Frequently Asked Questions
The questions readers actually send us, answered plainly – the way you’d want a neighbour to answer.
What exactly is a sweepstakes casino?
An American gaming site built on promotional-sweepstakes law instead of a casino licence. You play familiar casino-style games with two currencies: Gold Coins, which are pure fun tokens, and Sweepstakes Coins, which are given away free and can eventually be redeemed for real prizes. Because nothing redeemable is sold and a free way in always exists, the law counts it as a promotion – the cereal-box prize draw’s sophisticated cousin.
Is it real-money gambling?
No. There are no cash wagers, and Gold Coin play risks nothing. The only path to real value runs through Sweepstakes Coins, which arrive free and only become prizes after playthrough rules and minimums are met.
How do I get Sweepstakes Coins without paying?
Four honest routes: the signup bundle, daily login gifts, social-media giveaways, and free mail-in postcard requests – a legally required free entry every site must honour. Our own no-spend test accounts have run for months on these routes alone.
What does roughly $1 per SC actually mean?
At redemption, each Sweepstakes Coin converts to about one US dollar of prize value. Clear a typical 75 SC minimum and you are redeeming roughly $75, delivered as gift cards or a bank transfer depending on the site.
Why is there a redemption minimum at all?
It caps processing and fraud-checking costs for the operator. For you, the practical advice is to read the minimum as part of the deal – a flashy signup bundle means less when the cash-out floor sits far above it.
Which US states are off-limits?
Washington, Nevada and Idaho, blocked for years, plus California since AB 831 took effect in January 2026. Sites geolocate at signup and at cash-out and will not pay accounts in those four states. Details in our legality guide.
Will they check my ID?
Yes – before your first redemption, expect to provide photo ID and proof of address. Our friendly advice: do it the day you sign up, since verification queues cause more slow first payouts than anything else we measured.
Are the games fair?
The reputable sites stock games from established studios using audited random number generators, and our long-run results tracked the published volatility as expected. Knowing who owns the house is part of trusting the house – which is why ownership transparency is one of our twelve rating categories.
Can I play on my phone?
That’s where most play happens. Nearly every site runs a browser lobby with nothing to download; a few offer apps. How each one behaves on a normal mid-range phone is graded in every review we publish.
Who is behind this site?
Online Canadian Casinos – US Sweeps Guide is operated by OMD AS, a Norwegian company; the full record is on our About page. We may earn referral commissions from the sites we review, but the rankings come off our measurements and no operator can buy a spot.