Social casinos allow you to play casino-style games in more than 40 U.S. states. Social casinos are often associated with sweepstakes casinos, but there are some key differences between these two gaming categories.
Social casino games are strictly play money games, and the credits you win in these games have no cash redemption value. Sweepstakes casino games, on the other hand, allow you to win sweepstakes credits that you can redeem for cash prizes.
You’ll often see casino sites that are classified as “Social and Sweepstakes Casino” or with other similar wording. Many of these operate as both social and sweepstakes casinos at the same time.
Let’s take a look at how social/sweepstakes casinos work.
How does a social casino work?
Casino-style sites like Wow Vegas and Stake US offer two kinds of games – Gold Coins (GC) games and Sweeps Coins (SC) games.
Gold Coins games reside on the social side of the casino, while Sweeps Coins games are found on the sweepstakes side of the casino.
The games on the social side of the casino use GC as the virtual currency at stake. You can purchase GC packages, as well as collect GC for free through various social media promotions, mail-in offers, and daily login bonuses.
Keep in mind that while you can spend real money on Gold Coins, you can’t redeem these credits for cash. Gold Coins purchases also often yield Sweeps Coins as a bonus, and Sweeps Coins can be used on the sweepstakes side of a social casino and be redeemed for cash prizes.
Where can I play at social casinos in the U.S.?
Social casinos are available in more than 40 U.S. states. The only states that explicitly restrict social casinos are:
- Michigan
- Washington
More than 60 social casinos operate in the U.S. The available states for a particular social casino site vary, however.
What games can I play at social casinos?
The games available at social casinos can include:
- Slots
- Table games
- Live casino games
- Arcade-style games