Recorded tests. Clear limitations.
How we rate sweepstakes casinos
Reviews use recorded account, purchase, game and support tests. Each review says whether a prize redemption was completed; a missing test is not presented as a measured result. Scores run from 2.5 to 5.0 across six weighted categories for sweepstakes casinos.
Our testing process
- 1
Open a real account
A tester signs up as a new player in a private browser window, without using any of our own tracking links or codes.
- 2
Claim, buy and play
We claim the sign-up offer, make one Gold Coin purchase, and play over several days, recording every reading with a timestamp and screenshots.
- 3
Record redemption evidence
When a tester completes identity checks and a prize redemption, we record the method and time it took. If that step was not completed, the review says so and does not claim a measured redemption time.
- 4
Test support and safer-play tools
We contact support by chat and email and check which limits and self-exclusion tools exist.
- 5
Score, fact-check, publish
A second editor checks the readings before publication. Scores follow the method below; a change without a new test is explained on the review.
What makes up the score
Six categories, weighted. The ones that most affect what players get back carry the most weight.
- 25%
Sign-up bonus
The free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins you get for signing up, the value of the first-purchase offer, and how much playthrough the bonus coins carry.
- 25%
Prize redemption
Playthrough, the minimum you must reach to redeem for cash or gift cards, and how long a real redemption took in our test.
- 18%
Game variety and quality
How many slots, table games and live-dealer games there are, which studios supply them, and the average published return-to-player of the most popular games.
- 11%
Usability and responsible play
App and browser quality, whether key information is easy to find, and which responsible-play tools (limits, cool-off, self-exclusion) are available.
- 11%
Customer support
How many ways you can reach support, and how long it took to reach a person by live chat and to get an email reply.
- 11%
Ongoing rewards
Daily bonuses, loyalty tiers and perks, refer-a-friend offers and recurring promotions for existing players.
Weights: Sign-up bonus 1.75× · Prize redemption 1.75× · Game variety and quality 1.25× · Usability and responsible play 0.75× · Customer support 0.75× · Ongoing rewards 0.75×.
How the score is calculated
- Every reading from the test (for example, minutes to reach a person on live chat, or the redemption minimum) is placed on a scale between a floor and a ceiling we set for that measure.
- Readings are combined into a score for each of the six categories, with the most important measures weighted higher.
- Scores are relative to the other casinos we have tested. In each category, the casinos with the highest scores receive a small bonus, and scores above the average of the tested field are stretched toward 5.0, so that real differences between strong casinos are visible.
- The six category scores are combined with the weights above into one overall score, and the same stretch is applied once more to the overall score.
Category and overall scores run from 2.5 to 5.0. Because scores are relative to the field, a re-test of one casino can move the scores of others. When a score changes without a new test, we say so on the casino's page and don't change its "last verified" date.
How we score social casinos
Some casinos we review are social casinos with no Sweeps Coins: their coins are for play only and can’t be redeemed for prizes. We test them the same way, without the redemption step, and score them on the other five categories. Prize redemption doesn’t apply, so their overall score combines those five.
Who does the testing
Each test is carried out by a member of our team, following the steps above. The testers are the Sweepstakes Casinos Team. Our managing editor, Mike Epifani, writes each review from the test record, and our news editor, Ian St. Clair, fact-checks every reading before the score is published. Each review shows the date it was last verified, and Mike Epifani's page lists every casino we have reviewed. Meet our reviewers and editors.
What sits outside the score
Legitimacy checks — the operating company, whether a free method of entry exists and is accessible, age and state rules, identity checks, security — are reported on every review but kept outside the score.
What we won't do
- We don't score a casino we haven't tested. Untested casinos get a facts-only page.
- We don't use app-store ratings, review-site scores or player comments in the score.
- We don't test through our own tracking links or promo codes, so we see what any new player sees.
- We don't describe a casino as the "best" at anything unless the tested data under this method supports it.
How casinos are ordered
Ordering and scores are separate. The featured list on our homepage is ordered with our commercial partners; the A–Z list includes every casino we track. A casino's score is set only by its test results under this method. Read our affiliate disclosure.