How sweepstakes casinos work
Two coins, one legal model and a free way in. Ten minutes with this page and you will understand every number on our tables.
See the rankings18+ (21+ in some states). No purchase necessary.Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins
Gold Coins
Play money. You receive a pile at sign-up, more from daily log-ins, and you can buy packages. Gold Coins keep the games running but have no cash value and can never be redeemed. Some casinos call them Crown Coins, Lucky Coins, Tournament Coins or WOW Coins; the role is identical.
Sweepstakes Coins
The redeemable ones. They arrive free: at sign-up, through daily bonuses, attached to Gold Coin purchases as a promotion, and by postal request. Play each coin through the required number of times, reach the casino’s minimum, and you can redeem them for cash prizes or gift cards. Fortune Coins calls them FC.
Why no purchase is ever necessary
A sweepstakes casino is a promotion, legally speaking. Under US sweepstakes law a promotion may award prizes as long as there is a free way to enter that is as good as the paid way. That is the “no purchase necessary” line you see on every page here, and it is why each casino offers daily free coins and a mail-in route.
The Gold Coin packages exist because mail is slow and daily bonuses are small, not because buying is required. If a casino ever told you that you had to purchase to redeem, it would be breaking the rules that let it operate. None of the eighteen casinos on this site does.
Because the casinos are promotions rather than gambling operators, they are not licensed by state gaming boards. That is also why some states have closed them: see the state guide for the current list.
From sign-up to a prize
- Register
Use your real name, date of birth and home address. Every casino verifies them before the first redemption.
- Claim the free coins
The welcome Sweepstakes Coins are credited immediately. Daily log-ins add more.
- Play the coins through
Most casinos require each coin to be played once (1x). Two on our list require 2x.
- Reach the minimum
Usually 50 SC. Chumba, LuckyLand and ThrillCoins set 100 SC. Fortune Coins sets 1,200 FC.
- Redeem
Request a bank transfer or gift card. Times range from seven hours to three days across our eighteen casinos.
Three things that trip people up
Expiry. Free Sweepstakes Coins usually expire after 60 days of inactivity. Log in once a week and it is never an issue.
Identity checks. Every casino asks for a photo ID before paying a first prize. If your account name or address does not match, the redemption waits until it does. Register with the details on your ID and the check is quick.
Location. Casinos check where you are at every log-in, not just at sign-up. An account opened in Texas stops working the moment you connect from Michigan.
Ready to pick one?
Eighteen casinos ranked by how well they handle all of the above.
Open the rankings