Online Social and Sweepstakes Casinos & Gambling Sites

How the Sweepstakes/Social sites work

Online social and sweepstakes sites are legal in most states. These are contests of skill or chance with real cash prizes. They are used by companies as diverse as McDonald’s and Pepsi for marketing purposes – and have a long history as charity fundraising events.

Online gambling sites have used this legal framework to offer recreational players a new option.

You can’t buy sweepstakes coins directly. Instead you purchase free money at social sports, casinos, and poker sites. The sites then give you free redeemable currency as a bonus to your purchase. You now have a choice of playing with play money (purely for fun) or the redeemable vouchers you received.

Each spin of a slot, hand of a casino card game, or poker hand (or tournament, depending on the format you choose) is considered a mini-sweepstakes game. If you win, then you get more sweepstakes coins – in the case of slot jackpots a lot of it!

Following verification of your id and any play-through requirements, you can redeem the sweepstakes currency you won for cash prizes and transfer these back to your bank account.

Free Social/Sweepstakes Casinos

There are several casinos where you can play legally under sweepstakes rules. These sites offer a mix of slots, with limited table games and keno options. Many of the slots have progressive jackpots, which can reach surprisingly high levels. You can also get free sweepstakes coins at social casinos.

• FunzPoints: FunzPoints is another sweepstakes style online casino. This site offers you up to $22.50 free, $2.50 when you signup, and an additional $20 when you make your first purchase. You can get free Funzpoints by sending in a mail-in request, or entering some of the social contests.
• Pulsz Slots: Pulsz Slots and Casino is a social online casino. New sign-ups will receive 2.3 Free Sweepstakes Coins as a welcome bonus. Plus you can also purchase a 173,500 Gold Coin package for $9.99 and receive 15 FREE Sweepstakes Coins. You can also receive a free Sweepstakes Coin for logging in daily as an added bonus.

Free Social/Sweepstakes Poker Sites

Unlike the casinos, where you play against the house, these sites involve testing your poker skills against other players from around the country. You can play for either play money (entertainment only) or redeemable currency (which can be exchanged for cash prizes).

There are ongoing ways to get free sweepstakes cash. These include entering freeroll tournaments, contests on social media, and sending a letter with your account details to a specified address.

Here are the types of poker game you can expect at social poker sites:

• Cash Games: Most games are small stakes Texas Hold’em, with 6 max tables the most popular. You’ll play against opponents in games where bets (in Sweeps Coins or Gold Coins) have a direct 1-to-1 value.
• Poker Tournaments: In this format, you pay an entry fee – and are given tournament chips. You then play until one player has all the chips. Bet sizes increase, keeping the action going. Some tournaments have big prize pool guarantees, with the big money reserved for the players reaching the final table.
• Omaha: While Texas Hold’em dominates the games, you can also enjoy Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo. Evenings see the most traffic, with the biggest choice of game types.

How to get free sweepstakes currency?

With these online gaming sites offering completely free sweepstakes currencies as part of their legal requirement – you are in a unique position to take advantage. Keep in mind that most free offers are for small amounts. Instead of benefiting directly, you can use this to take a shot (for example on a jackpot slot), and then redeem if you get lucky.

There are many ways you can get redeemable coins:

• No Purchase Sign-Up Offers
• Free Daily Sweeps Coins
• Free to Enter Tournaments: This covers both poker (freeroll tournaments) and sports (picks contests).
• Social Media: Follow these sites on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You’ll be offered ways to earn free Sweeps Coins via these mediums.
• Purchase Play Money: All these sites give you a bonus of free sweepstakes currency when you purchase play money.
• Send a Letter: Another legal requirement is that these sites give you redeemable coins if you send a letter to their registered address. Make sure you read the instructions before you post.
• Leaderboard Contests: Consistent winners in coin contests could win some worthwhile prizes via leaderboards. You can also win prizes for doing well while playing for play money.
• Refer a Friend: Getting your friends to join can also be a good source of redeemable currency.

Are Social and Sweepstakes Casinos and Sports Contests Legal?

You can play at Sweepstakes/Social gaming sites across most US states and even Canada.

They stay within the law by operating their games as mini sweepstakes contests. Each time you spin the reels of a slot, you are effectively entering a sweepstakes contest. The same applies to a picks contest (sports) or poker hand or tournaments.

In order to stay legal there are two major requirements:

• These sites can’t directly charge you to play the games. This is why you get a bonus of ‘free’ Sweeps Coins when you purchase Gold Coins.
• They need to offer an avenue to enter the contests without making any purchase at all. This is where the ‘send a letter’ part of the system comes in.

While this is a work-around of existing sweepstakes laws, it is built on firm foundations. States would need to pass a bill to change their sweepstakes laws on a one-by-one basis to stop people playing at these sites. That would involve disruption for the many retail businesses which rely on sweepstakes contests for their marketing.

You need to be 21+ to play at Sweepstakes / Social Casinos.

Understanding Play Through Requirements

For some of the free bonus deals, you’ll have to complete a play-through requirement before your profits can be redeemed. This can work for slot play, sports betting, or poker games. These play-through requirements are put in place to stop people simply claiming their free Sweeps Coins, and then redeeming them – which would make the sites unviable.

Play through describes the number of times you need to play your free / bonus coins before it can be redeemed. The lowest you’ll find is 1x – for example, free spins which you need to play before profits can be redeemed. You will find a higher play-through, up to 25x for some casino games with a lower house edge.

When it comes to gaming bonuses, play-through or wager-through requirements are a fact of life. It is always worth checking the small print, to make sure you get a deal with the lowest possible rates.

Final Thoughts on Free Sweepstakes

These sites mix social casino and sports games with gaming. You can enjoy slots, blackjack, keno, sports betting, picks contests, poker tournaments and cash games.

All the sites have one thing in common – their sweepstakes gaming format. You’ll play with sweepstakes currency, which can be redeemed for cash prizes. You’ll find various ways to get it for free. These include no-purchase bonuses, free games, social media, and sending a letter.

Purchasing Play Money to Play Sweepstakes Currency

Legally, you are not purchasing “Sweeps Coins.” Instead, you purchase “Gold Coins,” which have no redeemable value and are used for ‘fun’ play only. The social casino will then voluntarily give you Sweeps Coins – in proportion to your Gold Coin purchase.

You can purchase Gold Coins with your credit card. This is not restricted by banks in the same way that deposits to offshore real money gambling sites can be. If you don’t want to give your credit card information, alternatives include PayPal – or virtual/prepaid Visa card options.

Redeeming Sweeps Coins will involve an Id check. This keeps the social casinos safe from fraud – making it possible to run the games for genuine players. The primary redemption method is an electronics fund transfer (local bank transfer).

Summing Up: Are Sweepstakes Casinos & Slots Safe or Legal?

These casinos operate using a loophole in State laws that allow Sweepstakes type contests. Social sweepstake casinos are approved by Facebook and the payment processing companies (both of which have strict guidelines when it comes to real money playing).