Sweepstakes casinos, which many players, operators, and industry leaders refer to as social casinos, are hugely popular in North America, particularly in most US states and parts of Canada.
They are just like regular online casinos, but the beauty of sweepstakes casinos is that no purchase is necessary.
In other words, they are not classed as real money gambling sites, but you can still play hundreds of feature-rich online slot machines and classic table & card games from several market-leading online casino software providers and game development studios.
Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at the main types of games you can typically find on any of today’s best sweepstakes casinos.
How many games do most sweepstakes casinos have?
The number of games available on a sweepstakes casino can vary greatly from one site to the next, but many of today’s most trusted sweepstakes websites can typically range from having as few as 150 to 180 proven-performing games titles up to 900 or more individual titles.
Each site is different, which is why it’s always good to ‘shop around’ before signing up anywhere.
Some operators focus on quality over quantity, whereas others like to ensure players are spoilt for choice with more than enough games to suit all types of players.
Like regular online casinos, most games found on sweepstakes casino sites are feature-rich online slot machines from multi-award-winning software providers.
You can also find the following games:
- classic table and card games
- bingo/lottery-style games
- slingo (a mixture of slots and bingo)
- keno
- crash games
- online scratchcards
- coin flip games
- speciality/exclusive games that might not be available anywhere else
Don’t forget that sweepstakes casinos also add new games almost weekly, meaning you always have something new to look forward to throughout the year. The other important thing to remember is that sweepstakes casinos are not real money gambling sites.
Some of the most notable providers who supply games to today’s best sweepstakes social casino websites are Red Tiger Gaming, Pragmatic Play, Booming Games, 30aks Gaming, BGaming, Betsoft Gaming, Habanero, Hacksaw Gaming, Relax Gaming, Slotmill, and Rubyplay, to name a few.
Most of the games are computer-generated and use highly sophisticated Random Number Generator (RNG) programs to determine fair and realistic outcomes with high or above-average RTP (Return to Player) payout rates. You can also now find a growing number of social casinos with live dealer games.
Do I have to deposit money to play at sweepstakes casinos?
No purchase is necessary on a sweepstakes casino, which is one of the main reasons why they are so popular, because instead of using real money to play the games, you use a digital/virtual currency that’s native to that site, which has no monetary value in the real world.
Players do still have the option to purchase additional sweeps coins using payment methods like PayPal, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and certain cryptocurrencies, and when buying bundles/packages of these coins, it’s possible to win a broad range of real-world prizes.
Some of the prizes you can win on sweepstakes casinos include things like the latest electronic gadgets, concert tickets, merchandise, and vouchers for some of your favourite brands. If you run out of the free coins you receive when you sign up to a sweepstakes casino, you can top them up for free in several ways.
For example, you can top up your virtual balance with daily login bonuses or by contacting the toll-free player support and asking them to top up your balance for you, for free.
It’s also possible to win more sweepstakes coins via their social media raffles and prize draw competitions. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to their weekly or monthly newsletters via email because this correspondence often contains free coins that will give your balance a much-needed boost.
Top games to play on today’s best sweepstakes casinos
Some of the most popular games to play on today’s best social casinos are, in no particular order of importance, hit titles like Buffalo King Megaways (Pragmatic Play), Take the Bank (Betsoft Gaming), Fruit Nova Super 30 (Evoplay), Gold Express Hold and Win (3Oaks), Dice Million (BGaming), Laughing Buddha (Habanero), and Festival of Fortune (NetGaming), to name a few.
Final thoughts
Your average sweepstakes online casino has enough games to suit almost every type of player, but the main attractions are the slots and the classics, like blackjack and roulette.
Although sweepstakes casinos aren’t considered real money gambling sites, it’s still important that you practice responsible gambling should you ever decide to purchase more coins for a chance to win real prizes or choose to sign up to a real money online casino.
Gambling sensibly and responsibly means things like taking frequent session breaks, learning the rules of games before playing and understanding the odds and implied probability rates, never chasing your losses, and never playing casino-style games while tired, intoxicated or under the influence.
Today’s best sweepstakes casinos, like those currently featured on globally renowned review sites like Time2Play, are free to join, and most sites take less than a minute to register a new account with.
They can be accessed by anyone aged 18, 19, or 21 (or above, depending on exactly where you live), and the games, services, and features work well on most modern smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.
