What is a sweepstakes casino, anyway?

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

A sweepstakes casino runs on two currencies. Gold Coins are for fun, spin slots, play table games, but they never turn into anything. Sweeps Coins are the ones that matter: get them free (a daily bonus, or mailing in a request, the "no purchase necessary" path every legal operator is required to offer) or as a bonus tacked onto buying Gold Coin packages. Win with Sweeps Coins and they redeem for real cash or prizes once the site's minimum gets hit.

That two-currency structure is exactly what lets these sites legally operate in most states where real-money online casino games can't. Not quite a loophole, more a different legal category, closer to how a fast food chain runs 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, state availability.