You’ve heard of social casinos and sportsbooks, but did you know that you can now play sweepstakes poker as well? In this article, we will take a look at how it works and highlight the best available operators.
If you want to play poker for free without risking money, then playing it at a sweepstakes site provides you with the perfect opportunity. With some operators, you do still have the chance to win prizes as well, including cash.
Real money poker involves betting real money directly in an online poker room. It is considered to be a form of online gambling and therefore isn’t universally available. Moreover, the fact that you are required to risk your real money in order to play deters many would-be players.
However, there is now a free-to-play alternative for many people who either don’t have access to real money poker websites or don’t want to play with that kind of risk. Many sweepstakes apps now have poker rooms as well as slots and casino-style games. These types of operators allow you to play poker against other online users for free and potentially for the chance to win prizes.
Like their sweepstakes casino counterparts, the legal status of social poker rooms differs depending on your location. Generally speaking though, you will find that all forms of sweepstakes gaming sites are more widely available than real money poker rooms.
As we mentioned previously, sweepstakes sites are not classed as online gambling sites – even those that do offer players the opportunity to win cash prizes. As a result, they are subjected to a different and less strict set of rules.
If we take the US as an example, sweepstakes casinos, sportsbooks and poker sites are legal in some capacity in the vast majority of states. Washington is the only state with strict laws on sweepstakes prizes – though many free-to-play sites with only virtual rewards are legal here too.
As long as you are in a location where poker online sweepstakes are available, and you are over the minimum required age, then you can play. In most cases, the minimum age for playing sweepstakes is 18. However, you will find that many websites do have a minimum age requirement of 21+ regardless of the law. This is quite common among new sweeps casinos as it is easier than having different age restrictions for different locations.
The main difference between sweepstakes and regular online poker is that you don’t ever bet and play with real money when you are playing at a sweepstakes site. Instead, you play using virtual currency, which can be gained for free through various bonuses. If you so wish, operators also do provide you with the opportunity to purchase more virtual currency online.
There are two main virtual currencies that are used at your average sweepstakes casino, each of which serves a slightly different purpose. Firstly, Gold Coins is the main virtual currency that is used solely for the purposes of entertainment. You will always get some gold coins as part of your sign-up bonus and through the daily reload. In addition to promotions and bonuses, you can also purchase Gold Coins in bundles.
The second currency that you are likely to come across when playing at a social poker site is Sweeps Coins. These are rarer than Gold Coins and can be used to play eligible promotional games and tournaments. You cannot purchase Gold Coins and they can only be gained through VIP sweepstakes bonuses, promotions and/or by winning games and tournaments.
The main difference between Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins is that the former has no real world value whatsoever. Meanwhile, Sweeps Coins can ultimately be used to redeem prizes when you become eligible.
Although some sites only offer virtual rewards that have no value outside of the website and/or social casino app, there are many that offer you the chance to redeem real prizes. Prizes at sweepstakes casinos and poker sites come in the form of cash, gift cards, merchandise and more.
Rather than betting and withdrawing your money, cash prizes are redeemed using sweeps coins and only when you become eligible. This can happen by playing through your sweeps balance a certain number of times or by winning on dedicated promotional games or tournaments.
As well as being able to win sweepstakes prizes playing poker, you can also win more Sweeps Coins playing slots and casino-style games with your provider. You can find out more details about how to win in sweepstakes casinos here at CryptoGamblr.
Although you can make Gold Coins purchases, you can realistically expect to play a sweepstakes poker machine for free. There are plenty of bonus avenues that you can pursue in order to get free Gold Coins and even Sweeps Coins. We have listed some of the most common sweepstakes casino bonuses for you below.
The best social casino bonus available right now can be found at Stake.us using one of our special sweeps codes. If you register your account with this operator today, make sure that you enter our exclusive promo code: CRYPTGAMBL. This code will unlock a 5% rakeback bonus that builds up over seven days.
Every wager that you place when playing games at Stake.us will see you earn back 5% of the game’s house edge. This means that your bonus amount will build up in the background and be paid into your balance at the end of the week.
If you are already sold on the idea, there is good news, as you can now start playing online social poker today. Once you have found your ideal operator by using the reviews on our website, you just need to complete the following steps:
This can be done within minutes on most websites, or even with just one click using your Facebook or Google account.
You can read more about the sweepstakes casino verification time and process here at CryptoGamblr.
You will get some free Gold Coins and possibly Sweeps Coins as a new player, meaning that you can start playing for free.
Now that you are registered and have some currency, you can start playing online poker for free with sweepstakes.
While you can play for free at sweepstakes and poker sites, you can also purchase Gold Coins in bundles. At most casinos, Gold Coins packages will come with a free Sweeps Coins bonus. Purchasing Gold Coins is by no means necessary. However, it can enhance the experience for some players and gives you a better chance of becoming eligible to win prizes.
Most operators allow you to make purchases on the website or in the app using your credit or debit card. Additionally, you will find that some sites also accept e-wallets such as PayPal and Skrill, as well as prepaid cards. There are even some sweeps casinos, such as Stake.us, that support cryptocurrency payments.
The only dedicated sweepstakes site for poker that is available right now is Global Poker, which is operated by the same company that operates Chumba Casino. However, the best all-round sweepstakes casino is Stake.us, where you can claim that exclusive 5% rakeback bonus with the promo code: CRYPTGAMBL.
When it comes to online sweepstakes games, poker is definitely one of the fastest-growing in terms of popularity. And while there are some great platforms out there right now, we can only see more and more becoming available in the near future. Be sure to check back in with us here at CryptoGmblr for new sweepstakes operator reviews.
If you are looking for legit sweepstakes casinos and poker platforms, then you can find them here at CryptoGamblr. We have reviewed all available operators, and have highlighted those that we believe to be the best.
Sweepstakes casinos are not the same as real money poker sites. However, prizes may be available on some sites – more information can be found in this article.
The minimum age requirement for sweepstakes casinos and poker depends on a number of factors. Full details of how this works have been laid out for you here at CryptoGmblr.
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