If you’ve been exploring some online casino options in the US recently, you’ve likely come across the concept of sweepstakes casinos. They often sit alongside real money platforms, and look virtually identical to an experienced eye, but operate very differently.
The ideal sweepstakes casinos, which you can find from Action Network’s list of sweepstake casino options, are legal, licensed, regulated, and can even give real cash prizes in some circumstances. Here’s a look at how they’re different from standard real money casinos, and help you decide which option is right for you.
What are sweepstakes casinos?
Sweepstakes casinos operate under a legal model that sidesteps state gambling laws. They use a dual-currency system: Gold Coins for free play, and Sweepstakes Coins that can be redeemed for real cash prizes.
Crucially, you can obtain Sweepstakes Coins without spending a penny. This is what keeps them legal in most states: in most scenarios, no purchase is necessary in order to join in the fun.
A real money casino, by comparison, lest you directly deposit funds to play games. They’re then played with real money, but these options are only legal in a selection of US states, whereas sweepstakes casinos are generally much more accessible in states with stricter gambling laws.
Sweepstakes casinos vs real money online casinos
Sweepstakes casinos are accessible, low on risk, and available in the majority of US states, though not all. Sweepstakes crucially allow you to play anytime without spending any money, but still with the possibility of winning prizes.
The downside is that redemption for prizes is often slow, and winnings available to players are rarely particularly high, and often capped at a certain level. Also, on the legal level, regulatory oversight is still somewhat limited at this stage.
Real money online casinos offer a more traditional, and potentially more lucrative, iGaming experience. It allows for faster withdrawals, and obviously the potential to win real money, although winnings are never guaranteed. They also can offer better game variety, and more regulation. It does, however, offer the full experience of betting.
The regulation of real money casinos also remains a drawback: if you aren’t in one of the seven states that considers real money online casinos legal, then they’re not legally accessible to you.
Are sweepstakes casinos better?
Sweepstakes casinos hold obvious advantages and disadvantages. Neither option is especially superior to the other, both sweepstakes and real money casinos have their drawbacks.
It comes down to a mixture of personal choice and the accessibility of real money online casinos. If you’re in a state where you can access real money online casinos, then you can consider its issues and which you want to dive in with. If you’re not in a state where you can access real money online casinos, it’s best to look into sweepstake casinos.
