The transformative journey of casino gambling has been impressive. Over the years, there has been a smooth transition from land-based establishments to online gambling platforms, thanks to technological advancements.
Today, you can play online at your convenience through desktops or mobile. But with restrictions on online casinos in many states, sweepstakes casinos have stepped in as great alternatives and are fast becoming popular.
We look at reasons why sweepstakes casinos are so popular in the US.
100% Legal
Sweepstakes casinos are 100% legal. They adopt a distinct gaming model that allows you to play online casino games for cash prizes without any deposit. Instead of real-money deposits, sweepstakes casinos use free virtual currencies (gold coins and sweeps coins) offered through bonuses.
The model where you do not use real money distinguishes them from traditional online casinos, making sweepstakes casinos legal across many states. And unlike real money online casinos, sweepstakes casinos are not subject to state-by-state regulation. They remain 100% legal in the US, provided they follow the sweepstakes model.
Free to Play
The sweepstakes model is essentially free-to-play, another reason sweepstakes casinos are so popular. From the moment you sign up, a legal sweepstakes casino will load your account with free coins you can use to play. As mentioned, you are not required to deposit to play and win cash prizes. It is free!
Fun and award-winning games
If you think the model affects the quality and type of games you play at sweepstakes casinos, you are in for a surprise. You will find the same casino games available at real-money online casinos. Despite some sweepstakes casino sites having in-house games, many partner with renowned game studios like Pragmatic Play, BetSoft, NetEnt, NetGame, Habanero, and High 5 Games. It ensures quality and variety, with slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker, scratch cards, keno, dice, instant wins, and live dealer games available to play for fun and cash prizes.
Real cash prizes
Now, this is where the fun begins. Imagine winning actual cash prizes with no deposit made. This is what legit sweepstakes casinos make a reality for lucky participants. You can use gold coins to play for fun and sweeps coins for cash prizes. These coins are free through bonuses unless you make an optional purchase for more. In this case, you can buy gold coins with free sweeps coins added as a bonus. After playing them at least once, you can redeem sweeps coins for real cash prizes.
Besides cash prizes, sweepstakes casinos are popular for offering a variety of prizes. You can redeem sweeps coins for gift cards or merchandise.
Widely available
Unlike traditional online casinos restricted to six states, sweepstakes casinos are widely available in 49 states except Washington. But other states like Idaho, Michigan, and Nevada may regularly pop up in the list of restricted states for sweepstakes casinos. Thus, checking whether the sweepstakes casino you are signing up for accepts players from your state is essential.
Sweepstakes Casinos Popularity vs Traditional Casinos
While they may offer bonuses and promotions for new and existing players and provide the exact game types, there are key differences between sweepstakes and traditional online casinos. The table below draws a summary of the differences, explaining why sweepstakes casinos are so popular:
| Sweepstakes Casinos | Traditional Online Casinos |
|---|---|
| Legal in nearly all states | Legal in six (6) states |
| Use virtual currency | Use real money |
| No purchase necessary | Purchase is necessary |
| Primarily for entertainment purposes | Primarily for winning real money |
| Offers a variety of prizes | Offers cash prizes only |
Key Takeaways
There is no denying the rapid evolution of sweepstakes casinos and the reasons behind their popularity. With a chance to win real money prizes for free, it is a chance worth seizing. And with their 100% legality and accessibility across 45+ states, there is a heightened competition between sweepstakes and traditional online casinos. It is still early to predict which one will topple over the other, but one thing is clear – sweepstakes casinos will continue to rise in popularity unless online casinos start making waves!
Author: Alex Windsor
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