Social casinos, also called social gaming sites, sweepstakes, or free-to-play casino websites, are now more popular than ever. They typically have hundreds of traditional favourites to play, such as poker, roulette, blackjack, craps, and baccarat, as well as feature-rich online slot machines and bingo & lottery-style games. 

In recent years, risk-free online gaming sites like these have dramatically evolved and become more engaging. Here is a closer look at how social casinos are creating arcade-like experiences for registered members by introducing social features and rewards.  

What are social/sweepstakes casinos?

First of all, let’s start by explaining what a social casino is for anyone who isn’t familiar with them. 

They are essentially regular online casino websites that can be accessed from any decent Wi-Fi/internet-connected desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet device, but unlike regular casino sites, no purchase is necessary on a sweepstakes casino and no real money gambling is involved. 

In other words, you can play casino games for free with zero risk.

Instead, they typically run on a two-coin virtual currency system. When you sign up to one of these sites for the first time, the operator will credit your account with some free Gold Coins and free Sweeps Coins, neither of which have any monetary value in the real world and can only be used to play the games found on their website.

How do social casino operators use social features and rewards to create arcade-like experiences?

Sweepstakes casinos are called social casinos for a reason. Fully registered members can use the interactive chat messaging feature when playing games to communicate with other like-minded players. They can even interact with the live dealers. 

Operators today try to create arcade-like experiences by running prize-packed tournaments (mainly slots and blackjack tourneys) throughout the day, where the aim is to climb the leaderboards to win additional Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. 

They also frequently reward players with coins or prizes or the ability to unlock achievements when completing certain tasks and challenges, just like in many video games. This form of gamification has helped fuel the rise in popularity of social casinos, 

Is it true that you can redeem your social casino balance?

Yes and no. Sweeps Coins can be exchanged for real-world prizes, such as the latest gadgets, vouchers/gift cards for your favourite online stores, merchandise for various top brands, and even cash prizes. 

That’s right; you can potentially win and withdraw real money on your favourite site. Gold Coins, on the other hand, cannot be exchanged for prizes or withdrawn. 

If you run out of Sweeps Coins, the only way you can top them up is to purchase a bundle or package using any of the trusted deposit options currently accepted on that site, such as PayPal, Visa, or possibly even cryptocurrency. 

To top up your account with more Sweeps Coins using Visa, Mastercard or any other secure online payment gateway, you must be at least 18 years old, and you would have to complete the KYC (Know Your Customer) account verification process, even though you are not gambling real money.

However, as mentioned, you will never be pressured to buy more coins. Absolutely NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY on one of these fun gaming sites. 

The other type of coin you can play with, usually called Gold Coins (but may be called something else, like Gems, Fortune Coins or Diamonds), can easily be topped up for free in several ways if you run out. 

For example, if the Gold Coins you receive as part of the initial sign-up bonus run out while playing your favourite games, you can head to the player support area and ask a friendly and professionally trained live chat agent to top up your account for you. 

You can also usually top up your social gaming account with free Gold Coins in the following ways:

• By taking part in daily login bonuses, you can often win free coins
• By subscribing to your casino’s newsletter and claiming the offers usually contained within this correspondence
• By participating in on-site free-to-play tournaments and promotional offers, you can potentially win more free Gold Coins
• By heading to your casino’s official social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, where bonus codes for extra free coins can often be found, or by taking part in raffles, prize draws, and promotions they might be running on these platforms 

Final thoughts

Although social casinos are risk-free and don’t involve any gambling, it’s still best to practice responsible gambling just as if you were playing with real money. In other words, learn the rules before playing new games, take regular session breaks, and never borrow money just so you can purchase more coins to play your favourite games.