What Is a Social Casino?

Online casinos first appeared in the mid-90s. In over two decades of operation, they have become a prominent choice for fans of casino games. For the past couple of years, however, social casinos have revolutionized how players enjoy games. If the term is not familiar to you, asking yourself what a social casino is may be the first thing popping up in your head.

They are a big hit with US players. These social gaming platforms are ideal for players who enjoy casino games but would rather not play for real money. With a full range of titles that match standard casinos, social casinos are a choice many players will prefer over sites that need a bankroll to play.

LuckyBird Casino Interface

Luckybird.io Sweeps & Social Casino

What are Social Casinos?

These free-to-play casino style sites that are available to players in many countries, including the US. No regulatory body needs to certify and monitor them since they do not offer real prizes. They utilize a single virtual currency only, usually called Gold Coins, or some other virtual token. These cannot be exchanged for anything, so you play only for fun.

The other significant aspect of these sites is their social focus. They allow players to communicate through a live chat, they feature leaderboards where you compete with others, and they usually also have an active forum where many players share their gaming experience.

What is a Sweepstakes Casino?

They are a form of a social casino, thus we will take a look at them too. They also give you free-to-play games, but you can also win real cash and prizes.

While standard casinos need you to make a deposit to play games for real winnings, sweepstakes casinos take no deposits. As a social casino type, the games are offered on virtual tokens as well.

With sweepstakes casinos, players can enjoy all the games they are used to from real-money casinos without using their own cash. Despite offering real money winnings, they still are more about entertainment. The casinos are legal to play in most states in the US.

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WOW Vegas Sweepstakes Casino UI

Virtual Currencies on Sweepstake Casinos

The model of the sweepstakes casino is that you have virtual currencies with which to play the games on the site. Social casinos typically offer two currencies, namely Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC):

  • Gold Coins: This functions in the same manner as the virtual tokens in social casinos and is the main play currency in sweeps cash ones. As mentioned earlier, GC have no value, and the casino gives them to you for free when you sign up. Members can use their Gold Coins to play different games in the casino. Your coins are bound to run out as you play more games. To replenish these, you have to purchase more on the casino’s coin store. You also get Gold Coins as promotional rewards.
  • Sweepstakes Coins: The second virtual currency at social casinos is Sweepstakes or Sweeps Coins (SC). Sweeps Coins have a monetary value and will win you cash and gifts. Social casinos offer these at different rates. The best value you could get for Sweeps Coins is a dollar, so that 1 SC = $1. Since the casinos are free-to-play, you can’t buy Sweeps Coins. Sweeps Coins are redeemable for cash and gift cards once a player gets to a certain threshold set by the casino.

high 5 casino virtual currencies differences

High5 Casino Virtual Currencies Info

How to Get Free Sweep Coins

Sweeps Coins (SC) cannot be purchased like Gold Coins (GC) would. As such, players have to search for them to increase their coin count. To get more Sweeps Coins, you have to play bonus rewards and take any giveaways the casino offers on its social pages. Social casinos will often give players different ways to get Sweepstakes Coins like:

  • Social media giveaways
  • Daily tournaments
  • Requesting for SC through postal mail
  • Loyalty rewards
  • Refer-a-friend bonuses

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Zula Casino VIP Rewards 

Conclusion

Sweepstakes casinos are an ilk of gaming platforms that cost you no money yet deliver all the heart-pounding action from standard casinos.

That you can redeem Sweeps Coins for real cash or gift cards makes social casinos even more exciting. Social casinos are an inexpensive way to enjoy slots and virtual tables that every casino fan should try out at least once.

With a potent blend of lived experience and technical expertise, Stephen Naumov stands as a distinctive voice in Mr. Sweepstakes's content team. Born in the historic city of Sofia, Bulgaria, Stephen studied economics at New Bulgarian University and also enriched his expertise by becoming a software engineer at the renowned Telerik Academy.

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