What is a sweepstakes casino?
When you play casino games on Ohio sweepstakes sites, you will experience a genuine casino atmosphere but with one key difference; there is no real money betting. Instead, the casino will use virtual coins that have the aim of resembling the act of gambling with real money. You get to play all your favorite casino games like online slots, table games, and live dealers, without ever funding it yourself.
How do sweepstakes work?
As you now know that sweepstakes operate a free-to-play model, let’s jump in and learn all about the virtual currency system that is at the core of
sweepstakes casinos. Sweepstakes casinos use two main virtual coins - Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. They both can be collected and used in different ways.
Let’s find out how Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins work:
- Gold Coins (GC):
GC can only be used to play casino games for entertainment purposes. Even though you can choose to purchase extra GC, they have no monetary value. You can collect free GC by unlocking them in various promotions.
- Sweepstakes Coins (SC):
SC offers you the chance to win real prizes using a currency that cannot be purchased. Once you collect free SC, you can redeem them for prizes.
Are sweepstakes legal in the US?
Sweepstakes are safe and legal to access in most states in the US. As they operate a no-purchase-necessary model, they are not considered to be
online gambling sites. While sweepstakes are not legal in Washington, some sites set their own rules. For instance, Stake.us is not legal in a few other states including Washington, New York, Nevada, Idaho, and Kentucky.
Our favorite legal social/sweeps casinos in the US
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The best Ohio sweepstakes & social casinos
It can be a challenge to identify which sweepstakes casino is the best. With this in mind, this next section will outline five of the
best US casino sweepstakes
Ohio has to offer.
1. Stake.us
One of the main attractions to Stake.us is the Stake Originals games, which have been entirely developed in-house and exclusive to the site. Alongside these exciting games, there are slots, table games, and live dealers that have been created by Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming. To help keep your account balance topped up, Stake.us offer some of the best promotions that you will find. From Slots Battles, Originals Challenges, and Daily Races, there are a variety of competitions to get involved with.
When you register your account you will be given a large amount of Gold Coins and Stake Cash to get you off to a great start. During the registration process, you can also enter the exclusive 5% Rakeback promo code: TGHSOCIAL.
56 Stake Cash + 560K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
2. Fortune Coins
Another fantastic option is Fortune Coins which features exciting games like slots, video poker, and fish games. You will also have a selection of daily jackpots for a chance to win some large payouts. The welcome bonus on Fortune Coins is large and if you connect your Facebook account, you will be given 140,000 Gold Coins and 500 Fortune Coins. Among some other promotions available, there is an invite-only VIP program that offers its members personalized weekly and monthly bonuses, weekly VIP Rakeback, and much more.
Claim Your Free 650,000 Gold Coins & 1,400 Fortune Coins
3. Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas is the perfect site for anyone who enjoys playing online slots. You will get to choose from a huge selection of 334 Vegas-style slots with 210 classic slots and 16 megaways in the mix, all developed by big names like Betsoft and Pragmatic Play. To help get you started, Wow Vegas will instantly add 5,000 Wow Coins to your account balance. But make sure you keep your eye out for other promotions to claim as Wow Vegas gives away 25,000,000 Wow Coins each day.
35 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins
4. Golden Hearts Games
If you are searching for a casino site with something a little different, then this is the platform for you. While you play casino games, you get to support some wonderful charities that have been selected by players like you. Play exciting bingo games, scratch games, slots, and table games while supporting thousands of nonprofit organizations that have been hand-picked.
625K Golden Coins + Up to 125 SC FREE + 1250 VIP Points
5. Chumba Casino
Chumba Casino is another great option for Ohio sweepstakes. While the gaming portfolio may be modest, it is full of thrilling online slots and exciting table games that offer a great variety. You can also play jackpot slots for a chance to win big and increase your bankroll. Not to mention, Chumba Casino offers a dedicated mobile app to give players a seamless experience when gaming on the go.
2M Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
As you know, sweepstakes casinos offer play-for-free games using virtual coins. So, let’s dig in and uncover some of the best ways you can claim free virtual coins to keep playing without affecting your personal funds.
Be sure to keep an eye on the operator’s social media channels as you will often find exclusive promotions and competitions that cannot be found on the website.
This is well worth claiming when available as it is one of the easiest ways to claim some free coins, so check to see if your casino offers this type of bonus.
Check to see if your casino offers a tiered reward system, as this is the perfect way to boost your bankroll while unlocking exclusive perks.
Many sweepstakes allow players to request free Sweepstakes Coins by writing a letter. Simply find the land address and ask for some freebies, you may be surprised.
Understand the difference between Ohio’s sweepstakes casinos and online casinos
Ohio’s sweepstakes casinos give you a great way to play casino games online. But while you can legally play at these sites anywhere from Cleveland to Cincinnati, you should get a good understanding of how they work. So here are five major differences that you’ll see between sweepstakes casinos and regular online casinos:
Sweepstakes gaming versus real money gambling
Sweepstakes casinos simply don’t feature any kind of real money gambling. This means that you won’t be wagering your own cash on any of the slots or table games. Instead of this you will be playing the games with different kinds of virtual credit. All of this means that you can legally play casino games from anywhere within the Buckeye State.
Redeemable prizes versus real money winnings
You cannot directly win money when playing at sweepstakes casinos. However, you will get the option to redeem a variety of real-world prizes like cash, gift cards and merchandise. To do this, you will need to be playing with the Sweepstakes Coins form of virtual currency. This lets you play the games in the promotional sweepstakes mode, and once you have played through your Sweepstakes Coins the required amount of times, you should be good to redeem your prize.
Play for free versus pay to play
Want to play casino games online but don’t want to risk your own cash? No problem, because all sweepstakes casinos are legally obliged to let you play for free. Part of the requirements to be able to operate in Ohio is the fact that sweepstakes casinos let you enter their sweepstakes with no purchase necessary. This means that you should always be able to get free credit through a range of special offers like welcome bonuses, daily login deals, social media giveaways and so on.
Making payments versus making deposits
Although you can last a fair amount of time playing at sweepstakes casinos for free, there might come a time where you want to get some extra credit. This is why all sweepstakes casinos will let you purchase their Gold Coins type of virtual currency. These Gold Coins let you play the casino games in a standard mode which means that you won’t be able to redeem any prizes. Just remember that you cannot make real money deposits like you can at standard online casinos.
Playing lots of casino games versus even more casino games
Most sweepstakes casinos will let you play dozens of slot games as well as other games ranging from video poker to scratchcards. Until fairly recently, you would have to look pretty hard to find a sweepstakes casino with a decent variety of table games like roulette, blackjack and baccarat. Thankfully, the tide seems to be turning as there are now lots of sweepstakes casinos that are packed full of hundreds of slots, table games and even some live dealer games.
Conclusion
Armed with the top five sweepstakes casinos in Ohio and knowledge of how the virtual currency system works and where to find the best promotions, you have everything you need to get started.
Don’t forget if you sign up for a Stake.us account, you can use The Game Haus exclusive promo code: TGHSOCIAL to claim a 5% Rakeback, which will credit you for any losses you incur while playing casino games, regardless of whether you win or lose the game. Simply enter the promo code during the registration process to apply it to your new casino account.
Sweepstakes by state
| State | State Population | Are Sweepstakes Legal? | Go to list of casinos |
| All States | 331.9 million | ✅ | All States Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Iowa | 3,203,345 | ✅ | Iowa Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Indiana | 6,852,542 | ✅ | Indiana Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| California | 38,915,693 | ✅ | California Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Michigan | 10,030,722 | ❌ | Michigan Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Massachusetts | 6,974,258 | ✅ | Massachusetts Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Kansas | 2,936,378 | ✅ | Kansas Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Georgia | 11,037,723 | ✅ | Georgia Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Mississippi | 2,930,528 | ✅ | Mississippi Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Minnesota | 5,722,897 | ✅ | Minnesota Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Hawaii | 1,433,238 | ✅ | Hawaii Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Illinois | 12,477,595 | ✅ | Illinois Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| North Carolina | 10,832,061 | ✅ | North Carolina Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| New Hampshire | 1,402,957 | ✅ | New Hampsire Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Alaska | 732,984 | ✅ | Alaska Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Nebraska | 1,972,292 | ✅ | Nebraska Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Montana | 1,139,507 | ✅ | Montana Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Rhode Island | 1,090,483 | ✅ | Rhode Island Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Ohio | 11,747,774 | ✅ | Ohio Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| New Mexico | 2,110,011 | ✅ | New Mexico Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| New Jersey | 9,255,437 | ✅ | New Jersey Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Oregon | 4,223,973 | ✅ | Oregon Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Maine | 1,393,442 | ✅ | Maine Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Arizona | 7,453,517 | ✅ | Arizona Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Florida | 22,661,577 | ✅ | Florida Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Connecticut | 3,629,055 | ✅ | Connecticut Sweepstakes Casinos |
| Colorado | 5,868,555 | ✅ | Colorado Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Arkansas | 3,063,152 | ✅ | Arkansas Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Missouri | 6,186,091 | ✅ | Missouri Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Wyoming | 583,279 | ✅ | Wyoming Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Wisconsin | 5,904,977 | ✅ | Wisconsin Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Delaware | 1,031,985 | ✅ | Delaware Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Virginia | 8,709,873 | ✅ | Virginia Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| West Virginia | 1,764,786 | ✅ | West Virginia Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Vermont | 647,156 | ❌ | Vermont Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Texas | 30,500,280 | ✅ | Texas Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Utah | 3,422,487 | ✅ | Utah Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Alabama | 5,098,746 | ✅ | Alabama Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Oklahoma | 4,048,375 | ✅ | Oklahoma Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| South Carolina | 5,722,897 | ✅ | South Carolina Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| North Dakota | 780,588 | ✅ | North Dakota Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Pennsylvania | 12,931,957 | ✅ | Pennsylvania Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| South Dakota | 923,484 | ✅ | South Dakota Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Tennessee | 7,134,327 | ✅ | Tennessee Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Louisiana | 4,553,384 | ✅ | Luisiana Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| Kentucky | 4,518,031 | ❌ | Kentucky Sweepstakes Casinos
|
| New York | 19,496,810 | ❌ | |
| Washington | 7,830,827 | ❌ | |
| Nevada | 3,209,142 | ❌ | |
| Maryland | 6,154,710 | ✅ | |
| Idaho | 1,973,752 | ❌ | |
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Ohio sweepstakes FAQ
❓What sweepstakes are legal in Ohio?
As sweepstakes guarantee free-to-play games, they are legal in most states in the US. Read more in this article to find out about Ohio sweepstakes law and what sites are accessible to you.
🤔What are Wow Coins?
Wow Coins are a type of virtual currency that Wow Vegas uses and has the same functionality as Gold Coins. Read more about how Gold Coins work in this article, as well as some of the easiest ways to unlock them for free.
💰Can I place real bets on sweepstakes casinos?
No, sweepstakes casinos do not allow real money wagers on the site. However, you can still win real prizes. This article explains how the virtual currency system works and how you can claim prizes without it costing you a single cent.
