Sweepstakes Casinos: What are they? Are they legal?
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Sweepstakes casinos are a twist on your traditional run-of-the-mill online casinos, but are they actually considered to be gambling sites in 2024?
This page details exactly what sweeps casinos are, their purpose, why they’re becoming increasingly popular, and how these possess legal ambiguity compared to standard online casinos.
Below, you will discover the full legal status of sweeps casinos in the U.S. in 2024, and whether or not they are considered to be actual gambling:
As previously mentioned, sweeps casinos are different from regular online casinos. Their main focus and concept is to let players enjoy the social aspect of their offerings.
Moreover, they structure their gameplay as sweepstakes rather than bets or wagers. Not only that, but you will not play with real-money wagers. Instead, sweeps casinos utilize virtual currency.
- Gold Coins: This type of virtual currency is what’s used to enjoy the entertainment aspect of these sites exclusively. They do not hold any monetary value, and they cannot be withdrawn or redeemed. Although, they can be purchased.
- Sweeps Coins: This type of virtual currency is what’s used when players wish to play for a chance at winning actual cash prizes. Normally, 1 Sweeps Coin will be equivalent to $1 USD, and when you meet the minimum requirement, you can redeem them for cash or prizes. These coins cannot be bought, but they are awarded in Gold Coins packages and promotions. You can read more about casino gameplayhere.
So, are sweepstakes casinos considered to be gambling? The answer to that question is yes and no. Allow us to explain.
The way in which these social casinos structure their gaming as sweepstakes lets them bypass many traditional gambling laws. This also gives them access in jurisdictions where standard online gambling is prohibited.
Notably, their legal ambiguity lets them operate in nearly all states, but it makes it so they aren’t quite as regulated as traditional online casinos too. However, all of the best sweepstakes casinos are entirely safe to use in 2024.
At the end of the day, sweeps casinos aren’t considered to be gambling due to the use of wagering with virtual currency instead of real-money wagers. But again, you can accumulate Sweeps Coins and redeem them for cash and/or prizes like gift cards. You can read more about the economic impact of online gaminghere.
Below, you can see some key information on our four highest-recommended sweepstakes casinos to play at in 2024:
McLuck went live in 2023, and they are currently welcoming new players who enter code ‘MLIVE’ with up to 57,500 Gold Coins and 27.5 FREE Sweepstakes Coins upon sign-up.
Meanwhile, McLuck features a game library of over 300 different slot titles. Their slots are powered by the likes of Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and Relax Gaming, amongst others.
This B2Services OÜ-owned social casino is available to be played in all states except for: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Nevada, and Washington.
Pulsz opened its virtual doors back in 2020 under the guidance of Yellow Social Interactive. Today, users can register to take advantage of a welcome bonus containing up to 367k Gold Coins and 32.2 FREE Sweepstakes Coins with code ‘MLIVE’.
You’ll be happy to know that Pulsz offers north of 700 different games, which includes: Slots, table games, arcade games, bingo, and scratchcards.
Currently, Pulsz is able to be played in all but three states across America: Idaho, Nevada, and Washington.
One of the longest-running sweeps casinos on the current market, High 5 launched all the way back in 2012, and it’s owned by High 5 Entertainment, LLC.
Those who register today can benefit from athree-part welcome packagefeaturing 5 Sweep Coins, 250 Game Coins, and 600 Diamonds. Like Pulsz, High 5 cannot be played in Idaho, Nevada, or Washington.
Furthermore, High 5 provides its players with over 800 different games scattered across their site. Perhaps the best aspect of High 5 is that they offer live dealer lobbies with the help of developer, Vivio Gaming.
This social casino, which went live in 2022, is owned and operated by Wow Entertainment Limited.
WOW Vegas is enticing users to sign up with a hefty welcome bonusof 1.5 million WOW Coins, and 34.5 Free Sweepstake Coins.
Meanwhile, WOW Vegas possesses nearly 500 games (all slots) throughout its library. You will find titles from renowned software providers like Pragmatic Play, Habanero, and many others.
Again, are sweepstakes casinos considered to be gambling? Technically, no. The use of virtual currency grants them legal ambiguity and widespread access to states across America in 2024.
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