How do social casinos work from an online payments perspective?
Social casinos don’t accept cash bets or cash gameplay. Instead, they utilize two tiers of virtual currencies – which means you’ll need to get your hands on these online coins before you can start playing at these sites’ Vegas-inspired casino games.
The two virtual currencies used by most sites, are:
1. Gold Coins – free-to-play and purchasable by real cash
These are a free-to-play currency used purely for fun. GCs have no real-world value outside of the website you’re using them to play games at.
Gamers who want to practice their skills in a relatively risk-free environment can acquire GCs either by claiming promotions, by playing at GC games to accumulate more, or by hooking up a reputable payment method to their sweeps casino account to purchase GC packages and top-ups.
2. Sweepstakes Coins – prize-exchangeable but never purchasable
This upper-tier currency is entered into sweepstakes games and tournaments, where it can be played competitively with a view to accumulating more sweepstakes coins – which ultimately have an on-site value and can be “exchanged” for prizes once your Sweepstakes Coin balance exceeds a certain amount.
Sweepstakes coins
cannot
be purchased using any sweepstakes casino payment methods you’ve linked to your social casino account. Instead, they can only be acquired by either claiming sweepstakes coins promotions or by playing at Sweepstakes Coin games.
In summary, while two kinds of virtual currencies are used by these sites, only GCs can be physically purchased and only sweepstakes coins have a prize-exchangeable value. Understanding this is key to getting the most out of your social casino gaming experiences.
How do I link different social casino payment methods to my account?
Obviously, every
sweepstakes casino
out there operates a little differently to the next, so you’ll need to check with your preferred provider how this is achieved. That said, the process is usually fairly familiar across the board. It’ll usually look a little something like this:
- Create or register a new account with your preferred provider.
- Head over to your “My Account” page.
- Follow the on-screen steps to either “purchase coin packages” or “make a deposit”.
- Select the coin package that appeals to you most.
- Choose a payment option from the drop-down box.
- Link your preferred banking provider and complete any Know Your Customer (KYC) checks required.
- Purchase your coins, if you want to, and continue playing.
Most online payment providers, particularly e-wallets, will require some form of verification once you start using them at social casinos. Ordinarily, you’ll be able to approve your transaction using your provider’s app or website, or simply click a verification link via email or text. Of course, all fintech firms, e-wallets, and credit card companies have their own processes in this respect.
| Payment Method |
Description |
| E-wallets |
Many options, secure sites. |
| Credit cards |
Major cards, name match required. |
| Bank transfer |
Convenient, safe, redeem prizes. |
| Crypto |
Virtual currencies, multiple options. |
Which sweepstakes casino payment methods are most common?
The vast majority of social casinos – particularly those you’ll see recommended by TheGameHaus in the banners across our site – accept popular credit and debit cards, and e-wallets. Some of the most common payment options you’ll encounter, are:
As one of the oldest and most widely used e-wallets globally, PayPal is an online payments provider that everybody knows they can trust. Several
sweepstakes casino that accept PayPal, and it has a good reputation for fast online casino deposit and withdrawal times, too.
Perhaps PayPal’s hottest competitor right now, Venmo is especially popular in the US, as it offers incredibly easy-to-use online websites and apps. It can be integrated with many sweepstakes sites and offers quick and straightforward verification procedures for new customers. See our detailed guide about
Venmo sweepstakes casinos.
Paying by card is a classic, safe, and trusted way of conducting online transactions. Many popular sweepstakes sites accept VISA, MasterCard and other major providers, while some support prepaid credit cards. These you can see in our dedicated page for
sweepstakes casino prepaid credit cards.
These are just a handful of the payment options you’ll find advertised by social casinos. Don’t forget that when linking your online payments account to your social casino account, there’s a strong chance you’ll need to verify your identity before you can make any online casino-related transactions.
![Use PayPal to enjoy your favorite sweepstakes casinos]()
Use PayPal to enjoy your favorite sweepstakes casinos
![Popular debit and credit cards widely accepted such as MasterCard]()
Popular debit and credit cards widely accepted such as MasterCard
Do I need to use sweepstakes casino payment methods to make a deposit when claiming a bonus?
If you’ve played at regular, real money online casino before, you might be familiar with the concept of having to put down a “qualifying deposit” above a certain threshold to claim a casino promotion. This is particularly common when registering as a new customer and activating a welcome bonus.
With social casinos, promotions tend to function a little differently. These sites often operate according to a “no purchase necessary” policy, whereby players aren’t required to cough up any of their own cash to play at social casino games - unless they really want to.
As we explored earlier, there are plenty of ways gamers can accumulate both GCs and sweepstakes coins for free – one of which is by claiming bonuses. This means that nine times out of ten, you’ll be able to get your hands on a “free” sign-up promotion when you start out.
For example, new customers to popular sweeps site Stake.us can currently use our unique code “TGHSOCIAL” to activate a 5% rakeback bonus upon registering – with no deposit or qualifying bet required.
If ever you do come to claim a bonus that does require a deposit with an online casino, you should double-check the T&Cs of the offer before pushing ahead with the transaction, as sometimes certain payment methods may be ineligible for the offer in your region.
Conclusion – Pick the social casino payment methods that work best for you
Before registering with any sweepstakes casino provider, it’s important to double-check what payment methods are supported and make sure you understand how their two-tier virtual coin system works. Once you know where you stand, hook up your favorite sweepstakes casino payment methods and complete any necessary KYC or verification checks.
Remember that making a deposit, purchase or qualifying bet is never an absolute requirement with social casinos – you have the freedom to sign-up and enjoy free-to-play games without doing so if you wish. Even when claiming a welcome bonus, it’s unlikely you’ll need to put down any hard cash, though it is sensible to link a reputable online banking method to your social casino account should you wish to purchase coin packages to top-up your virtual currency balance at a later date. Browse the banners across our site for recommendations of reputable social casinos that accept safe and trusted payment methods now.
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2.
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5.
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Sweepstakes casino payment methods FAQ
💰 What is the safest payment method to use with social casinos?
Safety should be the main focus whenever you’re using online casino sites such as sweepstakes and social casinos. The best and most reputable sites will usually support widely recognizable payment methods such as PayPal and Venmo, but you’ll need to do your research to ensure the casino you’re most interested in is 100% legit. Check out our online social casino guides here at TheGameHaus.
💸 Do sweepstakes casinos accept PayPal?
Naturally, every social casino sets its own rules in terms of which online payment methods are and aren’t accepted. You can check out the banners across our site here at TheGameHaus for recommendations of social casino operators that accept the payment options you are most interested in or comfortable using to fuel your online gaming activities.
🎲 Can I trust Venmo sweepstakes casinos?
An ever-increasing number of sweepstakes casinos that accept Venmo and other e-wallets continues to appear across the social casino market, but how do you spot the difference between trustworthy online gaming sites and those that ought to be avoided? The latest guides from TheGameHaus walk you through what to look out for when comparing social casinos online.
👛 Do I need to make a deposit to play sweepstakes casino games?
Sweepstakes casinos don’t usually impose a purchase obligation on players, though you might sometimes wish to make a deposit to purchase coin packages, or for other reasons. Many of the best social casinos we’ve reviewed recently offer tantalizing sign up bonuses to newbies, but is an activation deposit required to claim any of these? Find out with TheGameHaus today.
🤑 Which sweepstakes casino is best?
When comparing social casino sites, it’s important to look out for reputable licenses, a good game selection that meets your needs, and broad acceptance of the online payment methods you feel most at ease using for casino-related transactions online. TheGameHaus can help you compare social casinos in all these important categories and more.
