How Sweepstakes Casinos Differ from Typical Online Casinos
The growing popularity of online casinos over the last handful of years has led to the creation of various types of casinos. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all industry; there is something for everyone. Case in point, sweepstakes casinos, which look similar but are distinct from the average online casino. To determine if sweepstakes casinos are a good fit for you, it’s important to understand how they differ from typical online casinos. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key distinctions that make sweepstakes casinos special.
Accessibility
There is a key distinction in the legality between normal online casinos and sweepstakes casinos. This creates a difference in their accessibility. Since online casinos offer gambling with real money, they are heavily regulated and come with restrictions, including geographic restrictions. Certain countries, and in some cases, specific states or provinces within those countries, don’t allow online casinos to operate. Needless to say, this limits their accessibility in some parts of the world.
However, sweepstakes casinos don’t fall under the same umbrella. While they offer the same types of games found at online casinos, they don’t violate gaming regulations the way traditional online casinos do because players are only using virtual currency, not risking their own money. Therefore, sweepstakes casinos are free to operate legally in most corners of the world, even if traditional online casinos are banned in those areas. This makes sweepstakes casinos much more accessible to the average person.
Currency
The primary difference between the average online casino and sweepstakes casinos is that the latter doesn’t involve any real-money bets. Sweepstakes casinos run on virtual currencies, most notably Gold Coins (GC) or Sweeps Coins (SC). Gold Coins are worth nothing but mimic real money when playing games at sweepstakes casinos. This helps to make the atmosphere at sweepstakes casinos realistic, allowing players to experience the emotions of winning and losing without winning or losing any real money.
Meanwhile, Sweep Coins can be gained through promotions and bonuses or won by hitting jackpots and succeeding in casino games. Similar to Gold Coins, Sweep Coins are a type of virtual currency that is worth nothing. However, they can be exchanged for prizes, allowing players at sweepstakes casinos to walk away with something despite not risking any of their own money to play. This is obviously in contrast to traditional online casinos that operate based on fiat currency, allowing players to win or lose real money.
Risk-Reward and Prizes
Since there is a distinction in the type of currency used, there is also a clear difference between online casinos and sweepstakes casinos when it comes to the risk-reward they present to players and the prizes available. At a traditional online casino, playing a game always costs money upfront. While some players may win back their stake or make a profit, they are always risking real money to play.
Conversely, there is virtually no risk in playing games at sweepstakes casinos. As mentioned, GC and SC are virtual currencies. Players don’t need to purchase anything or spend their own money to play casino-style games or collect coins. Instead, players can enjoy the games without any of the risk. Also, if players can collect a substantial amount of Sweeps Coins, they can be exchanged for prizes. This creates the possibility of winning something tangible from sweepstakes casinos without the need to risk one’s own money.
Game Selection
Whether it’s a traditional online casino or a sweepstakes casino, the game selection tends to vary from one platform to another. This is something players should look at closely before choosing the specific casino they want to use. However, it’s worth noting that the selection at sweepstakes casinos can sometimes fail to match traditional online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos often lean heavily toward slot games and have a limited selection when it comes to table games or bingo. This is the case in part because they operate via virtual currencies and not real money. Traditional online casinos, on the other hand, have no such limitations, allowing them to offer a greater variety of gaming options.
Promotions
Promotional opportunities, especially for new users, are one area where there isn’t a huge difference between sweepstakes casinos and traditional online casinos. Notably, both types of platforms like to offer welcome bonuses to attract new users. Free spin bonuses are particularly popular at both platforms. Of course, since sweepstakes casinos operate on digital currencies, they can’t offer cash back, deposit match, or real-money bonuses the way traditional online casinos do. Instead, they can only offer free spins or free coins that allow users to play games. This is the primary type of bonus available at sweepstakes casinos, whereas online casinos that operate with fiat currency have more options when it comes to promos and bonuses.
