At sweepstakes casinos, youโll get to play immersive Vegas-style games for free and probably claim alternative prizes while at it. However, your experience might not be so great if you donโt understand how sweepstakes casino playthrough requirements work. 5b6f1l
Thatโs because without meeting a sweepstakes siteโs playthrough requirements, you canโt redeem SC winnings for the available alternative prizes. Iโll explain how these sites work, describe what playthrough requirements are, why they are so important, and walk you through the steps of meeting them. Youโll also find tips on how to meet them faster and some mistakes to avoid. Just keep reading.
Before we get into the meat of our conversation about playthrough requirements, Iโd like to share these tidbits with you.
To fully describe how sweepstakes casinos playthrough requirements work, itโs only right that I start by explaining how sweepstakes casinos work. So here goes.
Sweepstakes casinos are very much like real-money casinos. They offer games from leading providers, generous bonuses and promos, excellent , great usability, and, for the most part, an exciting on-the-go gaming experience. Hereโs where they differ:
โSweepstakes casinos run a free-to-play gaming model, so you donโt need to make initial purchases to explore their services. Since these sites run on a sweepstakes model where real money isnโt ed, players canโt withdraw real money winnings but can redeem SC winnings for alternative prizes.โ
You might be wondering how sweepstakes brands pull off the free-to-play model. Well, theyโre able to do this by using virtual currencies instead of real money. Most sweepstakes sites operate a dual virtual currency system where two currencies are used for either entertainment or entering sweepstakes promotions. Although these currencies might have brand-specific names, they all operate based on the same principle. Hereโs how they work
Gold Coins (GC) are strictly used for entertainment and canโt be redeemed for alternative prizes. You canโt exchange them, but you can get them via bonuses, promos, gameplay, and non-mandatory GC package purchases. Sweeps Coins (SC) are used to enter sweepstakes promotions and can be redeemed for alternative prizes once you meet the siteโs prize redemption requirements. You canโt purchase SC but can get free Sweeps Coins via bonuses, promotions, and gameplay.
One of the prize redemption requirements youโd need to meet to redeem your SC for alternative prizes is called playthrough requirements. Keep reading to find out what they are.
A sweepstakes siteโs playthrough requirements refer to the number of times youโre required to play through your SC before you can redeem them for alternative prizes, such as real money prizes, gift cards, and merchandise. Basically,
โPlaythrough requirements are to sweepstakes casinos what wagering requirements are to real-money casinos. All sweepstakes sites have playthrough requirements, and without meeting these requirements, you canโt redeem SC for real-time rewards at these sites.โ
Hereโs an illustration of how playthrough requirements work at sweepstakes sites.
Letโs say you play at a sweepstakes casino that offers a 1x playthrough requirement. What this means is that whether you claim SC from a free bonus or as part of a non-mandatory GC package purchase, youโll have to play through them at least once before redeeming them for alternative prizes. Basically, if you receive, say, 50 SC from a bonus, youโll be required to play 50 SC worth of games before initiating prize redemption.
However, these playthrough requirements donโt apply to SC that win via promotional play. With these kinds of SC, for every 100 SC that you win, if your gameplay costs you 1 SC and you score a win that doubles the amount you put in, youโll now have 90 SC to play through.
Sweepstakes casinos are supposed to be all fun and games, so why should you bother with playthrough requirements? Hereโs why.
Although youโll get free GC and SC to explore a sweepstakes siteโs game for free, whereโs the fun in just redeeming them for real-time rewards without going through using them for gameplay? With playthrough requirements, youโd have to actually play the siteโs games and put in some effort before claiming your alternative prizes.
Thereโs also the regulatory aspect to things. Meeting playthrough requirements keeps things fair and in line with the US Sweepstakes laws with which sweepstakes brands must comply. Without mandatory playthrough requirements, sweepstakes sites would be something of a โmoney grabโ where s waltz into the site and grab prizes without doing anything.
Now that you understand how sweepstakes sites and their playthrough requirements work, let me walk you through the steps of playing through your SC.
Once youโve met the playthrough requirements and minimum redemption limits, you can initiate the prize redemption process.
Having shown you the steps to meeting playthrough requirements at a sweepstakes site, Iโd like to take things further by offering you my top tips on how to meet these requirements faster. Here goes.
Return To Player Percentages (RTP) refers to the returns you can get from a game over time. The higher the RTP, the higher the returns to the player (in this case, you). Iโm always looking to play the highest-RTP casino slot machines (with a minimum RTP of 97%). Although these values are only theoretical and determined over a very long period of time, playing high RTP games could potentially offer better virtual currency return. With high-RTP games, youโre more likely to score more SC that have already met the siteโs playthrough requirements.
Each sweepstakes casino game has different amounts of coins youโre expected to play with. For some, youโd need to use more SC, and for others, less SC. Itโll be a lot easier to meet your playthrough requirements faster if you play games that require more SC for gameplay. However, you could also lose some SC if the outcome isnโt favorable. The trick is to only use more SC on games that youโre pretty great at, so youโll get to play more SC to meet your โtargetโ faster.
Your SC have a shelf life at the site, after which youโd lose them. Thankfully, most sites offer you enough time to use them, so do so. I always aim to and play some games whenever I can, and that has always helped me meet playthrough requirements. You donโt have to spend extended periods at a time; just consistently and play your SC as often as possible. The best part about consistent gameplay is, some sweepstakes sites award you SC as part of your daily bonus.
Most sweepstakes brands have a Sweepstakes Rules page that spells out the doโs and donโts of participating in their sweepstakes promotions. Itโs on these pages that youโll find the small print about all the requirements you need to meet, including sweepstakes casinos redemption time limits. Use this page as your guide when playing so you can easily avoid any pitfalls that could easily void the way you use your SC.
Iโve come across quite a number of myths about how playthrough requirements work at sweepstakes sites, but Iโve got just enough time to handle three of the more popular ones now:
Fact: Not true. Each sweepstakes brand reserves the right to determine what playthrough requirements its players must meet. At some sites, you might have to meet playthrough requirements as high as 20x.
Fact: Each casino requires a certain number of coins to play. Just as different slots require varying amounts per spin, table games, arcade games, and other games require different amounts of virtual currency for gameplay
Fact: From my experience, thereโs no relationship between playthrough requirements and the quality of service offered by a sweepstakes brand. There are several other factors to consider when rating a sweepstakes siteโs quality.
Iโve compiled a list of the playthrough requirements available at the leading sweepstakes casinos in the industry. Hopefully, this helps you make informed decisions when shopping for sites to explore freemium gaming.
Sweepstakes casino brand | Playthrough requirements |
Stake.us | 3x |
WOW Vegas | 1x |
McLuck | 1x |
MegaBonanza | 1x |
Sportzino | 1x |
Fortune Coins | 2x |
Chumba Casino | Can get up to 20x |
DingDingDing | 1x |
High 5 Casino | 1x |
RealPrize | 1x |
Zula Casino | 1x |
Funzpoints | 1x |
Fliff Casino | 1x-20x |
The Money Factory Casino | 1x |
Sweeptastic | 1x |
I've been able to offer a significant amount of insights in this sweepstakes casino guide because of the lessons learned from making mistakes while playing at sweepstakes casinos. To help you steer clear of these same makes, here are things to avoid when trying to meet playthrough requirements at sweepstakes casinos.
The and conditions (T&Cs) page doesnโt make for interesting reading, so very few social gamers take the time to go through it. Thatโs a big mistake. Just like the Sweepstakes Rules page, the T&Cs page contains loads of information that could either make or mar your gaming experience at a sweepstakes site. Iโve ed up reading these pages because I was too caught up in trying to explore my welcome bonuses and the casino lobby and I ended up making costly mistakes that cost me my SCs. Take the time to review the small print in the T&Cs, and youโll also figure out ways to avoid any pitfalls when playing through your SC.
Itโs important to keep your eyes on how far youโve gone with meeting your playthrough requirement. Different sites have varying ways to check how long youโve got to meet the requirements, but itโs often displayed as a progress bar at the top of the homepage. Once you know how far along you are, it becomes easier to either up the amount of SC youโre playing or leave things as they are.
Besides helping you meet the playthrough requirements, checking your progress also lets you quickly attain the minimum SC redemption amount also required for prize redemption.
Once upon a time, I picked the sites I played at based on how generous the welcome bonuses and promos were. I soon learned differently. Thatโs because some of the sites with generous bonuses and promos had some really steep playthrough requirements.
Having to battle steep playthrough requirements can make the gameplay less interesting and rewarding, regardless of how much of an expert you are. These days, I look up the playthrough requirements first to ascertain how player-friendly they are before g up to the site.
Hereโs a quick look at both sides of the coin when it comes to meeting playthrough requirements at sweepstakes sites.
As long winded as that sounded, meeting playthrough requirements at sweepstakes casinos should be easier after reading this guide. Youโve learned how these requirements work and how to meet them. Iโve also offered proven tips about playthrough requirements, busted a couple of myths about them, and described some things to avoid.
Armed with this info Iโve provided, all thatโs left for you to do is to head on to your preferred sweepstakes site, and test all that you just read about.
Sweepstakes brands set certain conditions that their s must meet before claiming Sweep Coins for alternative prizes. These conditions may vary from brand to brand and itโs important to understand how they work at any of the brands you choose to explore.
All of the top sweepstakes casinos offer player-friendly playthrough requirements, so you wonโt have to snoop around for long before finding some.
There are several ways to play through your Sweeps Coins quickly. This guide provides a couple of actionable tips to help you meet these requirements in little or no time.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.