Ohio Sweepstakes Casinos

At SweepsKings, we’re committed to ensuring casino enjoyers from the Birthplace of Aviation know everything there is to know about the best Ohio sweepstakes casinos. In this article, you’ll get to learn about what makes Ohio sweeps casinos legal, where to play your favorite casino games, and more importantly, how to win sweeps coins and convert them to money.

Ohio Gambling Laws: Online Casino Legal Updates

Until 2009, casinos were illegal in the Buckeye State until the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) updated its Revised Code and allowed land-based casinos and racinos to launch and operate within its borders.

One of the first real money casinos to open in Ohio was the Hollywood Casino, which launched in May 2012 in Toledo, Lucas, and months later in Columbus, Franklin. Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs was among the first racinos to open in Ohio with upward of 2,000+ video lottery terminals. Dozens of other land-based casinos followed suit in the years to come, including Jack Cleveland Casino, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, MGM Northfield Park, Miami Valley Gaming, and more.

Since then, other forms of gambling have been legalized in Ohio, with the most notable being gambling at horse racing, lottery, bingo, keno, and social casino venues.

This is all outlined in the constitutional amendment Article 15, section 6 and further cemented by Ohio’s Legislative Service Commission’s revised code, Chapter 2915 (2013). These documents highlight “permitted” and “forbidden” activities in the world of gambling, but the information about the legality of online casinos and sweepstakes casinos as the newest forms of gambling is quite vague.

Fortunately, the federal Lottery Law laid the groundwork for social casino rules by establishing the famous “no purchase necessary” law. It effectively dictates that sweepstakes platforms (casinos, terminals, etc.) must ensure that players can participate in sweeps prizes without spending their own money.

Section 109:9 of the revised code, otherwise known as the “Sweepstakes” section, currently has only one chapter (109:9-1), which dictates the rules for sweepstakes registration, application for a certificate of compliance, monthly reports, and semi-annual reports. These chapters provide detailed definitions of how to launch a sweepstakes platform and who can do it. Essentially, US citizens or registered companies with clean financial and criminal records who file a $200 fee meet the main requirements.

Section 2915.02 of the revised code is a general legislative article that briefly expands on the legality of sweepstakes casinos in Ohio, with the most important points being:

5. B: “(It is prohibited to) give to another person any merchandise prize or a redeemable voucher for a prize, the wholesale value of which exceeds $10 and which is awarded as a single entry for playing or participating in a sweepstakes.”
6. F: “Any person desiring to conduct or participate in the conduct of a sweepstakes shall first register with the office of the attorney general and obtain an annual certificate of registration by providing a filing fee of two hundred dollars.”

Regarding the first rule, most sweeps casinos in the Buckeye State have pegged their promotional entries (sweeps coins) to the US dollar at a rate of 1:1 (or lower) to ensure they’re operating within legal limits.

The “certificate of registration” issued by the attorney general is not to be confused with a casino license, which is issued by the OCCC. Sweepstakes casinos must have a certificate, but unlike online casinos, they don’t need a license to work.

Ohio laws stretch across its borders, meaning that casinos based outside of the United States aren’t affected by them. You may come across numerous offshore sweepstakes casinos where you can register and play for sweeps prizes, but we warmly advise against doing so since you won’t have many legal options to back you up should a dispute arise.

Ohioans can legally enjoy casino games at sweepstakes and social casinos that abide by the “no purchase necessary” laws. That should be music to your ears, given the illegal status of online casinos despite legal online sports betting launching in 2023.

How You Can Play Slots and Casino Games in Ohio

Since online casinos are currently banned in Ohio, many players turn to offshore casinos. US laws don’t bind these platforms and aggressively advertise their service (often illegally); even though they’re readily available and far more visible than your brick-and-mortar venues, most offshore casinos have a tarnished reputation and offer little if any player protection to Ohioans.

Social casinos, on another hand, are in the legal gray zone but they’re not as attractive since they only support playing slots for entertainment purposes – no cash prizes here.

The best way to legally enjoy slots and casino-style games in the Buckeye State is to look for legitimate sweepstakes casinos. If you’re at least 18 years old, you can set up a free account, claim bonuses, play for prizes, and redeem your sweeps coins for real cash.

At Ohio sweepstakes casinos, you’ll be using gold coins and sweeps coins. Gold coins (GCs) are the same currency that social casinos use, meaning that you can use them to play for fun or demo games that you’ll eventually play for sweeps coins. Speaking of which, the latter holds monetary value and can be redeemed for real cash prizes or gift cards.

Sweeps coins, however, are treated as bonus funds. You’ll need to meet the bonus rules to make them redeemable, which typically means that all of your SCs must be wagered at least once. Before making a redemption request, you’ll be required to meet the minimum sweeps redemption threshold (usually 50 or 100), which is the lowest amount of redeemable coins that must be in your balance before a prize can be issued.

You can easily register at legit Ohio sweepstakes casinos by using our secure links. Tap “sign up” at your chosen casino and fill out the registration form, and you’ll receive free in-game currency to start playing.

Legal Ohio sweeps casinos offer dozens of gaming options, from classic and video slots to megaways and jackpots, to feature spins, table games, and more; at certain sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us you’ll even get to play live dealer games.

How are sweepstakes casinos legal in Ohio?

Sweepstakes casinos have several unique features that make them legal in states like Ohio where online casinos are prohibited.

At sweeps casinos, players receive free in-game currency (sweepstakes coins) via promotions, bonuses, contests, and other events that can be converted into real money after all the bonus rules have been met.

Online casinos use a more straightforward system – pay cash to get credits, and convert said credits into cash. Since real money is directly involved, online casinos are required to have a casino license. On the other hand, sweepstakes casinos can operate without one, but they still need a registration certificate.

Even sweepstakes casinos are required to abide by legal gambling age laws, so if you’re playing from Ohio, you can only participate in sweepstakes casinos if you’re at least 18 years old.

Overview Of The Best Sweepstakes Casinos in Ohio

If you’re unfamiliar with the sweeps casino options in Buckeye State, our team at SweepsKings has shortlisted the top five best Ohio sweepstakes casinos. Here’s a quick overview of the cream of the crop in the industry:

WOW Vegas – Best Overall

Launched in 2022 by WOW Entertainment Limited, WOW Vegas is among the best-rounded sweepstakes casinos available to Ohioans. With over 1,000+ games, including slots, table games, originals, megaways, jackpots, and feature spins, it pushed the envelope in the i-gaming industry.

Besides a massive slot catalog, WOW Vegas also offers abundant bonuses to both new and regular players. You’ll receive 250,000 WCs and 5 SCs upon registration, but don’t forget to also use the daily login, referral, reload, and mail-in bonus to bank dozens of free sweeps coins.

Stake.us – Best Crypto Payments & Redemptions

A crypto pioneer in the sweepstakes industry, Stake.us brings 800+ exciting games from Pragmatic and Hacksaw, as well as numerous originals, to the table. Besides being one of the few legitimate crypto sweeps casinos, it’s also renowned as one of the rare platforms that supports live dealer games.

By signing up, you’ll receive 10,000 gold coins and 1 Stake Cash, but plenty of other bonuses are available, including but not limited to the mail-in, VIP rakeback, Guess the Game, giveaways, Slot battles, and many others.

McLuck Casino – Best Slots

Jackpots, Hold & Spin, Spin & Win, Megaways, Tumblers, Cascading Slots, Feature Spins – these are just some of the many gaming options you’ll get to choose from when playing at McLuck Casino.

This sweeps casino was launched in 2023 by B2Services OÜ, and it quickly rose to the upper echelons by partnering with i-gaming devs like Pragmatic, NetEnt, Playson, 3 Oaks, Relax Gaming, Evoplay, and several other companies. Use our links to sign up, and you’ll receive 7,500 GCs and 2.5 SCs for free.

Sweeptastic – Best Promotions

There are good sweepstakes casino bonuses, and then there are Sweeptastic bonuses. This platform has a barrage of offers for its regular players, such as Happy Hour refills, Crypto Mondays, a hefty first-purchase bonus, and a well-structured VIP program complete with an array of exclusive perks.

By registering and verifying a free account, you will be eligible to claim a whopping 30,000 Lucky Coins + 4 Sweeps Coins.

TaoFortune – Best Fish Games

If you’re looking for action-packed fish shooter games, TaoFortune is what you’re after. This sweepstakes casino was among the first to introduce this type of games to the sweeps casino industry with titles like Ice & Fire Fishing, Fishing Kingdom, and Thunder Fishing.

As soon as you sign up, you will receive 128,000 free Tao Coins. Open Magic Boxes to grab up to 250,000 TCs and 500 SCs each day, and don’t forget to use the mail-in bonus to cash in 100 Secret Coins for free whenever your balance drops to zero.

Why Our Experts Selected These Brands

Hundreds of sweepstakes casinos are Ohio-friendly, and yet we’ve decided to shortlist only five. At SweepsKings, we only recommend casinos that have earned our Seal of Approval after months of testing and research, and to do so, our experts followed a rigorous set of criteria, prioritizing sweeps casinos that:

Our team has conducted in-depth research and testing operations at all of the five recommended sweepstakes casinos. They’ve excelled in virtually all fields of performance and outclassed contemporary alternatives by a long stretch, which was the primary reason they were chosen.

How Payments Work

The system of payments and redemptions at sweepstakes casinos is a bit different compared to real money and online casinos for several reasons.

First of all, only sweeps coins can be redeemed for cash prizes, but that can only be done after meeting the bonus rules:

You can get more sweeps coins via bonuses and promotions, but you can’t purchase them directly (as this is forbidden by law). To circumvent this issue, most Ohio sweepstakes casinos will allow you to buy gold coin packs and will award some sweeps coins for free with your purchase. Here’s an example of popular GC coin pack offers at WOW Vegas:

To buy gold coins (and receive free sweeps coins), you will usually need to verify your account. This is typically done by opening the “Redemption” tab and choosing “Get Verified” or “Verify My Account”. A standard know-your-customer (KYC) verification check includes the following:

Once that is done, all you need to do is open the in-game store and select the gold coin pack you wish to buy. Bear in mind that each casino supports different payment methods; for example, Stake.us is a crypto-exclusive casino while platforms like WOW Vegas and Fortune Coins support a range of non-crypto payment methods like Skrill, credit/debit cards, and online banking.

Any sweeps coins you may have received from your GC purchase will again be considered bonus funds. Wager them the specified number of times to make them redeemable, and once you’ve reached the minimum redemption limit, you can request a cash prize or a gift card.

To claim your prize, you will usually need to navigate to the “Redeem” or “Redemption” tab, which can be located in your Profile section if a standalone button doesn’t exist.

You will then see your total sweeps balance, redeemable sweeps, and unplayed sweeps. If your redeemable sweeps coins balance meets or exceeds the minimum redemption limit, you can submit a redemption request. If you purchased any gold coins before redeeming any prizes, the chances are that the casino will use the same payment medium to issue your prize, if applicable.

Note that while gold coin purchases are processed instantly, you will usually need to wait a bit until your redemption request is evaluated and processed. The speed of transactions varies from casino to casino, but cryptocurrency redemptions are typically the fastest, followed by credit cards, and e-wallets.

Can you win real money playing sweepstakes casino games?

The main draw of sweepstakes casinos is that real money can be won, or rather real cash prizes can be claimed by converting redeemable sweeps coins once all the bonus rules have been met.

This is typically done by changing the gameplay mode from Gold Coins to Sweeps Coins, as illustrated below:

As soon as you start playing with sweeps coins, you will gradually make “rollover progress”. For every sweeps coin wagered, you will convert one “unplayed” coin into a “redeemable” token. Note that some sweepstakes casinos in Ohio have rules that impose limits on which games contribute toward the rollover progress.

As a rule of thumb, reaching 100 redeemable sweeps coins makes you eligible for a real cash prize. Noteworthy exceptions where real money prizes can be claimed at lower redemption limits include Stake.us, Chanced Casino, Loyal Royal Casino, and DingDingDing Casino.

Your Gaming Options at Ohio Sweepstakes Casinos

Each OH sweepstakes casino has a different i-gaming library, but nearly all platforms offer slot games. Several unique platforms like High 5 Casino and DingDingDing make their own games in addition to partnering with other slot makers.

If you’re looking for table games like blackjack, baccarat, poker, or roulette, you should feel right at home at casinos like WOW Vegas or Pulsz.

Live dealer games are fairly rare in Ohio sweepstakes casinos, but you can find some at High 5 Casino, Stake.us, Chanced, and BetRivers.net.

Fish games are another popular type of sweepstakes games, but they aren’t as widespread as slots. The best platforms where you can find them include Fortune Coins, NoLimitCoins, Funrize, and TaoFortune.

Explore our reviews of Ohio sweeps casinos if you want to learn more about which gaming options are available to you, and which games pay the best.

Bonuses and Promotions at Ohio Online Casinos

While online casinos may sometimes offer a no deposit bonus, sweepstakes casinos are required to do so to abide by the “no purchase necessary” law. However, welcome bonuses at sweeps platforms are slightly smaller compared to real money and online casinos.

The “welcome bonuses” that all OH sweeps casinos award vary dramatically in size from one platform to another, so it’s important to know what to expect. For example, Fortune Coins will give you 630,000 free gold coins and $14 worth of sweeps; the Stake.us welcome bonus awards 10,000 gold coins and $1 in free Stake Cash; High 5 Casino is among the rare platforms that give $5 worth of free sweeps, but only 250 game coins.

We also recommend you check out other free promotions that your chosen sweepstakes casino has to offer, which may include some of the following:

Comparison of the Best Ohio Casinos with Real Cash Prizes

Aspects in Favor and Against Playing at OH Sweepstakes Online Casinos

Sweepstakes casinos were originally meant to emulate a casino-like experience but with platforms like Stake.us, Pulsz, and WOW Vegas coming to the scene, the lines between real money and sweeps casinos are getting blurrier.

Even so, these two worlds are still distinctly different and have their own draws and flaws. Let’s summarize reasons for and against playing at sweeps casinos in Ohio:

To summarize the points above, OH sweepstakes casinos are close to the real deal, but since you’re wagering tokens and not real cash, you probably won’t get the same immersive feel as if you were playing on a real slot machine. Payouts are not only more complicated but also take longer to process.

On the upside, the chance of winning real money without spending your own is a merit in itself, so if you’re looking for the best Ohio sweeps casinos, feel free to explore our guides and reviews.

Other Gambling Options for Ohio Players

Ohio legalized sportsbook platforms in 2022, so if you prefer betting on hockey and basketball instead of symbols lining up on the reels, you may want to give BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings a shot.

Land-based Ohio casinos like Hollywood Casino Toledo and Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, as well as trendy racinos like Belterra Park Cincinnati and Eldorado Gaming, are also a viable option if you live in or at least near Hamilton or Franklin.

Sadly, the legalization of online casinos in Ohio is still a topic of uncertainty. Sweepstakes casinos have been and still are the second-best option for Ohioan slot enjoyers, so feel free to use our secure links to register a free account with the best of the best sweepstakes platforms.