Sweepstakes casino sites are more popular than ever in North America, particularly in the United States, but also in various regions of Canada. 

Although they share some similarities with traditional [real money] online casinos, there are major differences between these two types of online gaming platforms.

Even though there’s no gambling involved on a sweepstakes casino, players can still win cash prizes and other epic rewards. Therefore, these legally permitted gaming sites, which are also known as social casinos, serve as an ideal alternative to traditional online gambling sites.

If you’re curious about sweepstakes platforms and want to know how they compare to regular online casinos, you’ve come to the right place. 

Here is a comprehensive overview of sweepstakes casino sites, highlighting the main differences between them and standard gambling platforms where real money gambling is permitted to anyone who is of legal age to play on one of these sites.  

What exactly are sweepstakes casinos? 

A sweepstakes site is a digital platform accessible online, just like any other website, using a Wi-Fi or internet-enabled PC or mobile device. 

Many sweepstakes platforms offer secure mobile applications, which can be quickly downloaded and installed for free on most modern iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. 

Alternatively, players can access these sites via web browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer, Safari, Vivaldi, or Firefox on various operating systems, including Linux, Windows, or macOS. 

New US sweepstake casinos typically feature a diverse library of games, including hundreds of computer-generated slots, table games, and various other categories like video poker, keno, scratch cards, and bingo-style games. Many newer sites also have cutting-edge live dealer games. 

These platforms function on a two-coin virtual currency system, meaning each sweepstakes casino has two types of digital currencies that are unique to that site and hold no real-world monetary value. In other words, these coins cannot be transferred between users, withdrawn to bank accounts or eWallets, or converted into real currency.

How do the two virtual currencies work on sweepstakes casinos?

The two primary categories of coins found on these platforms are often referred to as Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. However, some sites refer to them as Diamonds, Free Coins, Fortune Coins, Gems, etc. 

Upon signing up, new players typically receive both types of coins as part of the welcome bonus promotional offer. 

If you run out of your free coins, which happens a lot, you can easily top them up for free – no strings attached, meaning you can keep on enjoying playing your favourite games. However, it’s crucial to remember that winnings from these free coins cannot be exchanged for real-world prizes. 

In contrast, Sweeps Coins, or Sweepstakes Coins, can be purchased and are redeemable for cash prizes and various real-world rewards/prizes, including branded merchandise, cash prizes, vouchers for online stores, vacations, electronic gadgets, and much more. 

They can also be used to enter on-site competitions, and so on. 

Unlike free coins, once you run out of your Sweeps Coins, they won’t be automatically topped up for free. 

Instead, you have the option to buy them in bundles using trusted payment methods such as PayPal or Visa, costing around $5, $10 or $20 per bundle/package. 

This model is not classified as gambling, since real money is not at risk as participants engage with virtual coins that hold no real monetary value. 

When you have accumulated a specific amount of Sweeps Coins, they can be exchanged for real prizes, including cash rewards, don’t forget. 

It’s essential to understand that each site may have specific requirements for the number of coins needed for redemption, which can vary from 100 to 10,000, so always check the Ts and Cs and general policies whenever you sign up somewhere new. 

While making a purchase is not a requirement at sweepstakes casinos, if you choose to deposit and acquire bundles of Sweeps Coins, you will need to undergo the KYC (Know Your Customer) verification process.

How does the sweepstakes casino model differ from regular real-money online casinos?

To sum up, sweepstakes casinos are basically the same as regular online casinos, but without the gambling part. 

Here are some of the other key differences:

• Sweepstakes bonuses are different to regular online bonuses, but they are equally as generous for people who like to play on these sites, especially on the top-rated sweepstakes sites
• Although you aren’t forced to deposit at real money gambling sites, you won’t be able to play in the real money mode if you don’t deposit at least $10. On sweepstakes sites, no deposit is necessary
• Sweepstakes sites are not classed as real money gambling sites because a digital currency with no monetary value is used to play the games
• Sweepstakes sites are also classed as social gaming sites because they bring players together and foster a sense of community, unlike traditional online gambling sites
• Sweepstakes sites players can top up their balance for free by contacting the player support, or via daily login bonuses, social media and email newsletter promotions, onsite competitions, raffles, and tournaments
• Sweepstakes coins that you purchase have a tendency to expire after 60 to 90 days if they are not used
• There’s no risk involved when playing on sweepstakes sites, which are far more laid-back than regular online gambling sites

Final thoughts

Some people enjoy playing on sweepstakes and regular real money online gambling sites in equal measure, whereas others prefer one of these types of casinos more than the other. Some players like to play on sweepstakes casinos to try new strategies because they haven’t been able to afford trying out those strategies in the real money mode on a regular online gambling platform. 

Others like to visit their favourite sweepstakes sites when they have run out of money at their regular gambling site, but still want to continue having fun playing online slot machines without having to deposit. 

The important thing to remember is that, should you decide to join a world-class sweepstakes site before trying a real money online gambling site, the best advice is to still take the ‘responsible gambling’ approach, even though they are not real money gambling sites, just to prepare yourself for a day that you may decide to join a real money online gambling site. 

In other words, learn the rules of games before playing, never play while tired or intoxicated, take regular session breaks, set a sensible spending budget before purchasing any sweeps coins, and don’t just play for the sake of it.