We have many options when it comes to playing online casino games and one of the latest additions are sweepstake casinos. These differ from traditional real money casinos and we explain the main differences in more detail below. Sweepstake casinos are proving popular in many countries where real money online gambling is prohibited, with many states in the US falling into that category.
Sweepstake Casino Basics
There is one major difference between real money online casinos and sweepstake casinos and that is the currency used to play the games. Real money casinos, as the name suggests, involves playing online casinos games using real money. You must make a deposit using real money and then use those funds to play the games. That is not the case when playing at sweepstake casinos and they use virtual currency to play the games. That means no real money is being used to play the games, even though real money can be used to purchase the virtual currency, and we will come to that in more detail shortly.
In terms of the layout and the games available at sweepstake casinos, they look and play much the same as regular online casinos. There is more of an emphasis placed on the fun element of casino gaming at sweepstake casinos and they often referred to as social casinos. The monthly competitions, regular promotions, and social media output of sweepstake casinos make them an enticing proposition for those who do not want to bet real money on the games or live in a region where real money casino gaming is illegal.
Are Sweepstake Casinos Legal?
The beauty of sweepstake casinos is that they are legal in many states in the US. In fact, according to review site sweepstake-casinos.com, they are legal in nearly all US states, but why is that the case when regular online casinos are illegal? In the United States, it is illegal in many states to gamble using real money online. Sweepstake casinos do allow players to purchase virtual currency using real money but the games themselves are played using only virtual currency. It is not possible to win real money when using virtual currency, which is often called ‘gold coins’ at most sweepstake casinos. So, because the games are played using gold coins and there is no real money to be won when using them, it means sweepstake casinos are legal across much of the United States.
Gold Coins vs Sweeps Coins
Gold coins can be purchased when playing at sweepstake casinos and used to play the games without any chance of winning real money. Gold coins will have different names depending on which sweepstake casino you decide to use but they all serve the same purpose. If you win gold coins when playing at sweepstake casinos, you can keep the coins in your account to continue playing games later but they cannot be exchange for real money.
However, there is a second form of currency available at sweepstake casinos and this is commonly known as sweeps coins. These coins are also a virtual currency but they have a real money value despite the fact they cannot be purchase for real money at sweepstake casinos. You can obtain sweeps coins for free when joining a sweepstake casino as a bonus, they can be won via competitions, and come as a part of a promotion when buying gold coins. Sweeps coins can be used to play the games and any coins won when playing with them can be exchanged for real money. Some sweepstake casinos will also offer merchandise, gift cards, and even vacations in exchange for sweeps coins.
Sweepstake Casino Games
The games available at sweepstake casinos closely match those available at regular real money online casinos. You will find slots, jackpots, card games, and table games, with slots being the most popular. We are even seeing the introduction of live casino games at sweepstake casinos, with Evolution Gaming providing real dealer casinos games to a small number of sweepstake casinos. Live casino games are yet to become available in the same quantity on sweepstake casinos as real money online casinos but it is only a matter of time before the selection grows.
