What is a sweepstakes casino?
Sweepstakes casinos host traditional casino games like slots, table games, and live dealers, but with one key difference - all the games are free-to-play. All South Dakota sweepstakes resemble the act of real gambling by using virtual coins instead of allowing real money bets.
The virtual currency system works with two types of coins - Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, which both have different purposes. While the experience will feel just like the real deal, it is not technically gambling at all.
How do sweepstakes work?
Now that you know a bit more about what
online sweepstakes casinos
are, let’s dive in and explore the virtual currency system. In sweepstakes casinos, there is no opportunity to place real money wagers. Instead, you will use virtual coins when playing games and you can use one of the coins to redeem real prizes.
It is important to note that while some casinos may rename their virtual coins, they have the same functionality. For example, Stake.us refer to their Sweeps Coins as ‘Stake Cash’, but they can be used in the same way.
Let’s have a closer look at how Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins can be used:
- Gold Coins (GC):
GC can be purchased or unlocked for free in a variety of promotions, but have no real monetary value. You can only use your GC to play games for entertainment purposes.
- Sweeps Coins (SC):
SC provides players with the opportunity to win real prizes using a currency that cannot be purchased. You can only collect SC by unlocking them in promotions or competitions.
Are sweepstakes legal in the US?
Sweepstakes operate a no-purchase-necessary model which means it is not legally considered to be gambling under South Dakota sweepstakes law. To be defined as gambling, there has to be the act of betting something of value, which sweepstakes do not allow. As a result, sweepstakes are legal in most states in the US, with the exception of Washington.
Although some online casinos will set their own rules for which states they cater to, it is always best to check with the operator directly before registering. For instance, Stake.us is not legal for players in Washington, New York, Nevada, Idaho, or Kentucky.
The best South Dakota sweepstakes & social casinos
The Game Haus understands that finding the best casino sweepstakes and
online gambling sites
South Dakota has to offer can be tricky, so here are the top five casinos available:
1. Stake.us
Stake.us is a popular brand for its ultimate gaming experience. The site offers hundreds of casino games hosted on a sleek desktop site that goes perfectly with its mobile-friendly site, suitable for Android and iOS. The largest selection is the online slots with 397 titles including Juicy Fruits, Chaos Crew, and RIP City. You will also find Stake Originals that are exclusive to the platform along with plenty of table games and live dealers.
When you join the site you will be given free Gold Coins and Stake Cash in the form of a welcome bonus. The Game Haus also has an exclusive 5% Rakeback offer which you can claim with the promo code: TGHSOCIAL. Simply apply it during the registration process.
55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
2. Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins is another great choice for South Dakota residents. The site hosts plenty of slots, video poker, fish games, and Keno. To grab a huge welcome bonus, all you have to do is sign up using your Facebook account. Doing this will give you 140,000 Gold Coins and 500 Fortune Coins. You may also be lucky to be invited to the VIP program that rewards its members with tailored weekly and monthly bonuses, a weekly VIP Rakeback, and so much more.
Claim Your Free 650,000 Gold Coins & 1,400 Fortune Coins
3. Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas is an amazing platform for anyone who enjoys online slots. With a collection of over 334 Vegas-style slots, you will never be lost for something to play. Discover a range of slots including 210 classic slots and 16 megaways, plus much more. To kickstart your gaming, Wow Vegas will give you 5,000 Wow Coins so you can play immediately. To keep you playing all your favorite games, Wow Vegas gives away 25,000,000 Wow Coins each day in various promotions.
35 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins
4. Golden Hearts Games
If you are searching for a unique sweepstakes casino then Golden Hearts Games is worth checking out. Enjoy playing games like bingo, slots, scratch games, and table games, while supporting thousands of charities and nonprofit organizations. Not only will you help raise money for charities by playing games but you can also donate directly through the website.
Up to 125 SC FREE + 625K Golden Coins + 1250 VIP Points
5. Chumba Casino
Chumba Casino features a great range of games including thrilling slots and exciting table games. While the gaming library is a little modest, you will enjoy a decent variety of games that has something for every type of player. There are also jackpots if you have your sights set on winning big. You can download the Chumba Casino mobile app to carry on gaming even when you are on the move.
2M Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
As you know, you can use virtual coins to play casino games for free and win real prizes. Here are some of the best places to find promotions:
Check your casino's social media channels for exclusive competitions and giveaways that are not advertised on the website.
Locate the casino's land address and send a written request. Most operators will reward you with some free SC as soon as they receive your letter.
A lot of casinos will host tiered reward systems where you can unlock exclusive bonuses like free coins, free spins, Rakeback deals, and so much more.
These promotions are always worth claiming when available, as they will give you bonuses for simply logging in.
Online casinos will regularly update their promotions, so it is recommended to check in often for all the best deals that you can claim.
Major differences between sweepstakes casinos in South Dakota and regular online casinos
While you can legally play at sweepstakes casinos everywhere from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, it’s worth noting that these gaming platforms play a little differently from standard online casinos. So here is a quick outline of the five key differences in how these sweepstakes gaming sites work:
Sweepstakes gaming vs real money gambling
You don’t actually gamble with real money at sweepstakes casinos. Instead of this you will be using different kinds of virtual currency as your stakes, and these don’t have any value in the real world. The lack of real money gambling is a big part of why sweepstakes casinos are legal in many states like South Dakota. So while you cannot play online casino games for money in the Mount Rushmore State, there’s nothing stopping you from playing with virtual credit at a sweepstakes casino.
No purchase necessary vs pay to play
One great thing about sweepstakes casinos is the fact that they don’t cost you a cent to play. This means that you could be playing online slots for free in Spearfish or enjoying some free table games in Aberdeen. All of this is possible because sweepstakes casinos are legally bound to let you enter their sweepstakes with no purchase required in order to operate within South Dakota. As such, you can look forward to getting free credit via a range of special offers such as daily login bonuses, welcome offers, social media giveaways and so on. It’s a far cry from what you get at standard online casinos where you have to pay to play.
Redeem prizes vs win money
It’s worth noting that you cannot directly win money at sweepstakes casinos like you can at standard online casinos. Instead of this, you will be given the opportunity to redeem a variety of prizes like cash, gift cards and merchandise. In order to do this, you will need to be playing the games with the Sweepstakes Coins form of virtual currency. Bear in mind that there are usually some playthrough requirements, a minimum redemption threshold and the fact that you’ll have to have a verified account in order to put in a prize redemption request.
Purchase credit vs make deposits
While you can always play for free at sweepstakes casinos, you will also get the option to purchase a kind of virtual credit called Gold Coins. These Gold Coins can only be used for entertainment purposes, but you might get some free Sweepstakes Coins as a bonus. Just note that you cannot make deposits at sweepstakes casinos like you can at regular online casinos.
Differences in the game selection
It’s also worth highlighting the fact that some sweepstakes casinos have a smaller range of games compared to real money online casinos. This means that you might only find a few slots and have to search a little harder to find table games. Despite this, some of the more recent sweepstakes casinos have game selections that are every bit as wide-ranging as those at standard online casinos.
Conclusion - Play sweepstakes in South Dakota
As this South Dakota sweepstakes guide comes to an end, you have discovered some of the
best US sweepstakes casinos
around. You have also learned about the virtual currency system and some of the best promotions to look out for, so you are ready to start playing sweepstakes games for real prizes.
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
|
| Maryland | 6,154,710 | ✅ | Maryland 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 | ❌ | |
| Idaho | 1,973,752 | ❌ | |
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1.
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2.
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3.
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South Dakota sweepstakes FAQ
❓ What is a Rakeback bonus?
When a casino offers you a Rakeback offer, this is always worth claiming as it will credit you a percentage of the House Edge on all games you play. Check out the exclusive Rakeback promo code for Stake.us in this article.
💰 Can I bet real money on sweepstakes?
No, there are no real money-wagering options at sweepstakes casinos. That being said, you can still win real prizes, so check out this guide for more information.
⚖️ Is Fortune Coins legal in South Dakota?
Yes, Fortune Coins is accessible for South Dakota players. Discover what the site has to offer in the mini-review in this article.
