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Best Sweepstakes Casinos / News / Sweepstakes vs. Social Casinos

Sweepstakes vs. Social Casinos: What Sets Them Apart?

Publish Date: 04/02/2025
Key Points
  • Sweepstakes vs Social Casinos - only sweepstakes casinos allow Sweeps Coins winnings to be exchanged for prizes

  • Some of the best sweepstakes casinos include RealPrize, Stake.us, WOW Vegas, MegaBonanza, and McLuck

  • You can enjoy a wide range of games, from slots and table games to live dealer options

Sweepstakes vs. Social Casinos: Key Differences

As someone who enjoys casino-style games, you’ve probably seen sweepstakes vs social casinos used interchangeably and wondered, are they really the same? Both give you access to fun, free casino-style gaming, but the way they work makes all the difference.

So, what exactly makes a sweepstakes casino different from a social casino? That’s exactly what I’ll cover in this article. I’ll unpack the key differences, show you how each works, and even share some of the best sweepstakes sites, such as RealPrize, Stake.us, WOW Vegas, MegaBonanza, and McLuck. By the end, you’ll know exactly which one is right for you.

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Sweepstakes vs. Social Casinos – What’s the difference?

At first glance, sweepstakes and social casinos look pretty similar. Both use virtual currency instead of real money, and both will give you a fun, legal way to enjoy casino-style games online like slots, table games, poker, scratchcards, and even live dealer games for free. So why do they have separate categories? Well, my friends, the key difference lies in how winnings work with each.

Sweepstakes casinos are guided by sweepstakes laws and are legal in most U.S. states where traditional gambling isn’t allowed. So, these are not real money sweepstakes casinos, you play the games using two types of virtual currencies:

  • Gold Coins (GC): Used for fun play only with no redeemable value. Can be bought in packages (optional).
  • Sweeps Coins (SC): These are also used to play casino-style games, but SC winnings can be redeemed for real prizes if you clear certain redemption conditions.

You will usually receive free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins as a welcome bonus when you sign up, from ongoing promotions or by making optional GC purchases. However, SC can never be purchased and only gotten through bonuses.

Social casinos, on the other hand, use virtual currencies too and are solely for fun gaming. You’ll find a good variety of slots and table games, but there is no option to redeem winnings for real prizes. Winnings are put back in for more gaming. You’ll also receive free coins through bonuses, other promotions or through optional purchases.

The best sweepstakes casinos to check out

Now that you know the difference between sweepstakes vs. social casinos, let’s talk about some of the best sweepstakes casinos to play at. Here are five top sweepstakes casinos that I have personally tested and recommend.

Real Prize – High quality sweepstakes experience

Real Prize
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RealPrize Sweepstakes Casino: Pros & Cons
  • Generous Bonus Offer
  • Intuitive User Interface
  • Variety of Purchase Options
  • Comprehensive Customer Support
  • Mobile App Convenience
  • Limited Live Support Options
  • Restricted in Some States
Visit Real Prize

Real Prize is that sweepstakes casino I go to when I want carefully selected games that make playing feel like a premium experience. Their game library of 300+ titles is smaller than some competitors, but that’s okay because every slot and table game feels like a top pick. I enjoyed games like Buffalo Blitz, 88 Fortunes, and Sweet Bonanza.

New players will collect a welcome bonus of 100,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins for signing up. There’s also a solid VIP program alongside other promotions that rewards you with additional bonuses. If there’s one thing about RealPrize, it’s how they don’t skimp on bonuses.

Stake.us – The best for game variety

Stake.us
Stake.us Pro Contra US
Stake.us: Pros & Cons
  • Exclusive rakeback bonus
  • Live casino options
  • Stake Originals games
  • VIP Club
  • No mobile app available
Visit Stake.us

Stake.us gives you remarkable game variety, an active social community and a top-notch sweepstakes experience all in one spot. There are 2,000 titles covering everything from slots, poker and table games to Stake Originals like Dice. It’s not just another place to play, it is the ultimate gaming site, and you can get started on all of the games by signing up today.

Register using our exclusive code BONUSDROID, and you’ll get a welcome bonus of 55 Stake Cash, 260,000 Gold Coins, and 5% weekly rakeback on losses, all without needing to spend a dime. The site’s community chat feature is one of my favorites, as it lets me connect with other gamers. I enjoyed trying exclusive games like Stake Plinko, Crash, and Dice. You may want to try them too.

WOW Vegas – Fun, flashy, and feature packed

Wow Vegas
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Wow Vegas: Pros & Cons
  • Legal in 46 states
  • Free to play
  • Over 800 slot games
  • First purchase bonus welcome offer
  • No mobile app
Visit Wow Vegas

WOW Vegas will instantly get your attention with its colorful design and impressive game variety. You’ll find over 800 games, including exclusives like WOW Rush. Upon signing up, you’ll get 250,000 WOW Coins and 5 Sweeps Coins for free. There are daily login rewards and leaderboard promotions to give you even more chances to keep playing for free.

What I loved most about WOW Vegas is its loyalty program, the Star System, which increases your rewards as you play. If you like slots with free spins and bonus features, this is a great place to play. However, the game selection is slightly more zeroed in on slots, so table game lovers may find fewer options.

MegaBonanza – A solid mix of slots and mega jackpots

MegaBonanza
Megabonanza Sweeps Casino - Pros and Cons
Megabonanza Sweeps Casino – Pros and Cons
  • You can snag some great rewards here, like a GC 7,500 no deposit bonus and extra perks when you make your first purchase.
  • There are over 800 games to choose from, featuring top names like BGaming and Playson.
  • Need help? Customer service is just an email or phone call away.
  • Enjoy a Progressive Daily Refill bonus and leap into exciting regular tournaments.
  • Unfortunately, there aren’t any mobile apps for iOS or Android, which might make it tricky to play when you’re out and about.
Visit MegaBonanza

If you love slots with the chance to play for massive jackpots, MegaBonanza is the place to be. This is one of the new sweepstakes casinos launched last year and it focuses heavily on slot games, just like WOW Vegas. You’ll be greeted with 800+ games, including Megaways slots and cascading reels.

New players get 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins, with daily login bonuses and other bonuses to top up your coins balance. There are also ongoing promotions, and certain games could see you playing with a chance to grab a share of progressive jackpots up to 10 million GC.

McLuck – Straightforward fun gaming

McLuck
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McLuck: Pros & Cons
  • Free to play
  • Generous Welcome offer
  • Sweepstakes coins offered
  • Hundreds of slots
  • No table or casino games offered
Visit McLuck

McLuck comes next on my list with a growing library of 1200 games. The welcome bonus is 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins, and ongoing promotions and daily login bonuses make it easy to keep playing for free.

What’s good is that you can also download the app for Android or iOS devices if you prefer. I found that the table game selections are more limited, but if you love slots and jackpots, this is a great pick.

Final thoughts – Sweepstakes vs Social Casinos: Which one is right for you?

You now know the difference between sweepstakes and social casinos, so you can decide which fits your gaming style best. If you love playing for fun with no prizes involved, social casinos are the way to go.

But if you want the fun of playing with the chance to redeem Sweeps Coin winnings for prizes, sweepstakes casinos are the better choice. Try out these recommendations today – you can use the links on our page banners – and let me know which is your new favorite.

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Top Brands
Top Bonuses
Real Prize
Real Prize
Real Prize Review
4.8/5
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
McLuck
4.5/5
MegaBonanza
MegaBonanza
MegaBonanza Review
4.4/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.3/5
Real Prize
Real Prize Bonus
Up to 125 SC FREE + 625K Golden Coins + 1250 VIP Points
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4.8/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
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4.6/5
McLuck
McLuck Bonus
27.5 SC FREE and 57.5K Gold Coins
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4.5/5
MegaBonanza
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150% Purchase Offer: 25 SC FREE and 50K GC
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4.4/5
Spree
Spree Bonus
32.5 SC FREE and 1.03M Gold Coins
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4.3/5

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