Promotional Sweepstakes Casinos with Cash Prizes in 2023
No purchase necessary is the motto of promotional sweepstake casinos. The concept is legal under US federal law, providing an alternative to state-licensed (and widely restricted) real money online casinos, free-to-play social casinos, and dodgy offshore gambling sites. Yes, you heard that right. Promotional sweepstake casinos are based on a new concept, where you can play online slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker, and skill games. Whether you will be playing in the free mode or with sweeps coins for a chance at cash prizes is your choice. And that’s the beauty of new sweepstake casinos.
Our platform is dedicated to sweepstakes online real money since Americans have long waited for a legit alternative to gamble online. The fact that gold coins and sweeps coins make online sweepstake casinos free and legal in all states is a dream come true.
You can learn more about this niche on this page, where you can also find links to the best sweepstakes games and casinos, guides, tips on signing up, redeeming or purchasing virtual currencies, and more.
Quick guides and reviews to popular sweepstake casinos are also included, helping you play on the highest-rated platforms and avoid the ones that are likely to treat you unfairly.
Best US Online Sweepstake Casinos September 2023
Best Site | Best Feature | Registration Bonus |
Pulsz Casino | The largest collection of slots from renowned iGaming providers | 2.3 SC + 5,000 GC |
Fortune Coins | Unique multiplayer fish table game with real prizes | 8 FC + 140,000 GC |
WOW Vegas | Only legit sweeps casino with Betsoft games | 1 SC + 5,000 WC |
SweepSlots | Best for high RTP slot machines | 100 SC + 10,000 GC |
Chumba Casino | First and still most popular social casino with prizes | 2 SC + 2,000,000 GC |
LuckyLand Slots | Fascinating slots with volatility-selection bonuses | 10 Free SC + 7,777 GC |
Funzpoints Casino | In-house powered keno and slots games with unique graphics | 250 premium funzpoints |
Golden Hearts Games | Play free bingo with prizes by donating to your favorite charity | 12 SC Bonus + 5,000 GC |
Stake.us Sweepstakes | Crypto purchases and redemptions | 1 SC + 50,000 GC |
Global Poker | The only statewide poker site with live rooms | 100,000 GC |
You can jump on the best-rated sites if you know how online sweepstake casinos work. Consider the above table as a one-way street to fun online gambling with real money prizes. Later on this page, you can find in-depth reviews of the best among the listed operators.
New Sweeps Cash Casino Launches in the USA
Social casinos have long been around the USA and the world, where you can play free casino games using virtual currency. Players are allowed to buy money packages and play for longer there, but not vice versa.
Sweepstake casinos are only legal in the USA, building upon laws that permitted competitions, lotteries, and sweepstakes where purchases weren’t necessary. Essentially, as long as you didn’t have to pay to play, sweepstakes are legal.
Chumba Casino was the first social casino to adjust this model for online casino gaming. Introducing gold coins and sweeps coins, it was able to offer free games. Purchases of coin packages provided sweeps coins as a bonus, which could then be exchanged for cash. Although this sounds like gambling, it is not classed as such and is legal in all states.
With traditional online casinos only legal in New Jersey, Michigan, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, legit sweepstake casinos offered an option to everyone else. Based in Texas? That’s fine. Looking to play online poker in New York? Here you go. Fancy playing progressive jackpot slots in Florida? You will feel right at home at sweepstake casinos.
Following the popularity of Chumba, new sweepstake casinos followed. This trend has only been exacerbated since the overturning of PASPA in 2018 and the overall frenzy surrounding online casino games.
If you are tired of sites like Chumba, where you can play a few games only, you will be happy to know that several new sweeps cash and social casinos have launched in the states. Some of the best we recommend checking out and redeeming their free bonuses are listed below.
- BetRivers.net
- Pulsz Bingo
- My Choice Casino
- High 5 Casino
- Wind Creek Social Casino
- Borgata Free Casino
- Rush Games Casino4Fun
- Scratch Carnival
- Funrize Casino
Remember that not all new sweepstake casinos should be trusted, with several breaking laws by offering games with bets on USD or rigged software. Such examples are often linked to internet café sweepstakes, like Riversweeps, Vegas-X Casino, TigerIsHome, SkillMine, Riverslot, WebSweeps, Lucky Charms Sweepstakes, and others.
Guide to Promotional Sweepstakes and Social Casinos
So far, we have provided you with options and some background information, but it barely scratches the surface if you are a beginner looking to play online real money sweepstakes games. The following sections should bring you up to speed.
Sweepstakes Model
Promotional sweepstakes do not require a purchase to enter and are based on luck, not skill or money spent. This concept has been refined to stop abuse, where participants had to pay to play. Sweepstake casinos came years after these refinements, making it easy to stick to them. How do they do this?
Sweepstakes sites are operating using virtual currencies instead of USD. Unlike social casinos, which run on a single currency, they use two, usually called gold coins (free play) and sweeps coins (redeemable for cash).
New players are never required to buy coins to enter the games. Sign-up bonuses, also known as no deposit bonuses, are always available. These are followed up with daily sweeps coins and free promotions. In-app purchases with discounts and deposit bonuses are also available but optional.
The inclusion of free sweeps coins on registration and a daily basis makes sweepstake casinos fit within the model and legal statewide. Some terms differ on such platforms compared to online casinos, but they are identical when you cut down to business.
Anyone over 18 years old can legally play on most sweeps cash casinos. Washington, DC, is usually restricted, with further states depending on each platform.
Free Sweeps Coins and Gold Coins
Gold coins (GC) are the standard currency available in social casinos. Sweepstake casinos implement it within bonuses but also as part of money packages. You can buy gold coins by spending fixed prizes via the supported payment methods at each site. These cannot be redeemed and do not hold any real value. They are great for practice, though.
Sweeps coins (SC) are the secondary currency, only provided as a bonus on sign-up or for purchasing coins. Free SC are also handed out when you log in daily or as a mail bonus. This currency is redeemable for cash at a rate of 1 SC to 1 USD in most cases. The money spent to buy gold coins usually carries an equal amount of sweeps coins, which can be redeemed per the sites’ terms and conditions.
Remember that gold and sweeps coins might be available under different names. As an example, Fortune Coins calls their sweeps coins FC. Our dedicated reviews can help you learn how each site works before playing there.
Getting Started
Now that you are familiar with the basics, it is an excellent time to get your account up and running.
Playing online sweepstake casino games is easier than signing up on DraftKings Casino. In most cases, you will be asked for a username, full name, password, address, phone number, and email address. These can be instantly shared via your social media or email accounts.
A basic verification via email is required to get your free sweeps and gold coins to start playing for free. Before you can redeem coins for cash, you will be asked to provide additional documents to prove your ID and address. This is an essential requirement, ensuring you are an American resident. Sweepstake casinos only operate as social casinos outside America, without real cash prizes.
Bonuses and Promotions
Sweepstake casinos go way further than no deposit bonuses.
Most platforms will either hand out sweeps and gold coins or one of the two to help you get started for free. From there, you can either get your hands on free coin bonuses or purchase-required. The most common you will encounter include the following:
- First deposit bonus (purchase required) – often 200% in the form of discounted gold coin packages
- Daily login bonus (no purchase required) – usually 1 sweep coin when you login every 24 hours
- Mail bonus (no purchase required) – sent a postal letter to the casino’s headquarters to receive 5 – 10 free sweeps coins
- Social media contests and promotions (no purchase required) – leave a comment, like their pages, and participate in competitions to get free gold coins and sweeps coins
- Tournaments (no purchase required) – use your preferred currency and get the most points to win your share from the prize pool
- Referral bonus (purchase required by your friend) – invite your friends and get 25 free sweeps coins, or similar, when they make a purchase
- Reload bonuses and free spins (purchase required) – these are often advertised via push notifications, emails, on the site’s promotional tab and require a purchase to get extra free SC, GC, free spins, or all of the above
- VIP and loyalty bonuses (purchase required) – most loyalty rewards become available after making purchases on the social casino.
Purchases and Cash Redemptions
The above terms are used instead of deposits and withdrawals for sweepstake casinos to comply with legal requirements. Other than that, there isn’t much difference from real money online casinos.
Purchases of gold coin packages usually begin at $0.99 up to $199.99, with several options in between. Bonus sweeps coins are usually added in packages requiring a $4.99 purchase or higher. These are often the equivalent of the package you bought. For example, if you spend $19.99, you will get 20 SC and the outlined number of gold coins. The supported methods usually include Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Trustly, Skrill, and Bank Transfer. Cryptocurrencies are only available on Stake.us Sweepstakes.
Redemptions of sweeps coins are supported on sweepstake casinos only and not social casinos, which are most sites outlined on this page. You cannot directly withdraw free sweeps coins added to your account via bonuses or purchases. A wagering requirement applies, and usually a 50 – 100 SC minimum redemption limit. Sweepstakes laws in Florida and New York do not allow for a maximum single win exceeding $5,000. The methods you can use to redeem sweeps coins are the same as purchase methods, plus checks. Some sites might provide alternative payouts in prepaid and gift cards.
Redemptions can take up to 48 hours for internal processing and 1 – 3 days to show up in your account. Purchases are always instant. Fees do not apply to any of the two unless indicated explicitly by your associated sweeps cash casino. Live chat, phone support, FAQ pages, and/or email support will be provided for assistance.
Play Free Sweepstake Casino Games Online
The games you can play at sweepstake online casinos are the same as online casinos. Finding a single platform catering to all types of players is hard, though, since most sweep cash games are powered in-house or by a few iGaming providers. The following table illustrates the best site for each sweepstake game category.
Site | Number of Games | Categories | Best Games | Best For |
Pulsz Casino | 400+ | Online slots, scratchies, video poker, instant play games, jackpots | Great Rhino Megaways, Chilli Heat Megaways, 5 Lions Gold, Elemental Gems Megaways, Wild West Gold, Temple Tumble | Megaways and Bonus Buy Games |
Fortune Coins | 50+ | Online slots, progressives, fish games, wheel games, table games, poker | Lucky Panda, Jester, Ariel’s Song, Pyramids of Giza, Wild Cowboys, Spooky Stories | Fish Table Game |
WOW Vegas | 200+ | Online slots, video poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat | Mr. Vegas, Take The Bank, Thai Blossoms, Sweet Bonanza, Sugar Rush | 3D Slot Machines |
Chumba Casino | 100+ | Online slots, progressive jackpots, blackjack, roulette, video poker | Stampede Fury, The Great Slotini, The Big Boss, Triple Double Golden Eagles | Progressive Jackpots |
LuckyLand Slots | 40+ | Online slots, progressive jackpot games | Alice in LuckyLand, Mayan Gold, Madame Tarot, Snow Queen in 3D, Temple of Fate | Classic Slots |
SweepSlots | 30+ | Online slots, keno, scratchies, progressives | Luxurious Slot, Rich Pirates, Mafia Hunt, Mexican Party, Chinese Lucky Year | High RTP Slots |
Pulsz Bingo | 180+ | Live bingo rooms, online slots, scratch offs | Big Apple, Golden Gate Bingo, Bingo Blast, Empire State Bingo | Live Bingo |
Golden Hearts Games | 30+ | Live bingo room, blackjack, poker, scratch, slots | Frantic Fish, Rockdog Slots, Old School slots, King Lootencashins, Cashmania | Instant Win Games |
Funzpoints | 50+ | Online slots, wheel games, keno | Game of Crowns, Java Café, Paintball Keno, Maximo The Magnificent, And They Are Off | Online Keno |
Global Poker | 40+ | Live poker rooms, video poker, poker tournaments, online slots, blackjack, and jackpots | Bounty tournaments, Satellite tournaments, Crazy Pineapple, Jackpot Sit-n-Go’s, Ring Games | Online Poker |
As you can see, online slots, video poker, blackjack, roulette, and scratchcards are easy to find. Live dealer games, bingo, poker, and progressive jackpot slots not so much. However, you can use our links to sign-up on different sweepstake casinos and claim the daily free coins and no deposit bonuses to play whatever you fancy each time.
WOW Vegas Casino is the best for online slots based on our reviews. For the most extensive collection of games across the board, Pulsz and Chumba casinos are great picks.
Keep in mind that Chumba sister casinos (LuckyLand, Global Poker), Funzpoints, and Fortune Coins are powered by their in-house teams and not independent iGaming providers. This can be a good thing since you can play original games there. However, it also means a lack of independent audits for fairness and less advanced gameplay and graphics.
Most sweepstake games can be accessed via gold or sweep coins, starting from 0.10 SC. The mode you play will determine your rewards. We advise players to use gold coins to test new games and find the best-paying slots to play with sweeps coins for real cash prizes.
Compare Sweepstake Casinos to Play Online
Sites | No Deposit Bonus | First Purchase Bonus | Other Bonuses | Mobile Apps |
Pulsz Casino | 2.3 SC + 5,000 GC | 200% match | Refer-a-friend, tournaments, discounted packages, social media bonuses, daily login bonus, mail-in bonus, VIP scheme | Android and iOS |
Fortune Coins | 8 FC + 140,000 GC | 4,000 FC + 1 million GC for $20 | Daily prize draws, referral bonus, daily login bonus, social media bonuses, mail-in bonus, free-to-enter contests | – |
Chumba Casino | 2 SC + 1 million gold coins | 200% first purchase bonus | Daily login bonus, mail-in bonus, monthly sweepstakes, social media bonuses, discounts | Lite App for iOS and Android |
LuckyLand | 10 SC + 7,777 GC | Buy $4.99 and get 10 SC (100% match) | Tournaments, daily login bonus, discounts, social media bonuses, contests | Android app via the website |
Funzpoints | 250 free premium funzpoints | 100% first purchase bonus | Daily funzwheel, mystery bonuses, mail-in bonus, discounts | – |
This page contains a lot of information and tips tied to sweepstake casinos, with several decent brands highlighted throughout. Our favorites include:
- Pulsz
- WOW Vegas
- SweepSlots
- Stake.us
- Fortune Coins
However, players seem to prefer another list of the top five sweepstakes casinos. We highlight these in the table above, along with their main features. You can discover more before opting in below.
Pulsz Casino – Best Overall US Sweepstake Casino
Yellow Social Interactive Limited launched Pulsz Casino on September 2020. The sweepstake casino was an instant hit with players since it was the first to incorporate several iGaming companies under a single roof accessible in all but a few US states. Anyone over 18 outside Washington, D.C., Idaho, and Nevada can join and play Pulsz online slots, scratchies, Texas Hold’em, and other casino games.
The site uses gold and sweeps coins, providing a free and real money mode. You will get 2.3 SC for signing up and a 200% first purchase bonus. Pulsz is among the few sites with a VIP scheme and dedicated casino apps.
Pulsz Bingo is its sister site, sharing quite a few of the Pulsz Casino USPs, although mostly catering to bingo fans.
Highlights
- Powered by 10+ iGaming developers
- 300+ online casino games
- Solid range of daily sweepstakes bonuses
- The Pulsz slots collection is superior to most real money online casinos
- Android and iOS apps
- 200% first purchase bonus
- Overall most-rounded online sweepstake casino in the US
- Available globally as a social casino
Things that could be improved
- No deposit bonus only provides 2 SC
- Scratchcards require a purchase to play
- A limited selection of poker and table games
Fortune Coins Casino – Excellent for Progressives & Fish Games
Social Gaming LLC launched Fortune Coins Casino in 2021. Like Pulsz Casino, Fortune Coins is a modern-looking sweepstake casino with over 50 casino games. These can be played in all states except Washington by players over 18 years old.
The collection here is smaller due to the proprietary software used at Fortune Coins Casino. Social Gaming LCC has backed roughly 40 slot machines with various themes and gameplay formats. They seem to keep players happy since their player base is constantly growing. Notably, Fortune Coins owns the rights to Emily’s Treasure, the only legit fish gambling game online. It’s a multiplayer one so that you can play with friends. The progressive network, wheel games, and range of table games are other aspects helping this online casino grow.
New players who sign-up at Fortune Coins get an $8 no deposit bonus and 140,000 free coins to get started.
Highlights
- Only legit sweepstakes fish gambling platform
- All games share progressive jackpots
- $8 worth of no deposit sweeps coins
- Several bonuses for existing users
- Best new sweepstake casino based on player and expert reviews
Things that could be improved
- Small gaming lobby with roughly 50 tiles
- No dedicated apps for mobile players
- Most online slots follow classic gameplay
Chumba Casino – Pioneering Platform with a Huge Following
Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) made their vision of sweepstake casinos a reality in the face of Chumba back in 2012. As the first promotional sweepstakes casino USA, it instantly became a hit with Americans. The site has steadily grown to now include over 80 online slots, video poker, blackjack, roulette, and keno games. The companies backing its catalog include VGW, Playtech, Golden Rock Studios, and NetEnt.
New players who join Chumba will receive 2 free sweeps coins and 1 million gold coins to get started. Discounted gold coin packages and other frequent rewards follow-up when you log back on.
There are areas where Chumba Casino should have improved over time, like developing an app or expanding its gaming lobby, but it remains one of the best sweepstake casinos in the US.
Highlights
- Excellent track record, with an overwhelming number of positive reviews
- Has paid out millions in sweepstakes jackpots
- Combines proprietary with outsourced sweepstakes games
- Licensed by the MGA
Things that could be improved
- A dedicated app is missing for the complete gaming menu
- Dated website, with few changes since its launch a decade ago
- Proprietary game variants carry worst odds than original variants
LuckyLand Slots – Best No Deposit Bonus
VGW realized the massive gap in the US gambling market after seeing how popular Chumba Casino is and followed up with a sweepstakes slots site. LuckyLand Slots has been available online and via mobile apps since 2019.
The LuckyLand Casino lobby is less extensive than Chumba, offering only online slots and a Pachinko machine. However, their games cover Megaways slots, progressives, and fun proprietary titles you won’t find anywhere else. Some bonus rounds even let players control the games’ volatility.
Like with Chumba Casino, the range of bonuses for regulars is limited. However, you can redeem 10 sweeps coins when you first sign-up, which is the best no deposit bonus among all sweepstake casinos.
Highlights
- Great slot machines exclusive to VGW sites
- Have devised their own Megaways games
- The best no deposit sweepstake package among all platforms
- Dedicated apps for mobile users
Things that could be improved
- Few regular bonuses and promotions
- The welcome bonus has little match value
- Exclusively a slots site
Funzpoints Casino – Well Rounded Platform with Unique Sweepstakes System
Funzpoints is featured on most top-lists and remains popular with US players due to its launch back in 2018. The newer sweeps cash casinos are way better, but Funzpoints still outranks them in popularity.
Instead of sweeps and gold coins, you can play on free and premium modes here. You will be provided with free premium funzpoints no deposit when you register, which can be exchanged for cash. The range of free-to-play games is small on Funzpoints Casino, but you can access all titles through the daily bonuses.
The lobby includes 61 proprietary sweepstakes games, which are slots and keno games. There are no dedicated casino apps, but the site is perfectly optimized for all mobile devices.
Highlights
- Funzwheel can bring up great daily rewards
- Paintball keno is among the best variants of the game in the US
- One of the leading sweepstake casinos in the country
Things that could be improved
- Funzpoints slots are not very exciting or fun to play
- Several ads in the standard mode
- No table games
- Just a handful of titles available when playing for free
Sweepstake Casino FAQ
Yes, sweepstake casinos are legal under federal law. As long as platforms do not require a purchase to play the games, they are legal in all states. Sweepstake casinos often restrict access in selected states, like Washington D.C., due to legal precedent regarding social casinos.
USA sweepstake casinos use two virtual currencies, sweeps and gold coins, with one of the two acting as real money. By accumulating over a minimum threshold and wagering any bonus sweeps coins, you can exchange these for real money.
Each sweepstake casino provides its own games catalog, like real money online casinos. Some go as far as producing their own unique titles, as Chumba Casino does. Depending on the site you join, you will have various online slots, roulette, blackjack, poker, and other games.
All legit sweepstake casino sites are optimized for mobile devices or provide dedicated apps for iOS, Windows, and Android software. You can instantly play mobile sweepstake games via your browser or download and install the apps to play from your home screen. Smartphones, tablets, desktops, and laptops are the support devices you can use and play online or on mobile.
Sweepstake casinos using gold and sweeps coins pay out real prizes. Players are required to make a purchase or claim bonus sweeps coins, which must be then wagered on sweepstake games. If you end up with over 50 or 100 SC and have verified your account, you will be allowed to redeem any available sweeps coins for real money.
The sweepstakes model is legit, and several online casinos use it. If a sweepstake site has positive player reviews, is powered by reputable iGaming companies, and uses safe payment processors, it will most likely be legitimate. Our team reviews sweepstake casinos daily, with each indicating whether you can trust the reviewed sites. Any listed operators are legitimate and pay out cash prizes.
There are several excellent online sweepstake casinos in the USA. The first and most popular is Chumba Casino, followed by Global Poker and LuckyLand Slots. However, new sweepstake casinos like Pulsz and Fortune Coins are slowly becoming the predominant names in this niche.
No, online casinos use US dollars instead of coins and require licenses to operate in the US. For instance, DraftKings Online Casino operates in NJ, PA, MI, CT, and WV under a license from the state iGaming authorities. Sweepstake casinos are free to operate in all states and do not require any iGaming license. However, they must be free to join and play to remain legal.
The no purchase necessary policy which sweepstake casinos must follow has established plenty of ways for users to play sweepstakes games for free online. All legit sweeps cash casinos offer no deposit sign-up bonuses, daily free coins, social media contests, free-to-enter tournaments, and mail-in bonuses. Using these is all it takes to play free sweepstake casino games and win cash prizes.
Some sweepstake casinos require a bonus code for users to claim their bonuses. For instance, the BetRivers.net promo code is PLAY200; by entering this, you will get 200 $VC when you register on the site. On the other hand, Pulsz, Fortune Coins, and most platforms will instantly credit you their bonuses if you use our links to register and meet their criteria. If a bonus code is required, our banners will highlight it.
Although sweepstakes and social casinos operate using virtual currencies and with similar gaming lobbies, social casinos do not pay out cash prizes. Sweepstake casinos are only legal in the USA, so many operators will act as social casinos globally but as sweeps cash casinos in the USA. Some famous social casinos include Big Fish, Lightning Link Casino, and Caesars Slots. Such platforms provide virtual coins to play but no cash prizes. This page provides recommendations from both categories, although we primarily focus on sweeps cash casinos.
You can find 20+ sweepstake casinos on this page, each with a respectable collection of sweeps slots, table games, keno, scratchies, and fish games. You can find games powered by independent iGaming companies or proprietary on any of the above sweeps cash casinos. The largest gaming libraries are hosted at BetRivers Social Casino, Pulsz Casino, WOW Vegas, and Chumba Casino.
Sweepstake casinos support redemptions in the same method used to purchase gold coins. You must ensure that you have satisfied any playthrough requirements and verified your account before proceeding. The minimum redemption limit is often 50 SC, so you are good to go if you satisfy the above. Just visit the payments section, withdrawals, and enter the number of SC you want to redeem. The corresponding USD rate will be posted within 48 hours, although times might vary based on where you play.