Best 6 Sweepstakes Online Casinos in California

 

List of Best Sweepstakes Casinos in California April 2025

Stake.us – California Sweepstakes Casino With the Biggest SC Bonus

Let us start our list of the best California online casino sites with one of the most favored brands in the online gaming sphere – Stake.

With an expanding marketing strategy, including partnering with stars like Drake, and a top-level gaming experience, Stake has become the leader in casino gaming providers.

As of 2022, following the sweepstakes gaming trend in the US, the brand entered the land of freedom with its sister site – Stake.us. With the aim to become a leader in the US as well, Stake.us grants its players a vast free no deposit offer.

When signing up for an account, California online casino enthusiasts can enjoy a free 25 Stake Cash (Sweepstakes Coins). A bonus that is a couple of times bigger compared to competitive brands.

Also, players can pick from more than 400 various titles within the game catalog of Stake.us, including slots, table games, instant wins, and the recently added live dealer games.

Stake.us Homepage Interface

WOW Vegas

The second sweepstakes contender among the online casino sites in California we will cover is relatively new but not a step back behind the best ones. In WOW Vegas, you can expect more than 18 promotional offers.

Some of the best bonuses include the free signup offer of 8,500 Gold Coins + 4.5 Sweepstakes Coins, and the unparalleled first purchase bonus of 1,500,000 GC for just $9.99 with 30 Sweepstakes Coins for free. This is a 200% discount on the default GC offer.

In terms of game selection, California casino style gaming enthusiasts can enjoy sweepstakes slots from quality providers such as Pragmatic Play, BGaming, Betsoft, and many more.

Another positive aspect to mention is that WOW Vegas is available in all US states (apart from Nevada, Washington, and Idaho) and Canada (except for the province of Quebec).

WOW Vegas Casino Lobby

High 5 Casino

If you have ever interacted with online casino style gaming in any manner, there is a good chance you are aware of High 5 Casino, or High 5 Games.

One of the best California casinos, following the sweepstakes model, High 5 is a veteran in the industry and has developed in many niches – from game creation and physical and online casino services to sweepstakes casino-style games and sites. It is one of the legal California online casino sites where you can play for real money prizes.

Newcomers at High 5 are showered with 250 Gold Coins and 5 Sweepstakes Coins for free after account verification. Although they seem a lot, you can easily spend them on the massive 800+ games you can pick from but do not worry.

You can benefit from the daily login bonus, social media contests, or purchase more Gold Coins with free SC as a bonus. Speaking of games, California online casino fans of live dealer games will love their time at High 5 Casino. The site is one of the few sweepstakes casinos offering live games.

High5 Casino UI

Fortune Coins

Our pick of sweepstakes online casino sites for California players, offering huge bonuses, continues with Fortune Coins. Signup, verify your account, and you will get a kick start of 360,000 Gold Coins + 1,000 Fortune Coins for free. 1,000 FC equates to $10 when redeemed, so the offer is also among the most attractive.

Apart from the top game providers in their lobby, such as Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming, Booming Games, and others, you can enjoy many exclusive Fortune Coins slots. Another unique aspect of the game selection is the fish arcade table games.

By shooting fish of different sizes, you can win real money rewards. Fortune Coins is a sweepstakes online casino available in California and 47 more US states, excluding Washington and Idaho.

Fortune Coins Casino

Pulsz Casino

Having heard of sweepstakes casinos and being unaware of Pulsz shouldn’t be presumed. As one of the biggest and most successful sweeps online casinos in California, it also offers one of the most attractive slots selections.

Classic slots, Megaways, cascading reels, hold and win, and jackpots are all popular among California casino style game players. Pulsz also offers Blackjack, Texas Hold’em, Keno, HiLo, and Dice games.

As Pulsz became a success in just a couple of years, Yellow Social Interactive Ltd, the owner company, developed a sister site – Pulsz Bingo. As the name implies, it also offers bingo games to California online casino players for free, yet for the chance to win real money.

Pulsz Sweeps Casino Site

Is Online Gambling Legal in California?

To get straight to the point, no, it isn’t. Online gambling is not yet regulated in the state, making such activities illegal. No specific law restricts online casinos, but the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 can be indirectly interpreted as that.

In brief, it restricts any person or business from accepting payments related to online gambling transactions. In other words, by regulating the payment processors that online casinos need to use to accept deposits, these gaming sites fall under the “illegal” category.

How Can You Legally Play Online Casino Games from California?

So, if you cannot make deposits on a website, how would it be possible for you to legally play casino games online? Well, if the law is interpreted straightforwardly, it wouldn’t be. This is where promotional gaming sites come in place.

They are obliged to provide a free-to-play gaming experience to their players, meaning that you do not need to make any purchases to participate in the games. They grant you free virtual coins to play, and you have the option to make a purchase only if you need more.

This is one of the main differences from traditional money gambling sites, where you need to make a deposit to play the games.

The other significant aspect is the two virtual currencies of usa sweepstakes casinos. The virtual coins you can purchase are usually called Gold Coins and can only be used to play for fun. If you want to participate to win real money, you can play with the other coin type, Sweeps Coins, which cannot be purchased, but give you a chance to win real money.

In other words, you cannot deposit or purchase the coins with which you can win real money. Since they always come as a bonus, sweepstakes casinos are not considered gambling venues.

California Gaming Legal Age

Although sweepstakes casinos in California are not real money casinos, they still need to comply with different regulations. One such is that minors are not accepted to register and play, so the last thing to know is that you must be 18+ to play in these casinos in California.

High 5 Casino Virtual Currencies Explained 

Is it Safe to Play?

It won’t be surprising to ask yourself – ok, they are legal, but are they safe? Are they regulated in any manner, and do they need to have any license?

They are only regulated not to fall under the traditional online gambling model. As long as they incorporate the sweepstakes promotional play, there is no specific body monitoring them, and they do not need any license to operate. Still, some of the most reputable brands do have licenses to show their legitimacy and transparent business model.

Speaking of brands, as we know, every industry has its bad apples. It is generally safe to play on such websites, but still, be cautious when picking a new sweepstakes casino. One thing to consider is checking the unbiased sweepstakes casino reviews we provide here at Mr. Sweepstakes, or researching some of the following aspects by yourself.

How to Pick the Best Casinos in California?

While it would be best to have a specific analysis for every online gaming site you research, there are some common aspects and features to look out for. These are only a couple of the things we at Mr. Sweepstakes analyze when reviewing a given casino-style gaming site.

Sweepstakes Casinos Listing Mr.Sweepstakes 

What Other People Say

You’ll definitely be interested in the gaming experience other fellow players had on the site. Whether the games are fair, redemptions are processed quickly, or customer support is responsive – these are only some of the most commonly discussed topics among gaming fans.

Bear in mind that disappointed users usually share their experiences as a rule of thumb. Still, if most reviews are negative, you should keep one thing in mind.

Company Owner

As important as the customer reviews is whether you can easily find which the company owner of the specific site is. This shows whether the brand has long-term plans to develop itself and become a name in the industry.

You would hardly be able to find any company info about shady sites, which operate under the model to take what they can and disappear, so consider this aspect as well.

Game Providers

The gaming catalog of a sweepstakes casino is undoubtedly one of the most exciting features of online casino enthusiasts. However, this is an aspect that also speaks for the legitimacy of an online gaming site. If it incorporates games from reputable third-party gaming providers, this speaks well for its reputation.

Games by providers like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and Relax Gaming, to mention a few, are tested and certified by regulated bodies and laboratories, so you can be sure that their outcome is not manipulated.

Sweepstakes Game Providers 

Real-Money Casinos in California

So, does this all mean that there are no California real money casinos? If we speak about online gambling, there aren’t any. No online business is allowed to accept payments related to participating in games with a possible prize reward.

However, brick-and-mortar casinos with a license to operate do offer real-money gambling, but you need to visit the casino physically.

Can You Win Real Money Playing Casino Games from California?

As we previously discussed, your legal option to play casino-style games and win real money is to play with Sweeps Coins in sweepstakes casinos. On most sites, you have to wager them once before you can redeem your winnings for real cash prizes.

Another important note is that you must pass KYC verification before your first redemption. This standard procedure is a security measure these gaming sites take to verify and protect your identity and funds.

This procedure includes providing an official government ID, proof of address, phone number verification, etc. As soon as you confirm your data, you will be able to redeem your Sweeps Coins for real money instantly.

Identity Verification Procedure Fortune Coins 

Redeeming Prizes

Now, if you had luck and have won some Sweeps Coins, you probably wonder how you can obtain your winnings. Most sweepstakes casinos support bank transfers and gift card redemptions, but some extend their options to digital wallets like Skrill, Paypal, and also crypto.

In some casinos, like Sweeptastic, for example, you can even sometimes redeem merchandise. In most brands, 1 Sweeps Coin equals 1 USD, but always check the casino’s terms, as in some of them, the ratio is 1:10, 1:100, etc.

Redeem at Sweeptatsic Casino 

Best Casinos in California Sweepstakes Welcome Bonuses

As mentioned earlier, sweepstakes casinos are obliged to provide free access to their games. This includes hefty signup promotions, which with the increasing competition, get more and more attractive. Here we will take a look at the offers of some of the best California online casino bonuses.

Casino Name	Get Bonuses	Sign up Bonus	1st Purchase Bonus
Pulsz	Claim	5,000 GC + 2.3 SC	200% More Coins
Luckybird	Claim	1000.0000 GC + 0.2100 SC	N/A
Golden Hearts	Claim	1,000 GHC	100% Purchase Match
High 5 Casino	Claim	50 GC + 5 SC	5% Discount

Other Types of California Casino Bonuses

Since sweepstakes casinos in California are free-to-play, they grant players many bonuses apart from the welcome offers. They need to constantly provide a way for their users to play for free. So, if you are a Californian, check out your options to get free coins.

Referral Scheme

Do you have some friends that love to play casino style games for free? If so, you can get free Sweepstakes Coins in most sweepstakes casinos in California.

The usual process of claiming the offer is to copy your unique referral link and send it to your friends. If they sign up through it and purchase Gold Coin bundles, you will receive Sweeps Coins for free.

Refer a Friend Promo Fortune Coins

Social Media Competitions

Most of the best sweepstakes casinos in California have a well-developed social media presence, promoting their service through free giveaways. Actually, if such a brand is not active on social media, we suggest you approach it cautiously, as this is not common for the industry.

So, follow your favorite social casino on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and others, and you will get notified each time a new free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins contest is available.

Tournaments

One common promotion you will surely encounter at sweeps cash casinos are contests with a shared prize pool. You compete with other fellow players and climb the leaderboard, enhancing the social aspect of these sites further.

Prize Wheel

Funrize Wheel

Maybe you’ve heard that social casinos offer free daily login bonuses. Well, some make it more attractive by giving away their free daily stuff by a bonus wheel.

Spinning the bonus wheel gives you more excitement and improves player retention, as you might get curious about what your bonus would be today if you spin the wheel. Some brands even offer free Sweepstakes Coins through their daily bonus wheel.

Loyalty Programs

Speaking of retention, when mentioning the bonus wheel, we must also discuss the level-up systems of sweepstakes casinos in California or the so-called VIP programs. Suppose you play regularly and accumulate enough points to increase your account status.

In that case, you can usually benefit from higher daily login offers, more coins on GC purchases, a personal account manager, and many more depending on the specific sweeps cash casino.

Luckybird.io VIP Program

Games You Can Play in California Sweepstakes Casinos

While the currencies with which you play highly differentiate between traditional online and sweepstakes casinos, the games of the latter ones are basically the same as in a typical online casino.

California Free Slots

As a rule of thumb, in most casino style games sites, slot machines are the most preferred choice. Thus, they receive the most focus in social casinos as well. In fact, big names in the game creation industry we mentioned previously recreate their popular slots to utilize the Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins currency system so that they are available to Californians and other American citizens. Maybe some of the sweepstakes slots below will jog your memory:

• Money Train 3
• Sweet Bonanza
• Gonzo’s Quest
• Book of Ra
• Buffalo King Megaways

Buffalo King Megaways Slot Gameplay

Table Games

Sweepstakes casinos in California also offer you the option to diversify your gaming experience and play legendary games like Roulette, Blackjack, and Baccarat.

Are you wondering whether there is video poker in California available online? With sweepstakes casinos, there is!

Live Casino

While offering games with a real-life agent requires a lot of resources, some top-level sweeps casinos already offer such a service.

Remember we previously mentioned brands like Stake.us and High 5 Casino? If you are a Californian who loves playing table and other games with a live dealer, check them out.

Live Dealer Games High 5 Casino 

Bingo

Since the gaming sites discussed in this topic are intended to serve American players, a new niche emerges in them – sweepstakes bingo games for the chance to win real prizes.

So, brands like Pulsz Bingo and a couple of others already offer exciting bingo rooms.

Instant Wins

Some players prefer to check the outcome of their play immediately. Thus, another exotic game type popped into the sweeps gaming realm – instant wins.

Here, you can expect scratch cards and games like Aviator, Plinko, mines, and many more.

Moonspin.us Instant Win Games

Final Words

As the most populous state in America, California also has the most casino-style gaming enthusiasts looking to find how to legally play their favorite games from the comfort of their homes or on the go.

With traditional online gambling being illegal in the state, sweepstakes casinos give players a pretty good alternative to win real money while having fun.

In today’s topic, we took a closer look at why California residents are not allowed to legally gamble online. We discussed sweepstakes casinos as the alternative to this limitation and why you, as a player, should consider it.

We went through the safety of these sites and what to look out for when picking an online gaming website. Of course, doing your own research is recommended, but you can also consider checking the reviews for each brand we offer here at Mr. Sweepstakes.

FAQ