Sweepstakes casinos (aka, social casinos) are now more popular than ever and now have hundreds of games for players to choose from. The difference between regular online casinos and sweepstakes casinos is that players are not required to make a deposit at sweepstakes casinos.

This no-purchase-necessary format means people can play their favourite online casino games with zero risk. The question being asked here is, are the games at sweepstakes casinos the same as the ones you can play at ‘regular’ online casinos? Let’s dive in to find out.

Are the games at sweepstakes casinos the same as regular online casino games?

Yes and no. For example, you can find hundreds of computer-generated online slot machines at sweepstakes casinos from the iGaming industry’s most notable software providers and game development studios – the same games you can play at regular online casinos.

However, new sweepstake casinos and ones that have been around for five to ten or more years typically do NOT have any highly sophisticated live dealer games due to the nature of the business model used at sweepstakes casinos.

For example, instead of fiat currency, players use digital currency to play games at a sweepstakes casino. These coins have no monetary value in the real world. In other words, it’s too expensive for the casino operators and software providers to run live dealer games in this mode.

This is why you don’t find live dealer casino games at sweepstakes casinos. 

The most common games found at sweepstakes casinos in 2024 are brought to you by various market-leading providers, such as Pragmatic Play, Betsoft Gaming, BGaming, Evoplay, 3 Oaks, NetGaming, Habanero, Spade Gaming, Booming Games, and often include the following categories:

• Online slot machines
• Crash games
• Classic table & card games

Some of these games have fixed coin jackpots to play for, and others have progressive jackpots that can climb to no fixed amount before being won.

As well as slots, table & card games, and crash games, many of today’s best sites also now have what are commonly referred to as coin flip games, wheel games, mine games, and tower games.

In other words, there’s something to suit all types of players. These fast-loading games can be launched instantly in your Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Vivaldi, Opera, and Internet Explorer web browsers.

You can enjoy playing them from any desktop or mobile device that has a live Wi-Fi/internet connection, and that you are at least 18 years of age and have an active account on a trustworthy sweepstakes casino.

How do sweepstakes casinos work?

When you sign up to a sweepstakes casino, you will instantly receive a free number of coins to play their games, often referred to as Sweeps Coins (SC). As mentioned, these coins cannot be redeemed for real money and have no monetary value in the real world.

Don’t worry if you run out of your free coins because there are many ways you can top them up for free. For example, you can get more free coins from daily login bonuses and by taking part in and winning on-site tournaments and promotional offers.

You can even ask the casino player support to top them up for you.

Most sweepstakes casinos also send out free coins via their monthly email newsletters or give away free spins via competitions on their socials (e.g., Facebook or Twitter channels). Also, don’t forget that there is also the option to purchase Gold Coins using PayPal and other trusted online payment methods.

These coins can be exchanged for real-world prizes, such as cash prizes. Other prizes that can be won with these coins are the latest electronic gadgets, gift vouchers to certain stores, and other branded merchandise.

Final thoughts

There’s no risk involved when playing any of the games at sweepstakes casinos, which is unlike real money online casinos, where players are subject to losses.

In other words, sweepstakes casinos are fantastic for being able to play your favourite online casino games without the gambling part or the added stress of losing your hard-earned cash.

Sweepstakes casino games are also great for trying out new strategies, and there’s always something new to look forward to, with plenty of new releases to look forward to throughout the year.