Sweepstakes casino online California
- Pros and cons
Here is a quick roundup of the main pros and cons of playing in California:
- Legal in California
- Play casino-style games for free
- Optional purchases available
- Social gaming
- Chance to win real money prizes
Sweepstakes casino California
- An overview
For those of you yet unaware, sweepstakes casinos are websites where you can play casino-style games for fun and free. Instead of real money, you can only play games using virtual currency. As a result, no real money gambling takes place on such sites, meaning that they are regulated differently.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in California?
Because sweepstakes casinos do not offer any form of real money gambling, they are not subjected to the strict state-by-state gambling legislation in the US. In CA, real money online casinos and sportsbooks are strictly prohibited to everyone in the state.
However, California and
Texas sweepstakes casinos
are completely legal for persons aged 18 and older. That being said, there are many sites with a 21+ age limit, so always make sure to check the T&Cs before you sign up and play.
Can you win real money at a
sweepstakes casino online in California?
Even though you cannot bet real money at a sweepstakes casino, many sites still give you the chance to win real money prizes. Most sites use two virtual currencies, with one being a promotional coin that you can use to redeem prizes if you win enough.
To understand how this works, we need to first get to grips with the virtual coin system. We have explained this for you in some detail below:
Gold Coins (GC) vs Sweeps Coins (SC)
Most sweepstakes casinos offer two different modes of gameplay. With Gold Coins (GC), you can play games for fun in standard mode. Meanwhile, with Sweeps Coins (SC), you can play promotional games for the chance to win real prizes.
Here’s how each virtual coin works:
- Gold Coins (GC):
These coins can be used solely to play casino-style games for entertainment. They have no real monetary value and cannot be used to redeem real prizes of any kind. When you first register at a sweepstakes casino online in California, you will get free GC as part of your welcome package. You can then top your balance up regularly with the daily reload and other promotions. On top of that, you can also buy more GC in packages, though this is not compulsory.
- Sweeps Coins (SC):
This is the promotional currency that you can use to play casino-style games. If you meet the playthrough requirement and win enough SC, you can redeem them for real prizes, often cash. You cannot purchase SC, as this would be in breach of USA and CA sweepstakes laws. Instead, you can only collect SC through various bonuses and promotions.
How to get free SC at a
sweepstakes casino online in California
The various ways that you can collect free SC differ from sweepstakes casino to sweepstakes casino. That being said, there are a few promotions that are fairly consistent across most platforms in CA.
Below, we have provided you with an overview and examination of the most common free SC offers:
- Welcome bonus
- The vast majority of social casinos give you free SC as part of the new customer offer.
- Daily reload
- You can top up your GC and SC balance every day simply by logging into your account. This is something that all sweepstakes casinos online in California have to offer you legally.
- Purchase promotions
- When you buy specially marked packages of Gold Coins, you get free SC as a bonus. The more you spend, the larger your SC bonus will be is the general rule of thumb.
- Social media giveaways
- If you follow your sweepstakes casino provider on its social media channels, you will find regular posts about free SC giveaways and how you can enter.
- Request by post
- An alternative way to get free SC is to send a handwritten request on a 4x6 blank postcard to your sweepstakes casino’s US office.
Kick off your sweepstakes adventure with these leading bonuses
1.
up to 625K GC +
125 FREE SC
+ 1250 VIP Points
2.
up to 260K GC +
55 FREE SC
+ 5% Rakeback
Requirements (WR): 3x
3.
up to 1.75M WC +
35 FREE SC
Requirements (WR): 1x Bonus, Min. Deposit: 9.99
4.
150% Purchase Offer:
25 SC
FREE and 50K GC
5.
up to 57500 GC +
27.5 FREE SC
Requirements (WR): 1x Bonus
The best sweepstakes casinos in California
Now that we’ve covered the basic ins and outs of sweepstakes casinos online in California, it’s time to take a look at some actual websites. In the table below, you can compare the main attributes and welcome offers at eight of the top sweepstakes casino brands that are available in the Golden State.
We’ve followed this up with some mini reviews that contain a bit more detail about the four
best online sweepstakes casinos, as determined by our expert reviewers. In these, you can find a bit more information about each brand and decide for yourself which one is right for you.
| Sweepstakes casino | Welcome offer | No. of games | Best for |
| Stake.us | $25 no deposit, 250k Gold Coins + 5% rakeback | 400+ | Original games and SC tournaments |
| Sweeptastic | Up to 27,777 + 2 SC | 1,000+ | Largest games lobby and VIP Club |
| Wow Vegas | Up to 8,500 Wow Coins + 4.5 SC | 400+ | Quality slots and cash prizes |
| Pulsz | 5,000 GC + 2.3 SC | 700+ | Mobile gameplay |
| Golden Hearts Games | Spend $10 get 6,250 SC | 20+ | Charity donations |
| Global Poker | 65% off first purchase | 30+ (slots) | Multiple poker tournaments | Only sweepstakes poker site in CA |
| High5Casino | 250 GC, 5 SC + 600 Diamonds | 800+ | Exclusive games and official app |
| Fortune Coins | Up to 360k GC + 1,000 Fortune Coins | 50+ | Jackpot slots and fish tables |
Stake.us - The top
sweepstakes casino online in California
Pros & Cons
- Exclusive welcome offer
- Original games
- Prize tournaments
- Cash prizes
- Restricted in seven states (Not CA)
Stake.us is the top sweepstakes casino in CA right now thanks to its innovative platform, original games and cash prizes. As well as 400+ slots and table games from studios like Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming, this social casino has also developed and produced its own games.
These games are called “Stake Originals” and they stand out on the mark thanks to their use of provably fair technology, which means that you can verify the fairness of the game before each round. Some of the top Stake Originals include Crash, Mines and Dragon Tower.
Get an exclusive welcome offer
As a new player at this sweepstakes casino online in California, you can grab an exclusive welcome offer. This consists of $25 no deposit, 250,000 Gold Coins and 5% rakeback on your losses every week. Check out our main
Stake.us review
for more information.
up to 260K GC +
55 FREE SC
+ 5% Rakeback
Stake.us Highlights
- EXCLUSIVE welcome bonus code
- Coins can be used on all games
- Unmatched Stake Original games
Sweeptastic - The largest sweepstakes casino in CA
Pros & Cons
- 1,000+ games
- Save up to 100% on 1st purchase
- VIP Club
- Real money prizes
If you are looking for the sweepstakes casino online in California with the most games, Sweeptastic is the one. There are more than 1,000 games here, including slots, table games and provably fair originals.
It is also renowned for its VIP Club, as noted during our
Sweeptastic review, and has plenty of promotions, including the welcome offer and first purchase promotions.
Save up to 100% on first purchase
As a new player, you will get 10,000 free Lucky Coins (LC) when you sign up. When you complete your profile, you will get 17,777 more free LC and 2 free SC. On top of that, you can save up to 100% with the choice of two specially priced first-purchase promo packs.
up to 20K LC +
21 FREE SC
Sweeptastic Highlights
- Great welcome offer
- Accepts cryptocurrencies
- Great range of games
Wow Vegas - A quality casino-style gaming experience
Pros & Cons
- Save 200% on 1st purchase
- 400+ games
- Quality software providers
- Good prize redemption rate
Most of the 400+ games on this social casino platform have been provided by Betsoft and Pragmatic Play. This means that you can enjoy playing some top-tier video slots, including Sugar Rush and Sweet Bonanza.
As explained in full detail in our
Wow Vegas review, you can either play for fun with “Wow Coins” or use SC for the chance to redeem real money prizes at the rate of 1 SC = 1 USD.
Save 200% on your first purchase
The no deposit welcome offer here gets you up to 8,500 Wow Coins and 4.5 free SC if you log in every day for three consecutive days after you right up. Additionally, you can purchase the $29.99 pack for $9.99 as a new player, giving you a 200% saving.
up to 1.75M WC +
35 FREE SC
Wow Vegas Highlights
- Easy to claim registration bonus
- Simple coin system
- Games from top providers
Pulsz - The best California mobile sweepstakes casino
Pros & Cons
- Official mobile app
- 800+ games
- Changeable interface
- Trusted brand
- High min. Redemption rate
Surprisingly, one of the things that most sweepstakes casinos online in California lack is a mobile app. That’s not the case at Pulz, as the official app contains over 800 games and the choice between light or dark interfaces.
If you prefer to kick it old school, you can with the desktop website. Overall, as detailed in my
Pulsz review, this is a provider that delivers a fun and social casino-style gaming experience.
No deposit welcome offer
The Pulsz bonus offer here consists of 5,000 Gold Coins and up to 2.3 SC if you complete the extra account verification steps.
367,000 Gold Coins and 460 VIP Points
Pulsz.com Highlights
- Interesting welcome bonus
- Several ways to get free Coins
- VIP program
How to play at an
online sweepstakes casino in California
Now that we’ve looked at some top sweepstakes casino options, here is a quick step-by-step guide to help you get started:
- Choose
- First of all, you need to pick your ideal sweepstakes casino from the list on this page. If you are still unsure which to choose, we have given you some information about the main things to consider in the section below.
- Register
- Once you have chosen your sweepstakes casino, you can create your new account. Usually, this only takes a few minutes and you will even find that many of the top online sweepstakes casinos in California even have a one-click signup option.
- Claim the welcome offer
- Most sweepstakes casino welcome offers will be paid into your account automatically when you sign up. However, some offers require you to opt in manually or enter a bonus code. For example, with the exclusive offer at Stake.us, you need to use the
SWEETBONUS
promo code.
- Verify your account
- To be able to access the full platform, play with SC and redeem prizes, you will need to verify your age (18+ or 21+ at Stake.us) and location. You can do this by uploading a digital file containing your photo ID and proof of address.
- Make your first purchase (optional)
- As we have established all online sweepstakes casinos in California have to allow you to play for free. However, the option to make purchases can enhance your experience, especially on sites like Sweeptastic and Wow Vegas where exclusive first-time purchase promotions are offered.
- Start playing casino-style games for free
- That’s it, you’re all set and can now start playing your favorite casino-style games for fun. Remember, in promotional mode (with SC) you even have the chance to win and redeem real money prizes on most sites.
How we rate
sweepstakes casinos online in California
All of the online sweeps and social casinos that appear on our site have been personally tested, reviewed and rated by our experts. As a result, we’re not only confident that you can trust our opinions, but we also feel we can help you find the site that suits your experience levels and tastes the most.
With that in mind, we’d like to give you a peek behind the curtain and show you the main things that our experts consider when rating and reviewing online sweepstakes casinos in California:
Welcome offers and first purchase promotions
The first thing that you are greeted with when you land on a sweepstakes casino website is the no deposit welcome offer. Additionally, you will also find information about the first-purchase promotion if one is available.
All promotions look great in the advert but we dig a bit deeper and read the T&Cs to find out if the offer is worth your while. More than that, we sign up and take out the promotion for ourselves to give you an accurate report of how it works in reality.
After we’ve checked out the welcome offer, we take a look around the site and get a feel for it. Overall, a good social casino website should be easy to navigate and use for players of all experience levels. Extra points go to the platforms that look good and have a strong brand identity.
The most important thing about any sweepstakes online casino experience is the gameplay. As well as looking for a diverse selection of casino-style games, we also look at the technology and which software companies supply the games. Some of the best third-party game developers in the industry include Pragmatic Play, Betsoft and BGaming.
Not all sweepstakes casinos offer the chance to redeem SC winnings for cash prizes, so we always have to check if they are available. Alternatively, some sites offer gift cards and/or merch prizes, while some social casinos in California offer no real-world rewards whatsoever, as they are all about the entertainment experience.
Sweepstakes casino online California
- Conclusion
In summary, online sweepstakes casinos are completely legal in California for players aged 18+. However, you still need to take some precautions, and above all else, make sure that you play at a recommended and safe site. That’s why we strongly recommend that you register with one of the top-rated and vetted sites listed in this article. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you choose the right online sweepstakes casino for you.
Your reliable guide to sweepstakes gaming
1.
up to 625K GC +
125 FREE SC
+ 1250 VIP Points
2.
up to 260K GC +
55 FREE SC
+ 5% Rakeback
3.
up to 1.75M WC +
35 FREE SC
4.
150% Purchase Offer:
25 SC
FREE and 50K GC
5.
up to 57500 GC +
27.5 FREE SC
Sweepstakes casino online California
FAQ
⚖️ Are sweepstakes casinos legal in California?
Yes, sweepstakes casinos are legal in California for persons aged 18+, however, some sweepstakes casinos have a 21+ policy. You can check out the ins and outs of the law and find the best-rated social casino sites for 2025 here at SweepstakesCasino.com.
💵 Can you win real money at a sweepstakes casino online in California?
On a sweepstakes casino website, you can only play casino-style games using virtual currency. You cannot bet, win or lose real money directly from gameplay on these types of platforms. However, if you win enough “Sweeps Coins” (SC), you can redeem them for real money prizes on some sites.
🤔 Can you play online casinos in CA?
Traditional online casinos are prohibited to persons of all ages in California, but there is an alternative. Online sweepstakes casinos are legal and allow you to play casino-style games using virtual currency instead of real money.
