional online casino — then you’ve found it with Pulsz. From Dead or Alive to Blood Suckers 2 — Pulsz has it. While they may be relatively new, having only been created back in 2020 — they’ve taken no time becoming a favorite among players who want to play the most popular slot machines for real money.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

Fortune Coins – Features Multiplayer Fish Gambling Games

It’s rare for a casino to make its name off a single, but with the multiplayer fish game, Emily’s Treasure — Fortune Coins has done just that.

Fortune Coins - Best Fish Games

If you’re unfamiliar with fish games, get ready for a trip down memory lane. These fish games take inspiration from some of the old arcade-style shooters that you might’ve played as a kid; however, with these games as you take down bigger targets, you’re awarded massive bounties. While not the highest RTP games available, if entertainment is at the forefront of the casino experience, then you have to try Fortune Coins and Emily’s Treasure.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

SweepSlots – Highest RTP Games

SweepSlots - Best RTP Games

The appeal of SweepSlots is simple. High RTP. If you’re unfamiliar with this metric, RTP (Return to Player) is the stat that determines how much of the player’s money is returned to them on average — with the highest numbers being the most profitable. And with SweepSlots, you’ll find they have all the highest RTP slot machines. Whether that’s Chinese Lucky Year (97.79%), Treasure Wild Bears (98.62%), or Cleopatra’s Ancient Treasure (98.9%). So if profitability is your chief concern, there is no better sweepstakes casino than SweepSlots.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

WOW Vegas – Best Selection of Betsoft Slots

WOW Vegas - Best Betsoft Slots

Betsoft slot machines have developed a reputation as being some of the most enjoyable — combining smooth and fun gameplay with high RTPs. The result is that Betsoft has developed a loyal following of players who prefer Betsoft almost exclusively. And for those people, WOW Vegas is for you.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

BetRivers.Net – Free Live Dealer Games

In the iGaming world, there are few names bigger than BetRivers. While most people know them for their award-winning sportsbook and online casino, few people know that they’ve recently broken into social casinos with BetRivers.net.

BetRivers - Best Live Dealer Games

While BetRivers.Net does come with some drawbacks — mainly the lack of real money games available, what they do offer is a way for players to play live dealer games for free along with all the other games that you’d expect at the traditional BetRivers online casino.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

Chumba Casino – Most Popular Platform

Fortune favors the bold. So it’s only fitting that the casino that created the sweepstakes casino model would be the most popular platform — and when it comes to trustworthiness, Chumba Casino is unmatched.

Chumba Casino - Most Popular Sweepstake Casino

With over 800,000 followers on FaceBook, Chumba Casino is the standard bearer for all sweepstakes casinos currently and in the future. And while there may not be anything too spectacular about it in 2023 when compared with other sweepstakes casinos if any casino has earned the right to rest on their laurels, it’s Chumba Casino.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

Golden Hearts Games – Players’ Choice for Bingo Games

Golden Hearts Games is a sweepstakes casino that sticks out of the crowd for several reasons. Beyond their altruistic cause of donating their profits to charity — Golden Hearts Games has become a favorite destination for players wanting to play online bingo.

Golden Hearts Games - Bingo

Their games won’t make you a millionaire. But if you’re looking for bingo, or are happy to lose a few points of RTP for a good cause, then Golden Heart Games presents a great way to support your favorite charity while playing online casino games for real money.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

Global Poker – Best Sweeps Poker Site

Another product of VGW, Global Poker was first launched in 2016 as the only destination for sweepstakes online poker. Here you can play all the classic games that you’d expect like Hold’Em and Omaha — in formats like cash games and tournaments.

Global Poker - Best Sweeps Poker Site

Patented in 2018, Global Poker has a stranglehold over the sweepstakes poker market. So if you want to play online poker for real money anywhere across the US — you’ve got one destination. Global Poker.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

Gambino Slots – Excellent Social-Casino Style Games

Gambino Slots takes a different approach than most social casinos — instead choosing to emphasize the social aspect of their games.

Gambino Slots - Excellent Social Casino Style Games

They do this by using a level-up system, wherein more games become available to you as you level up. Similar to BetRivers.Net, Gambino Slots does come with the drawback that they do not offer real money games, but if you’re after a range of exciting and unique free-to-play slots, Gambino Slots may be for you.

The Highlights

Room to Improve

Online Sweepstake Casinos in a Glance

If you’re in a rush, this table will give you the basics:

🎰 Online Sweepstake Casinos Basics
🇺🇸 AvailabilityNationwide (excl WA, ID)
18+
💵 CurrenciesGold Coins (Play Money)
Sweeps Coins (Real Money)
💳 Popular Deposit MethodsSkrill
Bank Transfer
Credit/Debit Card
💳 Popular Withdrawal MethodsSkrill
Bank Transfer
Gift Cards
Legal Status?100% Legal

Otherwise, here we’ll run over everything you’ll want to know about online sweepstakes casinos.

Virtual Currencies

The dual currency system of sweepstakes casinos can appear confusing at first glance to new players. However, it’s pretty simple to understand.

As you can see, it’s pretty simple. Gold coins = free play. Sweep coins = real money play.

Legal Status

If you’ve spent your entire life in the US, the concept of sweepstakes may seem weird. How is it that online gambling companies have had to scratch and claw for every individual inch, and then all of a sudden sweepstakes casinos manage to skip the queues — presenting themselves as a convenient loophole for online gambling across the entire US? The answer is surprisingly simple. Sweepstakes casinos operate under a sweepstakes model. This comes with a couple of limitations — mainly the requirement for sweepstakes casinos to offer free play options to all customers. However, the payoff is more than worth it.

Because the US is much more lenient towards sweepstakes than traditional online casinos, sweepstakes are able to offer their services across almost the entirety of the US — with only Washington and Idaho being the two states that regularly miss out.

So is it weird? Yes. Is it a loophole that most states haven’t considered? Yes. But is it a 100% legal way to play real money online casino games? Yes, it is.

Purchases & Redemptions

Sweepstake Casinos Deposit Methods

If you’ve played at any of the traditional online casinos, one thing you’ll notice is that sweepstakes casinos use different terminology. You don’t deposit or withdraw money; instead, you purchase gold coin packages that include free sweeps coins and then redeem these sweeps coins for cash prizes. Another thing that’s a little is that you can’t deposit custom amounts. Rather these gold coin packages are fixed and are displayed similarly to an online shop where players can buy differing amounts of coins for fixed amounts of money.

There are typically fewer payment options for sweepstakes casinos. Although you can still expect to find some of the most common ones like Skrill and bank transfer. Redemptions are a little more complicated and since they vary from site to site — we’ll cover them in the next section.

Real Cash Prizes

While the laws for playing at sweepstakes casinos compared to traditional online casinos are undoubtedly less restrictive — there are still certain protocols that must be followed and hurdles that must be overcome. How a sweepstakes casino will choose to maneuver these restrictions when redeeming cash prizes varies by casino. However, the following are the most common that you can expect.

Customer Support

Customer support at social casinos is done differently than at traditional online casinos. 24/7 live chat is rare. Instead, the best way to get help is to take advantage of the social aspect of these casinos and check out their social media pages, where team members usually respond to concerns within the hour. Even if they don’t, other users are always quick to help.

Alternative options for customer support can be reached via submitting tickets; however, this method can sometimes take over 48 hours to get a response — as such, social media or the FAQs section will be your best bet for getting help with any concerns.

Mobile Sweepstake Casinos

Gaming on the go is now more popular than ever before. Real money online casinos have proven to be a big hit on mobile devices. Sweepstakes casino sites are looking to follow suit. Real money casino apps allow users to play their favorite slots, table games and live dealer games remotely, so you can play anytime, anywhere. If you want to try playing sweeps casinos on your mobile, where you can convert your winnings for cash prizes, it is important to know what the options are for social mobile sites in the US. If you only want to play social casino games on the go then it is a big decision on who to register with.

A good mobile sweeps casino site should certainly come with HTML5 when building their website. This type of coding enables sites to work well across all devices, which is a major factor all operators must consider when they are in the early stages of creating their gaming experience. Some of the most well known names in the sweepstakes casino industry have released dedicated mobile apps. Players can download these onto their iOS or Android devices and can do so either directly from the websites, the Google Play Store or the App Store.

Sweepstakes Casino Bonuses: No Purchase Necessary Policy

The No Purchase Necessary Policy is at the core of the sweepstakes model and is one of the key differences between a sweepstakes casino and a traditional casino. Essentially, what they guarantee is that sweeps coin (the real money currency) must be available to acquire without a purchase. There are a couple of different ways sweepstakes casinos will issue these bonuses. In this section, we’ll go over the most common.

Free Online Casino Games with Cash Prizes

So what can you play at sweepstakes casinos? Well, just about everything that you’d expect at the traditional online casinos — though with a couple of additional game types that you won’t find at the “normal” online casinos.

Sweeps Slots

Slots are probably the most popular casino games at sweepstakes casinos, so if you’re a fan of them — you’ll be thrilled to know that all casinos are full of them. From the mouth-watering high RTP slots at SweepSlots to the mainstream games at Pulsz. If there’s one category that sweepstakes casinos cover, it’s slots. If you need a guide of where to start, the following are our favorites:

Table Games

Table games are a little harder to find as not all sweepstakes casinos have a good selection. If you want the chance to play against a live dealer and you don’t care too much about real money play — give BetRivers.Net a shot. Otherwise, you’ll need to ask yourself which table games you’re most interested in. If you’re after the classics, why not give the charitable Golden Hearts a shot with their Old School Blackjack?

If in doubt, WOW Vegas has one of the largest selections of table games, including all the classics like blackjack, roulette, and baccarat

Sweepstakes Poker

For that online poker experience of playing against real players — there’s only one option. Global Poker. With that being said, the accusations of collusion can make it seem less than perfect — and if you’re after an experience that’s guaranteed to be fair, Pulsz does have a unique variant of Texas Hold’Em where you play against the dealer. Otherwise, video poker variants can be found at almost every sweepstakes casino.

Jackpot Sweeps

Jackpot sweeps play into the social aspect of these casinos — so if you’re looking for the chance to hit it big, sweepstakes casinos are for you. The only question is, how much do you want to win? If the answer is “as much as possible,” Fortune Coin’s Lucky Panda recently passed a jackpot of 2,000,000 Fortune Coins.

Jackpot Sweeps - Lucky Panda

Fair warning though. This one is hard to get. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something easier to hit, then all of the SweepSlots slot machines share a progressive jackpot prize pool that regularly goes off.

With that being said, this list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t give a shout-out to Pulsz, who has a dedicated jackpot slot section with a rotating roster of games.

Specialty Games

Specialty games are another section where sweepstakes casinos shine. While many traditional casinos are concerned with maintaining the status quo — sweepstakes casinos aren’t afraid to push the envelope, and each casino brings a wide selection of exciting games rarely seen anywhere else. After many hours of playing them all, these six stand out for me.

New Sweepstakes Games Releases This Month

The good news is sweepstakes casinos are red hot at the moment. So capitalizing on this surge of popularity, social casinos are constantly pumping out news games — but if you think that means they’re sacrificing quality for quantity, you couldn’t be further from the truth. This month they’ve released some games that are quickly becoming some of the team’s favorites. We could’ve listed at least a dozen games; however, in the interest of brevity, we’ve narrowed our picks to our five favorite games released this month.

Qian Gun Qian — Fortune Coins

According to Google Translate, Qian Gun Qian translates to Money Roll. And I’ve got to say — it sounds about right. Available exclusively on Fortune Coins, Qian Gun Qian takes the classic combination of high RTP (96%) and combines it with high volatility to bring an adrenaline rush of a game. Fifty paylines may deceive you into thinking it’s low volatility. Although that couldn’t be further from the truth. As with its “Lock & Spin” feature inspired by the Dragon Link jackpot mechanics, this is a game that you won’t win very often — but when you do, it’ll be for a big payday.

Sugarland Blast — Gambino Slots

Sugal Land Gambino Slots

The low volatility Sugarland Blast does away with the conventional paylines of most slots — instead focusing on two of the most enjoyable slot mechanics. Cascade and scatter mechanics. This means you don’t have to line up your symbols in any particular order. Instead, when enough of them hit the screen, you’ll get paid, the symbols will disappear — and new symbols will cascade down.

Available at Gambino Slots, you’ll need to be at least level four to play Sugarland Blast.

Wild Hop & Drop — WOW Vegas

Even on the surface the 6×5 Wild Hop & Drop looks different from most slots. But even the wacky appearance can’t prepare for just how highly volatile Wild Hop & Drop is. To begin with, similar to Sugarland Blast, Wild Hop & Drop doesn’t use conventional paylines, instead you need to match symbols in blocks of at least six.

However, while the base game is bizarre enough, the bonus buy feature which costs x100 your stake, further increases the volatility as you’re awarded an initial six free spins that include a roaming wild that grows as you collect additional free spins. And while the volatility is high, the payoff is 95% RTP.

The Rodfather Megaways — Pulsz

The Rodfater Megaways Pulsz Casino

The Rodfather Megaways by Pulsz is a fishing-themed Megaways slot with high volatility and an RTP of 95.9%. While the hit rate is pretty low at 16%, The Rodfather Megaways combines Megaways and cascading mechanics so that when that 16% does hit, wins can be chained together for huge streaks and truly massive wins. It’s the sort of game you’ll hate one minute, then love the next.

Chicken Chase — BetRivers.Net

Combining video poker with slots, Chicken Chase is a thoroughly entertaining machine that adds an extra level of strategy rarely seen in slots. The 5×3 layout is played like most other slots, but when you pay for a spin — you get two. This is because, after the first spin, the player doesn’t collect any winnings immediately and is instead tasked with deciding which reels they want to lock in place, and which one they want to spin again. Personally, as a fan of video poker — I love this twist. My only real criticisms are that there’s a hidden timer and that while the game automatically suggests which reels to hold — I’ve found it doesn’t always suggest the best moves.

However, if you can master the strategy, this highly volatile slot will reward you with an RTP of 96.48%.

Summary

That about wraps up this guide. And as you can probably tell, while there are some key differences between sweepstakes casinos when compared with your typical online casinos — at the heart of it, they function very similarly. At first glance, you might think the biggest difference is the fact that with sweeps casinos you are not playing with real money. However, the key difference is arguably the availability of social casinos. Real money online casinos are only available in a few states, whereas social casino sites are available in most states. There are also lots of sweeps sites that accept Canadian players.

Plus, with all of the casinos mentioned in this guide providing a no-deposit, you can try out sweepstakes casinos without risking a penny. Just follow our links to get started today.

Real Money Sweepstakes Online Casinos FAQ

What is the best sweepstakes casino?

Which sweepstakes casino is the best is a question that will inevitably come down to what you’re looking for in a casino. If the answer is high RTP slots, Sweepslots is for you. For table games, try WOW Vegas, Golden Hearts, or BetRivers.Net. Similarly, if you’re looking for something completely different, you’ve got to try the multiplayer fish game Emily’s Treasure at Fortune Coins.

Though with most sweepstakes casinos offering a no-deposit bonus, you can try them all and judge for yourself. Take a look at our list of sweepstakes casinos above.

Is There a Difference Between Sweepstakes Casinos & Social Casinos?

No. Terms like sweepstakes casinos, sweeps casinos, and social casinos all refer to the same type of casino that operates off of the sweepstakes “free to play” model. In most cases, though, social casinos have a play-for-fun currency only and no real money prizes.

Are Sweepstakes Casinos Legal to Play?

Yes. Sweepstakes casinos are 100% legal to play across the US. While the sweepstakes model may be different from the traditional model that most online casinos are based around — it is still 100% legal, having been pioneered by VGW in 2012.

What is the Difference Between Gold Coins And Sweeps Coins?

Gold coins are a monetarily worthless currency that the player can use to try out new games without the risk of losing real money. Sweeps coins on the other hand are the real deal. You can play with them exactly as you would with real money, and then once you’ve collected enough — you can exchange them for real money prizes.

Do Sweepstakes Casinos Offer Real Money Play?

Yes. By using the sweeps coins currency, sweepstakes are able to offer real money play under the guise of a sweepstakes company. The main difference is that you can’t directly purchase them. Instead, you must purchase a gold coins package that includes “free” sweeps coins. These sweeps coins can then be wagered in the same way as real money.

What are the Best Sweepstakes Slot Machines?

With thousands of slot machines to choose from, opinions on which slot machines are the best will inevitably vary from person to person. Personally, I’m a massive fan of the new Chicken Chase from BetRivers.Net, as well as the classic Blood Suckers 2 from Pulsz. But I know other members of our team swear by Fairy Tale by Fortune Coins. Of course, if profitability is what you’re after, then Cleopatra’s Ancient Treasure by SweepSlots with an RTP of 98.9% is in a league of its own.

Are Sweepstakes Casinos Available on Mobile Phones?

Yes. While sites like Pulsz have dedicated apps for iOS and Android devices, even those that don’t, take great effort to ensure that their games are compatible with mobile devices. You can play games on a USA sweepstakes casino on the go with ease.

Can you Play Table Games at Sweepstakes Casinos?

Yes. At BetRivers.Net they even have live dealers for some of their table games. Of course, if you’re after real money table games, WOW Vegas is the sweepstakes casino with the best selection.

Are There Any Restrictions for Playing at Social Casinos?

While social casinos are available to more states than traditional online casinos, there are still a few that don’t allow them. Mainly Washington and Idaho. Similarly, while social casinos don’t have to abide by the same age restrictions that other online casinos must follow, you still need to be at least 18 to play at them.

Do Sweepstakes Casinos Have Welcome Bonuses?

Yes. No-deposit welcome bonuses and sweepstakes casinos go hand-in-hand. So whichever sweepstakes casino you choose to play at — you’re guaranteed free gold coins and sweeps coins simply for completing the registration process when you sign up by following our links.