Sweepstakes Poker Sites

Finding a poker site in the US is difficult. With the memory of poker’s Black Friday of April 15th, 2011 still firmly entrenched in the mind, many of the online poker mega powers have no interest in re-entering the US marketplace. And those that do usually come with significant drawbacks, be that restrictions to which states they can offer their services to or sites that are unlicensed and illegal.

Fortunately, there is now an option for poker players to play real money online poker legally from almost anywhere across the US. Those options are sweepstakes poker sites

Sweepstakes poker sites (sometimes referred to as social poker sites) offer US citizens the opportunity to play poker online by offering their services under the guise of sweepstakes — which, unlike traditional poker sites, are legal across most of the nation. Of course, not all sweepstakes poker sites are created equal.

So in this guide, we’ll be covering the best sweepstakes poker sites.

1. Global Poker – Best Sweepstakes Poker Site With Cash Prizes

Founded by VGW (the same company behind Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots), Global Poker has made a name for itself as the first real money poker site where players all across the US can compete against one another.

This feature alone is enough to put Global Poker above any other sweepstakes poker site in the eyes of most players, as sites like Global Poker are hard to come by. Both cash games and poker tournaments are available here. And with their dual currency system, players can play any of the Texas Hold’Em or Omaha variations with either the free-to-play gold coins or the real money sweepstakes coins.

The only real drawback to Global Poker is their no-deposit welcome bonus. 5,000 gold coins, but no sweepstakes coins. This doesn’t mean that Global Poker is a social casino site. Unlike social poker sites, Global Poker does give you the opportunity to win cash prizes, but the sweeps coins needed to achieve this are not included in the no deposit offer.

As such, the only way to play real money poker at Global Poker is by first purchasing gold coins — of course, if you’re looking for that authentic online poker experience of playing against other players, then Global Poker should be your number one destination as it’s one of the few dedicated sweepstakes poker sites currently on the market.

Types of Games Available at Global Poker

Global Poker offers Omaha, Texas Hold’em, Omaha High/Low, Jackpot Sit’n’Go tourneys, Surge Poker, Caribbean Poker, and Bounty Tournaments.

Global Poker has limit and no-limit Texas Hold’em, making it easy for you to play according to their virtual chips. Also, being an exciting and rewarding online poker, you’d find plenty of active poker rooms to play in. If you are looking for a fast-paced online poker, then you are in luck as Omaha, the Pot-Limit Omaha online poker, to be specific is also available to play at this poker site. While PLO is a high-stake game, it can also provide big wins to players.

In addition to Texas Hold’em and Omaha, online poker players can also play the Jackpot Sit’N’Go, which offers 200x your buy-in. This requires only three players with 500 chip stacks each and can be played with as low as 1,000GC and 0.5SC while it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, it’s far from being the only option you’ve got, which brings us to the bounty tournament.

The bounty poker tournament runs very similarly to Texas Hold’em online poker but comes with an interesting twist. A bounty is placed on each player’s head, and you can claim these bounties by knocking other players out of the game. Bounty poker is unique and exciting to play as it allows you to make more, provided you eliminate other participating poker players. Also, with this structure, you do not necessarily need to win the game to win prizes.

Being a social poker site, Global Poker has a ring games feature that allows players to choose poker rooms based on their location. This is useful as you can play with people nearby.

What is Sweepstakes Poker?

Sweepstakes poker sites do not substantially differ from their regulated “traditional” online poker counterparts. In fact, the poker games themselves operate identically.

The primary difference between sweepstakes poker sites and conventional online poker platforms is how they’re regulated.

While online poker sites and gambling are still heavily restricted and only accessible in a handful of states, sweepstakes poker sites are available in most states.

Sweepstakes poker sites do not fall under the definition of “gambling” because they don’t have the three main elements that define “gambling” in most states: consideration, prize, and chance. Sweepstakes poker sites eliminate the “consideration” element, which refers to risking one’s own money or having to make a purchase to participate. Instead, sweepstakes poker sites offer several means for players to participate for free and win real cash prizes, with no purchase necessary.

That leads to the secondary difference: sweepstakes poker sites do not allow players to directly deposit funds and play for real money. Instead, they employ a dual-currency model. Most sweepstakes poker sites refer to their currencies as “Gold Coins” and “Sweeps Coins.”

Gold Coins are a play-for-fun virtual currency that can be used to join any online poker table or tournament. This virtual currency has no monetary value and can only be used for tournament entry and to play online poker. While gold coins are offered freely via numerous promos, player can also buy additional packages of gold coins to continue playing for fun.

Sweeps Coins hold more value as they can be redeemed for real money. Sweeps coins are not available for purchase; however, players can acquire sweeps coins as bonuses when purchasing gold coin packages, by participating in free-entry promotions, or as winnings when playing at sweeps coins tables.

Can You Win Real Money at Online Sweepstakes Poker Sites?

Yes. While some social poker sites are exclusively free to play and offer no real money services, the majority have some sort of mechanism by which players can win real cash prizes.

With these sites, you can acquire their premium currency as bonuses when purchasing gold coins or by participating in other free-entry promos. Then, once you’ve made some profit, you can convert it to real cash prizes when you want to withdraw.

Who is Eligible to Play at Online Sweepstakes Casinos?

Since sweepstakes poker sites aren’t governed by traditional online gambling laws, they are able to offer their services in most states.

One great thing you’ll notice when you sign up is that since they are considered sweepstakes operations, you don’t have to be 21 to sign up like at conventional poker sites. Instead, you’ll only need to prove that you’re at least 18.

How to Acquire Premium Currency at Sweepstakes Poker Sites

While the free sweeps coin bonuses are great for starting off, it’s unlikely that you’ll make too much money from them. Fortunately, all online sweepstakes poker platforms have a first purchase bonus.

If you’ve played at traditional poker sites, you may be used to depositing funds directly. But due to legal requirements, you can’t deposit money directly. Instead, you buy the monetarily worthless currency and will then be given the premium currency as a free bonus.

To do this, find the “Buy” or “Purchase Coins” button on your screen. Click it, and you’ll be shown all available purchase options with any bonuses being listed. Next, select the package you want, and select one of their payment methods. Offered payment methods will vary from casino to casino, but generally, you can expect to find:

  • Skrill
  • PayPal
  • Trustly
  • Prepaid cards
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • Bank Transfers

Select whichever one is easiest for you. Then follow the prompts, and your funds will instantly be available.

That said, it can pay off to be patient and spend a couple of minutes navigating through the site and playing games with their free currency before jumping in to purchase sweeps coins.

How to Redeem Real Money From a Sweepstakes Poker Site

Redeeming any sweeps coins you’ve earned while playing online poker is simple:

  1. Navigate to your account page and click the redeem coins button.
  2. Select one of the redemption methods as well as how much you want to withdraw. Your withdrawal options will vary based on which sweeps poker site you’re using, though typically you can expect to withdraw funds either via Skrill, gift cards, or a bank transfer. Likewise, there’ll typically be minimum redemption limits — usually of about $25.
  3. If this is your first time withdrawing you’ll need to complete the verification process per the KYC (Know Your Customer) policies sweepstakes poker sites maintain. This is because even though sweepstakes poker sites aren’t subject to traditional gambling laws, they still have to abide by sweepstakes laws that limit their operation to certain states and people over 18. For this process, you’ll usually need to provide your phone number, street address, and full name as it appears on your photo ID (if you didn’t supply this information during registration).
  4. Once that’s done, you can expect your funds within 48 hours. Although it may take slightly longer if it’s your first redemption.