Sweepstakes and social casino games

Sweepstakes casino games are the slots, table games and instant games you play at sweepstakes and social casinos with virtual coins instead of cash. Many look and play much like the games at a real-money online casino. What changes is the currency. Gold Coin play is for entertainment only, while Sweeps Coin play can lead to prizes under each operator’s rules.

This guide covers the main types of social casino games, how each one works with Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, and what to check before you play. If the model is new to you, read what a sweepstakes casino is first. To see which sites offer these games, start with our list of sweepstakes casinos or browse social casinos.

How do Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins work in games?

You choose which coin to play with, usually with a switch in the game or the lobby. The same game can usually be played with either currency. The operator’s rules decide which games accept Sweeps Coins.

Gold Coins have no cash value and can’t be redeemed. They’re for play only. Sweeps Coins work differently. Sweeps Coins you win may be redeemable for prizes, but only after you meet the operator’s conditions. Those usually include playthrough, a minimum balance, identity checks and state eligibility.

Operators set the value of a Sweeps Coin in their own rules, and many use their own names for both coins. So when people talk about “SC casino games”, they mean the same games played in Sweeps Coin mode. Our guide to Gold Coins vs Sweeps Coins explains the model in full.

Before each session, check which balance is selected. It’s easy to start a round in the wrong mode.

What types of sweepstakes casino games are there?

Sweepstakes games fall into a handful of categories. Not every site offers every type, so check the lobby before you sign up.

Decisions in blackjack and video poker affect how a hand plays out, but the cards are still random. In games of pure chance, such as slots, roulette and scratch cards, nothing you do changes the odds.

How do sweepstakes slots work?

Most sweepstakes slots online work the same way. A slot shows a grid of reels, each carrying symbols. You choose how many coins to play per spin, spin, and win when symbols land in patterns the game pays for.

Those patterns are called paylines. Some games pay on “ways” instead, where matching symbols on neighboring reels count wherever they land. Many slots also add bonus rounds, multipliers or extra spins that trigger at random.

The paytable lists every symbol value and feature. You’ll find it in the game’s info screen. Read it once before you play a new game.

What is RTP?

RTP stands for return to player. It’s the share of all coins played on a game that the game is designed to pay back as wins, measured over a very large number of rounds. If a slot lists an RTP of 95%, it’s built to return 95 of every 100 coins played across a huge volume of play by everyone.

RTP is a long-run theoretical figure, never a prediction. Great Britain’s gambling regulator puts it plainly: RTP is an average reached over a significant number of plays, not each time a game is played. Your own session can end far below or above the listed figure.

Look for the RTP in the game’s info or help screen. Check the figure in the game on the site you’re using, because that’s the version you’re playing. If you can’t find one, you can ask the operator.

What is volatility?

Volatility describes how a slot’s wins are spread out. A low-volatility slot tends to pay smaller wins more often. A high-volatility slot tends to go longer between wins, with larger individual wins possible. Some games show a volatility rating in their info screen; others don’t.

Volatility doesn’t change the RTP, and it doesn’t make any win more likely. It only changes how the game feels. Pick a style you enjoy, and choose a coin amount that keeps a long run without wins comfortable.

Can anything change the odds?

No. Each spin is independent. The regulator’s guidance says the odds of a win in the current game are not affected by wins or losses in earlier games.

A long losing run doesn’t make a win “due”. A recent win doesn’t make the next one less likely. Playing faster, at a certain time of day or with more coins doesn’t change the chance of a result either.

How do jackpot and progressive slots work?

A jackpot slot has a top prize above its regular paytable. A fixed jackpot stays the same size. A progressive jackpot grows as people play and resets after someone wins it. Some progressives are linked across several games, so the pot grows from play on all of them.

The top prize is rare by design. A large progressive total doesn’t mean a win is close.

Before you play, check the jackpot rules in the game info:

• Which coin mode the jackpot applies to.
• Whether you must play at a certain coin level to qualify.
• How a jackpot won with Sweeps Coins is credited, and which redemption rules apply to it.

How do blackjack, roulette and baccarat work?

Digital table games use software to deal cards or spin the wheel. As with slots, each round is independent of the last.

Blackjack. You try to beat the dealer by getting closer to 21 without going over. You decide whether to take another card, stand, double or split. Those choices shape the hand, but the cards are still random. Rules vary between versions, such as how many decks are used and when the dealer must stand, so read the rules screen first.

Roulette. You place coins on numbers, colors or groups of numbers, and a ball lands in one pocket. European-style wheels have a single zero. American-style wheels add a double zero, which lowers the game’s return compared with a single-zero wheel. The rules screen tells you which version you’re playing.

Baccarat. You choose Player, Banker or Tie before the deal. After that, fixed drawing rules settle the hand, with no further decisions from you. Check the payout table, including any commission on Banker wins.

What is a live social casino game?

A live social casino game is a table game run by a real dealer on a video stream. You make your choices with on-screen buttons, and the dealer deals cards or spins a physical wheel in real time. Where live dealer games are offered, formats often include blackjack, roulette and baccarat.

A few things work differently from digital tables:

• Rounds run on the dealer’s schedule, so you have a short window to make each choice.
• Tables may set a minimum coin amount per round. Check it before you join.
• The operator’s rules or the table info say whether a table accepts Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins or both.
• Video streams use more data and battery than other games. Our guide to sweepstakes casino apps covers mobile settings.
• If the table has a chat, keep personal details out of it.

How does video poker work?

Video poker deals you five cards. You choose which to keep, the rest are replaced, and the final hand is paid from the game’s paytable.

A video poker game’s long-run return depends on two things: its paytable and the decisions you make. Two versions of the same game can pay differently for the same hand, so compare paytables in the info screen. Good decisions don’t make any hand more likely to appear. The cards are still random.

How do scratch cards and bingo work?

Scratch cards. A digital scratch card reveals symbols when you tap or swipe it. The game decides the outcome, not how or where you scratch. Scratch cards are quick, which makes it easy to play many in a short time. Keep an eye on your pace.

Bingo. Numbers are drawn at random and marked off on your card. You win when your card completes a pattern set by the game, such as a line or a full card. Some bingo rooms run scheduled games with other players, while others are single-player. Check the card cost, the winning patterns and the prize rules before you join.

What are crash, plinko and dice games?

These are short, simple games, often built in-house by the operator and sometimes called “originals”. Rounds last seconds, so they move quickly.

Crash. A multiplier starts at 1x and climbs until it stops at a random point. You choose when to stop and lock in the current multiplier. If the round ends before you stop, you lose the coins you played on that round. Timing can feel like a skill, but the stopping point is random. Auto-stop settings let you pick a multiplier in advance.

Plinko. A ball drops through rows of pegs into slots with different multipliers. Many versions let you choose a risk level. A higher setting spreads results further apart, with bigger multipliers at the edges and smaller ones in the middle. It doesn’t improve your chances.

Dice and mines. In dice games you pick a target and the game rolls a number. A bigger potential multiplier always comes with a lower chance of winning. In mines, you reveal tiles on a grid and try to avoid hidden mines, with the multiplier rising after each safe tile.

“Provably fair” claims. Some operators describe their in-house games as provably fair. That means the site publishes cryptographic data, such as seeds, that let you check a round’s result after it ends. It’s a way to confirm a result wasn’t changed. It doesn’t change the odds or make a win more likely. If a site makes this claim, its help pages should explain how to check a result.

What should you check before you play any game?

A quick check before a new game saves confusion later:

1. Coin mode. Confirm whether Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins are selected.
2. Rules and paytable. Read what each result pays and any special rules.
3. RTP. Look for it in the info screen, and remember it’s a long-run average.
4. Coin amount per round. Know the minimum and maximum, and choose your amount before you start.
5. Sweeps Coin conditions. If you’re playing with Sweeps Coins, know the playthrough and redemption rules. Our guide to Sweeps Coin playthrough explains how it works.
6. Play tools. Find the operator’s limit and break settings before you need them.

Games are one of the areas covered by our rating method.

How do you keep games in proportion?

Casino-style games are built to be entertaining, and fast rounds make it easy to play longer than you planned. Treat play as entertainment, not a way to make money.

Set a time limit and a budget for any coin purchases before you start, and stop when you reach them. Take a break when a game stops being fun. If play feels hard to control, our responsible gaming page lists tools and places to get help.