List of Sweepstakes Casinos 2024

For fans of online casino games, sweepstakes casinos offer a great option. Currently, sweepstakes casinos are legal in most states, including New York. These sites allow you to play slots, table games, and even live dealer games online for free, and sometimes they offer opportunities to redeem winnings for cash prizes. Here’s a full explanation of how these sweepstakes sites work and our recommendations for the best ones to play in New York.

List of sweepstakes casinos: Our top picks

 

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in NY?

Yes, sweepstakes casinos are legal in New York as they abide by the state’s sweepstakes laws. They allow players to enjoy various popular casino games without using real money in the games, but instead virtual currencies.

As we explain below, the sites typically use a couple of different currencies, and in many cases, you can redeem one of those currencies at social casinos for cash prizes. While the sites invite players to purchase coins to play games, you never have to spend any money to play on the sites. Much like regular sweepstakes contests, there is no cost to play the games, nor do the games use real money as is the case at online casinos in states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and others where such games have been legalized.

All of the sites discussed on this page, including our top recommended sweepstakes casinos, are fully legal in New York. Thus, while lawmakers in New York continue to debate the possibility of introducing NY online casinos with real money games, these sweepstakes sites currently provide an excellent alternative for those who want to play games online now.

Best sweepstakes casinos compared

You can read full reviews of many of the sites mentioned here at PlayNY by following the links from this page to help you choose your favorite sweepstakes casino. All of these sites are accessible via a web browser on your desktop or laptop, and in some cases, the sites also have their own mobile apps so you can play on smartphones or tablets. Let’s briefly run through a few of our favorite options to give you an idea of what you’ll find when you visit them and sign up for accounts.

1. WOW Vegas

WOW Vegas is our favorite sweepstakes casino pick because it offers more than 700 slots in an extensive (and growing) game library. The games include titles from top developers like Betsoft, Pragmatic Play, and Novatic and many progressive jackpot slots. WOW Vegas especially stands out for its frequent promotions that give players extra ways to pick up both WOW Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. Look for frequent giveaways in the Prize Drops Lobby as well as other promos like Wake Up and Win, Lunchtime Loot, and Wowzer Prize Drop Games.

2. High 5 Casino

High 5 Casino has an even more extensive game selection than WOW Vegas, with more than 1,000 games available,and is a truly diverse sweepstakes casino. These include lots of slots, but you’ll also find live-dealer games at High 5 with multiple tables of blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and casino poker. High 5 has ongoing promos, too, such as the “Boosts on Demand” option that awards multiplier payouts and more. High 5 Casino games are played with Game Coins and Sweeps Coins, but the site also throws a third currency into the mix called Diamonds with which you can earn perks like free spins.

3. McLuck Casino

McLuck Casino offers approximately 750 slots, including many unique titles and classic slots from NetEnt, Pragmatic, Ruby Play, 3 Oaks, Playson, and other established studios. Promos are highlighted by the McJackpots feature, which enables players to hit big wins on any given spin whether playing with Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. McLuck sweepstakes casino likewise offers live-dealer games, with blackjack, baccarat, and roulette among the options.

4. RealPrize

RealPrize is a relatively new sweepstakes casino that has already begun attracting many players. The game library is modestly sized at around 125 slots plus a video poker game and a couple of other poker-based table games, Oasis Poker Classic and Texas Hold’em. The site uses both Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins and features many regular promotions such as daily login bonuses, daily challenges, refer-a-friend bonuses, and a VIP loyalty program.

5. Pulsz

Pulsz is a longtime favorite among players of social and sweepstakes sites. The constantly growing slot library features well over 700 titles with favorites from studies like Playson, Relax Gaming, and NetEnt represented. There are a few table games, too, including multi-hand blackjack and Texas hold’em poker. Pulsz has constant promos through which you can win Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins, including prize drops, login bonuses, social media competitions, and more.

 

6. Crown Coins Casino

Crown Coins Casino is another fun social casino to try that features around 350 slots. These include many popular slots like the Big Bass and Buffalo titles and other favorites. There are also more than 20 slots joined into a progressive jackpot network. Crowns Coins Casino runs frequent promos and purchase deals, and also has a VIP Club that offers added benefits to players every time they play.

 

Other available sweepstakes casinos

What are online sweepstakes casinos?

Online sweepstakes casinos may not use real money like online casinos in NJ, PA, MI, and elsewhere, but they look and play a lot like those sites. The sites all feature online slots prominently, just like their online casino counterparts. On many of the sweepstakes casinos you’ll also find some table games like blackjack and roulette, although the selection is often relatively small when they do appear. Meanwhile, several sweeps sites, such as High 5 Casino and McLuck Casino, even have live-dealer games.

For several years, only a small handful of promotional sweepstakes and social casinos were available to New York players. The best-known and most popular were sites like Luckyland Slots, Chumba Casino, and Funzpoints.

Today the number of choices of sweepstakes casinos has grown considerably, with top sites like WOW Vegas, Crown Coins Casino, Pulsz and several others having given players more options. New sites like Fortune Coins, Zula Casino, Vegas Gems and others have expanded the available options even more, adding new social casino games to the pot.

There are also examples of online poker sites that employ the sweepstakes model by using virtual currencies rather than real money. The most popular of these is Global Poker.

You may also like: Sweeps vs. Social Casinos

How do sweepstakes casino sites work?

As mentioned above, sweepstakes casinos typically use a dual-currency system to comply with the law. Often, the currencies are called Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins (some sites give alternate names, but the function is the same). In this system, both forms of currency are given away for free by a sweepstakes casino, while Gold Coins can also be purchased. Neither has cash value, but Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for cash prizes.

In effect, the system makes it impossible for players to buy coins that have actual cash value. Instead, a player will buy a certain amount of GC, and sometimes, in return, receive SC as a welcome bonus. Those SC, which cannot be purchased directly, are the ones that players can later potentially redeem for cash prizes.

When you create an account at a sweepstake casino, you’ll have an account balance showing how many coins you have (of both denominations). However, there is one big difference between these sites and online casinos that use real money. With sweepstakes casinos, you never “deposit” or “withdraw” funds into an account. Rather, you purchase coins (if you wish) and later redeem winnings for prizes.

Difference between Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins

The games on the sweepstakes casinos can be played with both types of coins. You can usually play many free games without purchasing any coins at all. Sometimes purchasing GC lets you play a larger number of games. This type of currency has no cash value.

On the other hand, the SC you receive as a bonus often come in much smaller amounts and can never be purchased directly. You are either given them for completing certain tasks, or you will receive a small amount when purchasing GC. You’ll find that sites usually distinguish between Gold Coins games and Sweeps Coins games. When you play the Sweepstakes Coins games, you can win more of them, and when you accumulate a required minimum amount of SC, you can then redeem them for cash prizes.

How to obtain coins at sweepstakes casinos

As noted, you typically will receive Sweepstakes Coins as a bonus when you purchase Gold Coins. When you first register at a sweeps site, you’ll receive both Gold Coins and some Sweepstakes Coins just for creating an account as a sweeps no-deposit bonus. Also, playing SC games and winning Sweepstakes Coins are other ways to accumulate more.

You’ll also find other opportunities to receive Sweepstakes Coins, such as through ongoing promotions on the site. Many sweepstakes sites have social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X where they will host contests and giveaways where followers can receive SC. You can even contact the sites by regular mail and request Sweepstakes Coins, much like those entering other mail-based sweepstakes contests.

Watch for the different ways to accumulate Sweepstakes Coins whenever you play on these sites. Again, you can never purchase them directly, but you’ll find many ways to receive SC in addition to winning them through the games.

How to redeem winnings for prizes

The process for turning your winnings into prizes like gift cards or even cash prizes differs from site to site but often involves a similar path.

First, when you receive Sweepstakes Coins you will likely need to satisfy a playthrough requirement by wagering your SC in games on the site before you can try to redeem them. Often that only means wagering your SC one time (e.g., a “1x playthrough requirement”), but that still means you’ll have to put those SC at risk and win more of them, which you can then redeem for prizes.

Most sites require you to have won a minimum number of Sweepstakes Coins (e.g., 50 or 100) before you can redeem them. The limits might vary according to which kind of redemption you will make (e.g., at least 50 SC for gift cards, at least 100 SC for cash prizes).

Start the process by clicking “Redeem Coins” (or the equivalent) and following the instructions. Here’s an example of the pop-up you see at High 5 Casino when you hit the “Redeem” button:

From there, you may need to enter some additional personal information to complete your request, such as providing additional items to verify your identity or banking details. Be sure to follow all instructions carefully, as that will help make the redemption go smoothly and quickly. After that, it may take a few days to process your request and for you to receive your desired prize.

Enjoy casino games at a sweepstakes casino today

Many fans of online sweepstakes casinos have found the games rival the quality of regular online casinos. That includes having the same high level of graphics, animation, and sound that can help create an immersive and fun gaming experience. In fact, some of the same slots featured at online casinos (and retail casinos) turn up in the game libraries of these sweepstakes sites, as do the table games and live-dealer games, which similarly rival their real-money counterparts.

If you are looking to enjoy casino games from New York, these online sweepstakes casinos provide an excellent option and even ways to redeem your winnings for various prizes. As noted, the games are always free to play, but you can also purchase coins and take your sweepstakes casino experience to a new level.