Sweepstakes casinos have swept (literally) across the US. You have Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, WOW Vegas, and a whole bunch of others to pick from. This also includes the Drake-backed Stake.us, which exploded back in 2022 when the legendary Canadian rapper Drake decided to sign a $100 million-per-year deal with the site.

Aside from big celebrity endorsements, the main reason why sweepstakes casinos have gotten so big is that traditional online casinos are banned in all but 6 states. Players have needed a more accessible alternative for a while, and that’s exactly what they’ve got with sweepstakes casinos, which are legal in over 42 different states, a much bigger number.

Even casual gamers, the type who prefer AAA games like Call of Duty and have never stepped foot inside a real-life casino before, have started signing up with sweepstakes casinos. There’s a real case of “FOMO” going on here, with people desperate to get in on the sweepstakes prize-winning craze that they’re constantly hearing about on social media and Twitch.

When it comes to the actual sweepstakes casinos, though, there’s still a little confusion surrounding what you can actually win. Sure, you can sign up and play all of the games for free — no catch — but is there any real money up for grabs? All of that and more is answered in this sweeps casino guide.

Do Sweepstakes Casinos Actually Pay Real Money?

The short and sweet answer is YES, sweepstakes casinos pay real money — but not in the traditional casino way. Sweepstakes casinos do things a little differently through a legal loophole involving “Gold Coins” and “Sweeps Coins”. If you bag enough Sweeps Coins, you can then swap those coins in exchange for cash, such as 50 SC for $50. But if you’re looking to bet or win real money directly, this still isn’t possible.

Finding a Sweepstakes Casino – Which Site Should You Join?

Finding the right sweepstakes casino for yourself is the slightly tricky part. According to the latest industry stats, there are over 100 sweepstakes casinos on the internet, many of which have been ranked by Sweeps Kings. Some of the best options right now include Mega Bonanaza, Stake.us, WOW Vegas, Pulsz, Chumba Casino. What you’ll find with these sweepstakes casinos is that they all come with jam-packed game libraries and welcome bonuses that’ll set you up nicely, such as Mega Bonanaza’s offer of 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins just for creating an account with them.

How Sweepstakes Casinos Work

If you’re a new player, here’s a simple breakdown of how sweepstakes casinos work so that you can understand the cash-winning aspect more clearly:

➜ Join a sweepstakes casino

➜ Receive a free pack of Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins

➜ Gold Coins are used just for fun, while Sweeps Coins can land you prizes

➜ Play the different available games, like slots and roulette, until you build a big enough collection of Sweeps Coins

➜ Take your Sweeps Coins and redeem them for real money

Let’s say you spend some time spinning the slot machines. At the moment, slots like Sugar Rush and Buffalo King Megaways are extremely popular inside sweeps casinos. After a while, you have 30 Sweeps Coins in your account. At this point, you can go to the main menu of your casino and exchange those coins for a cash transfer, which would be around $30.

What’s awesome about sweepstakes casinos is that they also offer other prizes, too. Gift cards, cryptocurrencies, merchandise, that type of thing. The choice of prize is yours so long as you have enough Sweeps Coins. And remember, the whole time you won’t be able to bet any real money at all (that’s not allowed). Instead, all bets are placed using these virtual coins, making the whole experience more fun and new generation-friendly.

The type of games you play is also up to you. Typically, most sweepstakes casinos offer a huge collection of Vegas-style casino games, including all the classics like slots, roulette, blackjack, and even poker. What you should aim to do is find the games you’re best at and stick to those, as this will allow you to potentially land more Sweeps Coins.

The Payout Process and Redemption Rules

The payout process in most sweepstakes casinos is easier than you think. As we said before, you need to select your chosen prize — in this case, a cash transfer — along with how many Sweeps Coins you want to exchange. After that, you’ll then be required to choose your desired location for the cash transfer, such as your bank or PayPal account. Once that’s been selected, it’s simply a case of waiting for the cash to arrive, which will usually take no longer than 24-48 hours.

In terms of redemption rules, there aren’t that many to worry about (whew). You’ll need to verify your identity, which is standard in every sweepstakes casino on the planet, as well as meet the minimum withdrawal requirement. This varies depending on which sweepstakes casino you’re using, although it typically won’t be too high. For example, at Chumba Casino, the minimum withdrawal is 100 Sweeps Coins, which works out at $100. Once you hit that landmark, the prizes are yours to pick from.

Summary

It’s time to wrap up this guide.

You’re now up-to-date on the latest gaming trend — sweepstakes casinos — and that they do pay real money.

Of course, the catch is that you can only land some cash if you collect enough Sweeps Coins, so you’ll need to spend a little time mastering the different casino games on offer in order to eventually build a big enough collection of these coins. After doing that, your foot will be in the prize door.

It’s something a little more fresh and gamer-friendly compared to what traditional online casinos offer, so we highly recommend giving sweepstakes casinos a try this year.