What is a sweepstakes casino, anyway?

Not a specific operator, this one's a plain-language explainer

This isn't a review of a single brand. "Sweepstakes casino" is the category name for the whole space this site covers, so it earns its own page instead of a fake grade.

A sweepstakes casino runs on two currencies. Gold Coins are for fun, spinning slots or playing table games, but they can't turn into anything. Sweeps Coins are the ones that matter: get them free (through a daily bonus or by mailing in a request, the "no purchase necessary" path every legal operator has to offer) or as a bonus attached to buying Gold Coin packages. Win with Sweeps Coins and they redeem for real cash or prizes once the site's minimum is hit.

That two-currency structure is what lets these sites legally operate in most states where real-money online casino games can't. Not a loophole exactly, more a different legal category, closer to how a fast food chain can run a sweepstakes giveaway than to a licensed online casino. The methodology page covers how individual operators get graded within this category: track record, redemption speed, game library, and state availability.