What are Sweepstake Casinos and are They Legal in the US?
As more regions begin to legalize online gambling in the United States, it is an exciting time for millions of people. However, some states have yet to show any sign of legalizing online casinos. That means many people still do not have the option to play online casino games legally in their state. Thankfully, if that is you, there are other ways to gamble online, including sweepstake casinos.
The first thing to note is playing sweepstakes casinos in the US is perfectly legal. By using a different currency, which can be converted to cash at a later stage, sweepstake casinos are not breaking the law. You will be able to see why they are not breaking the law in the US as we take a closer look at how they work.
When playing sweepstake casinos, you have the option to play using gold coins or sweep coins. If you choose to play using gold coins, you are playing purely for fun and no money can be won. This is a safe way to play sweepstake casinos if you have never played them before as it allows you to get accustomed to the games and how they work without the initial threat of losing any money. You may choose to play using gold coins because you do not want to gamble and that is fine.
However, if you do want the opportunity of winning some real money, you can play sweepstake casinos using sweep coins. While largely a social experience, you can play the slot and table games for real money by exchanging cash for sweep coins before you begin playing. The rate when making an exchange is usually $1 for a sweepstake coin, making the trade 1 for 1. Having played sweepstake casino games, you can choose to keep your sweep coins in your account for next time or withdraw them and exchange them for real money.
Like online casinos, you must be aware of the terms and conditions when exchanging sweep coins for real money. There may be limitations on the amount you can withdraw and specific conditions you must meet if you want to withdraw coins and exchange them for money.
Most sweepstake casinos run promotions where you can claim sweep coins for free and these are sometimes advertised on social media accounts. Again, you must always look at the terms and conditions when accepting a promotion and know what you can withdraw when you have finished playing. If you are interested in paying sweepstake casinos using sweep coins, you can find out more here.
As highlighted above, if you have no interest in playing the games for real money or want to practice before adding funds, you can play at sweepstake casinos using gold coins. You can claim a bundle of gold coins when you create an account at a sweepstake casino and these are seen as a social currency. You can also purchase gold coins to play games but these cannot be exchanged for real money. By purchasing gold coins, you can climb the social ladder and enjoy some rewards but they will never be financial.
If you decide to play using sweep coins and want to add funds to your account, most sweepstake casinos offer Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bank Transfer, Skrill, Neteller, Neosurf, Interac, and PayPal as payment methods. You will have little trouble when it comes to depositing and withdrawing funds using these methods but as with all forms of gambling, we recommend you check the reviews of the sweepstake casino before playing for real money.
Finally, one word of note for those residing in Washington state. Although sweepstake casinos are available to play, they can only be played for fun. It is illegal to play sweepstake games for profit in Washington state but every other state in the US is fine.
So, if you reside somewhere where online casinos are not licensed and regulated, sweepstake casinos are a tremendous alternative. You have the option of playing for fun or using sweep casinos purchased for real money. As the games at sweepstake casinos do not use real money, they are 100% legal.
