Sweepstakes with real money prizes may raise your eyebrow, but trust us, they offer a legal way to redeem cash prizes without spending your money. You can play casino-style games and get real money prizes in US states.
In this review, you’ll explore the top-pick sweepstakes casinos offering real-money prize redemption, with Stake.us leading the pack. Moreover, we’ll outline the most important aspects when choosing your next sweepstakes destination. By the end, we’ll guide you through the steps to redeem your winnings for real-money prizes. Still skeptical? Buckle up – we have everything you need to get started.
There aren’t any real money sweepstakes, but there are those with real money prizes, which is the next best thing. And while claiming real money prizes while playing for free at sweepstakes casinos may sound impossible, it’s more achievable than you may think. In fact, many top sweepstakes casinos in the US offer this chance without having to spend your own money.
We reviewed many in the US to find the best-balanced sites offering good welcome packages and fair redeeming conditions. Take a look at our top three selections to find out what’s on offer.
Available in 43 US states, Stake.us is a top destination for players searching for fun, socializing, and the possibility of redeeming real-money prizes without spending a dime. This is our top-choice sweepstakes casino because it has a great sign-up point of 260,000 GC, 55 SC, and a 5% Rakeback welcome bonus.
The path to redeeming real money prizes with your free 55 Stake Cash involves playing through them 3x and reaching the minimum threshold of 30 SC. Redemption options include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tron, Ripple, Dogecoin, Tether, and bank transfers. Aside from real-money prizes, your Stake Cash winnings can be redeemed for gift cards or merchandise with a minimum threshold of 10 SC, which is low and achievable.
As a cherry on top, the Stake.us redemption amount is unlimited and will be processed at an implied rate of 1 Stake Cash per 1 USD. There are no fees included. The main limitation is one redemption daily; moreover, if you’re playing from Florida, you can redeem a maximum of 5,000 SC daily.
Established in 2012, High5 Casino is one of the longest-operating and one of the best sweepstakes with real cash prizes in the US. New players from the US, except those from Michigan, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho, can claim a fantastic welcome package of 250 GC, 5 SC, and 600 Diamonds to get your gameplay started in both GC and SC modes.
You can play over 1,200 casino-style games with your Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins, provided by High 5 Games itself and big names like Pragmatic Play. High5 Casino bonuses require just a 1x playthrough requirement to become eligible for redeeming real money prizes via bank transfer or Skrill. On the flip side, you must collect at least 100 Sweepstakes Coins to initiate the redemption process, which might be challenging for new gamers.
Other redemption methods include gift cards, which require a minimum of 50 SC, and you’ll receive it instantly. However, the processing time for Skrill and bank transfer redemptions is a bit longer, taking up to 14 days. Unfortunately, crypto-redeeming options are not available.
Even though it was only established in 2023, McLuck Casino ticks all the boxes for the best sweepstakes with real money prizes. McLuck Casino will substantially boost your account with a free 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC as a gift, along with 1,500 GC and 0.20 SC for logging in daily.
But that’s not all. McLuck games are part of the McLuck progressive jackpot network with prizes of up to 2,000,000 GC + free 1,000 SC, which is a fun opportunity to claim a lot of SC. Additionally, you can participate in many social media giveaways, promotions, tournaments, and contests, where you will receive more Sweepstakes Coins as a gift along with Gold Coin packages.
These Sweepstakes Coins are not redeemable right after you receive them. You must play through them 1x and collect a minimum of 100 SC to request a real money prize redemption. Gift card redemptions are accessible earlier, with only 10 SC collected, and the processing time is instant. It’s fantastic that McLuck Casino will allow you to redeem up to 10,000 SC daily. The only limit is that your real-money redemptions are available only through bank transfers.
The short and sweet answer is no. To understand why online sweepstakes casino real money sites don’t exist, let’s first review what virtual currencies at sweepstakes casinos are.
Sweepstakes casinos work with two types of virtual currencies: Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. Although they can take different names at different sweepstakes casinos, they are a mainstay of how these unique sites work. These coins are only useful on the sweepstakes platform you are playing on, without having any value outside that virtual sweeps world.
Let’s look closer at their characteristics and significance within the sweepstakes casino framework.
Gold Coins | Sweeps Coins | |
---|---|---|
How to Use Them | Used for fun
Play games in GC mode for practice | Used for fun Play games in SC mode for a chance to win more Sweepstakes Coins |
How to Get Them | Sign-up, daily logins, and social media contests, giveaways, and ongoing promotions | Welcome bonuses and various types of promotions, social media competitions, tournaments, giveaways, and mail-in bonus |
Can You Buy Them? | Yes, directly from the sweepstake site, but completely optional | No. You cannot buy Sweepstakes Coins, but you could receive free SC as part of GC purchase bundles |
Redeemable for Prizes? | No. Gold Coins cannot be exchanged for real-money rewards nor for Sweepstakes Coins. | Yes. Exchange eligible SC for real money prizes, gift cards, or merchandise at set rates. |
It becomes evident that you cannot win real money at sweepstakes casinos since you’ll play with virtual currencies: Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. However, after reaching the minimum threshold, you can redeem your winnings made with Sweepstakes Coins for real money prizes, gift cards, and merchandise.
The US market is currently experiencing a surge in the number of new sweepstakes casinos as a legal alternative to real-money online casinos. Like the already established ones, the latest sweeps casinos offer generous welcome bonuses, daily login bonuses, high-quality games, and the opportunity to redeem real-money prizes from your gameplay.
Since all sweepstakes casinos have their own intricacies you must understand before you pick one and play, we compiled a list of different aspects you must check before you dive into your sweepstakes adventure.
Sweepstakes casinos are available in most US states, but not all of them. Each sweepstakes casino will have a list of restricted territories. Additionally, there are state restrictions on how much you can redeem per day, typically applying in Florida and New York, where the limit is set to 5,000 SC daily.
Sweepstakes casinos must give players free Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins as per the rules. They offer sign-up bonuses, daily rewards, and promotions without requiring a purchase. Using the best sweepstakes promo codes is a legitimate way to claim free Gold Coins and receive Sweepstakes Coins as a gift. The winnings from Sweepstakes Coins allow you to redeem real money prizes without spending your money.
When you’re gifted Sweepstakes Coins, it’s important to understand the playthrough requirements set by your sweepstakes casino. Remember, receiving free Sweepstakes Coins doesn’t mean immediate redemption. To ensure a smooth process, seek out sweepstakes casinos with reasonable playthrough requirements. Typically, these requirements range from 1x to 3x, with a standard prize conversion rate of SC1 to $1.
Building on what we just mentioned, the minimum redemption threshold becomes crucial in deciding on which sweepstakes casino to play at, which may vary depending on if you can redeem your winnings for real-money prizes, gift cards, or merchandise. You can often receive gift cards or merchandise with only 10 SC to 50 SC in your balance, but redemption for real-money prizes is usually between 30 SC and 100 SC, which is much harder to reach. So, while selecting a sweepstakes casino, one with a lower minimum redemption threshold can lead to quicker redemption of your online sweepstakes casino real money prizes.
Having multiple options to convert your Sweepstakes Coins winnings into real money prizes is advantageous. Almost all sweepstakes casinos offer bank transfer redemptions, and many offer e-wallet options. It’s not uncommon to see cryptocurrency redemption methods in sweepstakes casinos, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and more.
Below is a table containing all vital information about the sweepstakes casinos that offer real money prize redemptions from our list.
Aspect | Stake.us | High5 Casino | McLuck Casino |
---|---|---|---|
Restricted Territories | Idaho, New York, Nevada, Michigan, Washington, Kentucky, and Vermont | Michigan, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho | Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, and Washington |
Sign-Up Bonus | 260,000 GC, 55 SC, and a 5% Rakeback | 250GC, 5SC + 600 Diamonds | 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC |
Playthrough Requirements | 3x | 1x | 1x |
Minimum Redemption Threshold | 30 SC | 100 SC | 100 SC |
Redemption Methods Available | Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tron, Ripple, Dogecoin, and Tether and bank transfer | Visa, Mastercard, American Express credit or debit cards, PayPal, Skrill, Trustly | Visa, Mastercard, and bank transfer, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay – through mobile apps |
We know that real-money prizes in sweepstakes casinos are attractive to many US players, but they can still be confusing. If you need more clarification about converting Sweepstakes Coins into real money prizes, we offer a detailed step-by-step guide on how redemption functions at sweepstakes casinos.
Find your best sweepstakes casino, or pick one from our list of trusted casinos in the US and start the registration process. It’s simple and similar to all other casinos: you must provide your personal information, including your first and last name, e-mail address, and phone number. Remember to provide correct information and register from a state that is not restricted, since you’ll need to confirm the given information with documents.
When you join a sweepstakes casino, you’ll be given Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins for free. This is not just a one-time bonus like in real-money casinos; instead, you’ll often receive small packages daily to refill your balance and be used for free play at sweepstakes casinos.
Apart from the sign-up and daily login bonus, you can find more ways to claim free Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins in the promotional section, plus any existing VIP or loyalty programs. Also, follow the sweepstakes casino on social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and Twitter, since this is where the sweeps casino often announces daily races, contests, tournaments, giveaways, and bonus drop codes. You can also use the AMOE (Alternate Method of Entry) method and send the request envelope, which usually brings you up to 5 Sweepstakes Coins for free.
Remember that Gold Coins are only for fun and socializing while Sweepstakes Coins serve as a way to redeem real money sweepstakes prizes. But you must meet one condition: playthrough requirements. To initiate the process of possible redemption, you must start playing with Sweepstakes Coins. We suggest you play higher RTP slot games since they contribute 100% towards playthrough requirements. Sweepstakes casinos usually have 1x to 5x requirements and around 30 days to meet them.
After you reach the minimum threshold for redeeming your Sweepstakes Coins into real money prizes, you can start the online sweepstakes casino real money redemption process. Go to the coins section and select the “Redeem” button. If you decide to redeem your Sweepstakes Coins for real money prizes, choose your redemption method from the list, accept the conversion rate, and click on the redeem button.
Your redemption request will usually be processed in 1-3 days, and then you’ll receive your real-money prizes in your account.
Sweepstakes casino libraries usually have a limited game selection compared to real-money casinos. Still, they are bursting with free slots to win real money prizes, table games, instant-win games, live casino games, and original games.
What’s important to know is that you must pick games with a higher RTP to receive more SC back in your account if you win. The highest RTP usually comes from table games and live casino games, but they typically contribute only 10% towards the playthrough requirements. Therefore, we suggest you play:
By far, the most popular games at sweepstakes casinos are slot games. You’ll find a variety of slot games, including Megaways, bonus buy games, and jackpots, from the most prominent gaming providers such as Pragmatic Play, BGaming, Belatra Games, Booming Games, and many more. We suggest you play slot games since they contribute 100% towards the playthrough requirements.
Some sweepstakes with cash prizes, like Stake.us, will have original games available. Apart from being interesting and fun, they usually have a higher RTP percentage than 98.5%, which is optimal when you’re on a mission to clear the SC playthrough requirements.
The popularity of sweepstakes casinos has surged in recent years. Players from the US prefer them since they are legal in most US states and offer no-purchase bonuses to play casino-style games. But the fun doesn’t end there; you can legally redeem your SC winnings from Sweepstakes Coins for real-money prizes in the US after reaching the minimum threshold and successfully completing the playthrough requirements, which may vary among different sweepstakes casinos.
Despite these differences, here are some general points worth highlighting about sweepstakes casinos in the US:
Compared to real-money casinos, sweepstakes casinos stand out for several reasons. They are always free to play, you get real money prizes through redemptions, and your SC usually has lower playthrough requirements that usually range from 1x to 5x. You’ll even receive free Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins regularly as gifts. However, before joining a sweepstakes casino, check if it’s available in your state, since every casino has its list of restricted territories.
Real money sweepstakes technically don’t exist, but there are many sweepstakes with real money prizes out there that are worth visiting and checking out. If you’re still unsure which sweepstakes casinos to join, you can rely on the ones already tested and approved by our team. Whatever you decide, you cannot go wrong. All sweepstakes casinos offer free GC and SC top-ups, plus the opportunity to redeem your winnings into real-money prizes, that is, so long as you’re prepared to meet the playthrough and redemption requirements.
And don’t forget: Tribal Football readers can take advantage of 260,000 GC, 55 SC, and a 5% Rakeback bonus at Stake.us. Join today and start playing casino-style games for free!
Sweepstakes with cash prizes offer the opportunity to get real money prizes with your winnings while playing casino-style games for free. After meeting the playthrough requirements, you can redeem your winnings for real money prizes.
Don’t confuse real money sweepstakes with those that simply offer the chance to get real money prizes. The latter are completely legal in almost all US states except Washington, where sweepstakes casinos are prohibited by law. You also must check the casino’s list of restricted territories to ensure compliance with state regulations.
The maximum you can redeem at sweepstakes casinos is usually 10,000 SC. If you’re from Florida or New York, you can redeem a maximum of 5,000 SC.
Yes there are real sweepstakes, but you cannot directly win real money at them. You can, however, play with your Sweepstakes Coins and redeem your winnings for real money prizes, which is different.
No. Only winnings from Sweepstakes Coins can be redeemed for real money prizes, while the Gold Coins only serve for fun and practicing the games.