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Sweepstakes casinos. The name gets thrown around a lot these days, and while a lot of guides talk about which ones to try, or who’s advertising the best bonuses, few focus on how sweepstakes casinos work.
If you’re a total beginner, you’re in the right place. This sweepstakes casino guide contains everything you need to know, which (spoiler alert) can basically be broken down into three things: understanding the differences between Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC), knowing how to unlock free coins, and being able to spot which games offer the most potential.
A sweepstakes casino is essentially a free-to-play-at, Vegas-inspired gaming site that offers virtual coin-powered games. A few fundamental aspects of these platforms, include:
And that’s the basics. But if bullet points don’t cut the mustard, we’ll walk you through how sweepstakes games themselves actually work in the next section. You ready?
When you fire up a sweepstakes casino for the first time, you’ll ordinarily be credited with a few free coins to get you started. That’s right – social casinos are super-competitive, meaning free coin bonuses are pretty much the norm.
Now, depending on the platforms you’re playing with, your bonus could be a huge bag of GC, a couple of SC or perhaps even a combination of both. The first decision you need to make is simple, and may even be decided for you by the nature of your bonus – and that is, “should I play at GC or SC games?”
Naturally, these two kinds of games differ when it comes to both features and functionality – which is why we’re going to outline the most important distinctions between the two in this handy table:
GC Games | SC Games | |
---|---|---|
What are they? | For-fun-only social casino games | Competitive sweepstakes tournaments |
What kinds of coins can I use to play them? | GC only | SC only |
Are my coins prize-redeemable? | No | Yes |
Can I buy extra coins if I run out? | Yes | No |
There are some pretty clear differences between GC and SC games, right? But what about their similarities? Well, both are ultimately free-to-play and you’ll find a dizzying selection of different game genres in either category, too – from slots and fruit machines to blackjack and roulette tables. There are also several things you can do to be a more effective gamer yourself.
Whether you’re playing with GC or SC, there are several things you can do to ensure you’re not only having the best possible time but are always playing strategically and getting the most out of all that sweepstakes platforms have to offer. So, before you start playing, make sure that you:
We hate to teach your grandmother to suck eggs, but this one is just so darn important. GC can only be played at GC games and have no prize-exchangeable value. SC are for competitive sweepstakes tournaments only, and can be redeemed for gift vouchers and other goodies. Got it? Good. Because understanding the coin system is everything, guys.
As our sweepstakes casino guide has already mentioned, you’ll almost always get a free coin bonus when registering. But this barely scratches the surface of the promotions most social casinos offer. Top-ranking operators will grant you daily reloads just for logging in to play, for example, while you might also be able to claim a bonus for referring a friend, or spinning a certain slot on a selected day. Your social casino’s “Promotions” page needs to be your new best friend, basically.
Here’s where strategy comes into play. Mad for slots? Look out for games that offer a high Return to Player (RTP) percentage or a lower house edge. Casino speak aside, these games will push your free coins that little bit further. And if you prefer tables? Well, look out for minimum and maximum spin limits and always consider whether any specific games might be eligible for one-off tournaments or special promotions.
Right, by now you should almost totally understand how sweepstake casinos work, but how do you actually find a good social casino? Well, we’ve gone ahead and saved you the hard work here, by shortlisting three must-check-out operators on this page:
With more than 2,000 games up for grabs, Stake.us is one of the biggest sweepstakes casinos around. They also offer one of the market’s most generous bonuses, which is currently only available exclusively to our readers. Pretty incredible stuff.
By entering our one-time code “OUTSIDERSOCIAL” when registering, you’ll be eligible for $25 with no deposit, 250,000 GC and 5% rakeback, and this comes on top of any other great bonuses advertised by the site. You’ll also find daily login bonuses, awesome leaderboard-led tournaments, and tons of other great features here, though they sadly don’t have a smartphone app available at the time of writing.
Here’s something we doubt you’ll have been expecting from our guide to sweepstakes casinos – a charity-oriented gaming site. Yes, that’s right, Golden Hearts Games combines sweepstakes casino gaming with a charitable donations platform. Huh? In short, whenever you purchase GC packages, a percentage will go directly to a charity of your choice. Every. Single. Time.
And of course, there are hundreds of state-of-the-art games to choose from here, a handy $10 worth of free Coins up for grabs when you register and make your first $10 donation, and a wonderfully mystifying range of superb real-world prizes you can potentially exchange any Redeemable Coins for, too.
Slots-heavy sweepstake casinos are rarely as good as this one. With WOW Vegas, you can play more than 400 games powered by instantly-recognizable software giants like BetSoft – and there’s an epic promotion available to all first-timers, too.
When registering here, you’ll be able to claim 5,000 WOW Coins with no deposit and no promo code requirement. Though as these are WOW Vegas’ equivalent of GC, take note that you won’t be able to play any of them on SC games.
This guide contains pretty much everything you need to know to have a whale of a time with your next favourite sweepstakes casino. But of course, there’s a huge amount of information to digest here, so we do hope you’ve been taking notes.
If you walk away from this article with just a few key takeaways, let them be these: first and foremost, understanding GC, SC, and the differences between the two is paramount. Second, knowing how to claim bonuses and where to find them will help you have more fun all-round. And finally, understanding RTP and house edge will ensure you always get the most out of the games you ultimately decide to play. Got that?
Top-ranking sweepstakes casinos offer lightning-fast games, bumper bonuses, and an awesome social aspect you might not find with other kinds of iGaming sites. But is sweepstakes and social casino gaming right for you? Read our guide to decide.
All sweepstakes casinos are a little different from one another, but the fundamental principles in terms of coin systems and gameplay are usually identical between sites. Discover everything you need to know with Outsidergaming.
There’s quite a lot to get your head around when playing at a sweepstakes casino for the first time. These aren’t regular online casinos – they’re governed by different rules and best practices that you’ll need to familiarise yourself with before gaming. Learn more here.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.