Sweepstake casinos have changed the online gambling industry. Their gambling model is something which has led to a change in the way people play online casinos games and, on this page, you can find out why it is so exciting in our comprehensive guide.
Sweepstake Casino Model
We begin our guide with a closer look at the online sweepstake casino model. This is important because the way sweepstake casinos operate is different from regular, real money online casinos and is behind their rise in popularity.
Rather playing using real money, the games at sweepstake casinos are played using virtual currency. However, because you are playing using virtual currency does not prevent you from winning real cash prizes and we will come to that in more detail shortly. There are two types of virtual currency used at sweepstake casinos, commonly known as gold coins and sweeps coins.
Sweepstakes are not new and have been widely used by many companies over the years to offer prizes and contests. This can be from wining a car, right the way through to winning donuts and treat.
Gold Coins
Gold coins are usually awarded for free when joining a sweepstake casino for the first time. They have no real world value and can be used to play all the games at the sweepstake casino.
You cannot win any real money when using gold coins to play sweepstake casino games. However, when you run out of gold coins, you can use real money to purchase more if you would like to continue playing casino games. Many of the top sweepstake casinos reward players with bonuses of gold coins and it is possible to continue playing without ever spending any money.
Sweeps Coins
Sweeps coins differ to gold coins in that they cannot be purchased from a sweepstake casino. Sweeps coins are only ever awarded as a bonus when obtaining gold coins. This could be as part of a welcome bonus or when purchasing gold coins. Like gold coins, the sweeps coins do not hold any real world value but if you win sweeps coins when playing games, you can transfer the sweeps coins into real prizes, with cash often being one of the options.
The Games
The games at sweepstake casinos are not played using real money like regular casinos but that does not mean there is a drop in quality. In fact, the top sweepstake casinos have all the same games providers as a traditional online casino. Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Betsoft, Relax Gaming, and Playson are all examples of leading casino game providers that have produced games for sweepstake casinos. In addition to the games from the top developers, sweepstake casinos are also happy to produce their own games.
You will find many exclusive game titles at sweepstake casinos that you will not find at regular online casinos. When sweepstake casinos first hit our screens, they were relying mostly on their own games, so the quality of the games had to be good. The gameplay, graphics, and sound of sweepstake casino games can rival any of the best real money casino games.
Community
One of the other major differences between real money online casinos and sweepstake casinos is the community. When playing at traditional real money casinos, you are generally playing for yourself and have no contact with the other players other than during real dealer games. The chat in real dealer games is often limited as players are mostly speaking to the dealer and focusing on their own hand. However, sweepstake casinos promote social interaction and players can even work together towards achieving goals.
It is possible for players to give each other gifts and chat rooms have been created for players to socialize. There is more of a relaxed feel to sweepstake casinos and while that might not be for everyone, with some players preferring the challenge of real money gambling, it attracts the casual casino player.
Bonuses
Despite not using real money to play games, sweepstake casinos still offer excellent bonuses to players. You can begin playing games using the welcome bonus, which often includes both gold coins and sweeps coins. Sweepstake casinos often reward loyal players and gift gold coins. If you decide to purchase gold coins, you can be rewarded with a bonus of sweeps coins and the possibility of winning real cash prizes. You should never need to spend any money to get started with sweepstake casinos.
