Back in the mid-1990s, a company named Microgaming developed the first online casino software, paving the way for today's global online casino industry. Like many “firsts” in those wild west days of the World Wide Web, there are some disputes to Microgaming’s claim, as other developers would have been working on the same concepts simultaneously.
Nevertheless, the iGaming industry is over 30 years old. And it has changed remarkably from those halcyon days: Live casino games – including live game shows – are widely available. Applications and websites can host 1000s of games, and there are even new genres that would not be possible without specific technologies.
New trends come and go, of course, from Megaways to Crash Games, but one of the biggest trends right now is sweepstakes casinos. They are particularly popular in the US. But what are they? And why have they swept (no pun intended) the country in popularity? We can think of five compelling reasons below:
Sweepstakes Games Can Be Played for Free
The key element of a sweepstakes casino is that real money is not wagered directly. You can earn prizes by exchanging the platform’s in-game currency, called sweep coins, but the simple prospect that you are not betting directly is an attraction in itself. Not everyone wants to wager real money, so sweepstakes casinos provide a middle ground. A lot of games can simply be played for free, so if you’re savvy about it, you can play without ever spending a penny.
Sign-Up Bonuses and Player Promotions Shine
Sweeps casinos usually go big on promotions, often offering free gold coins (another currency used to play the games) and sweeps coins. The current McLuck sign-up bonus is a good example, offering both GCs and SCs to new players. The promotions will keep going after you’ve joined, with many platforms offering daily login bonuses and other loyalty schemes for regular players.
Casino Games Have Come a Long Way
Some players will view it differently, but we’d argue that most sweepstakes players are there for entertainment, while bearing in mind they can potentially earn decent prizes. Yet, to do that, the games must be entertaining, and it’s certainly the case that developers like Hacksaw Gaming, Nolimit City, and others have developed casino games that can be enjoyed when no money is at stake. Most sweepstakes casinos mimic the games found in real-money casinos, yet there are also bespoke games made specifically for those sites.
Sweepstakes Casinos Are More Social
It’s clearly the case that sweepstakes casinos put more emphasis on social interactions than their real-money counterparts. This extends to everything happening on the site – tournaments, competitions, chat functions – and onto social media sites. Their presence on the latter is most apparent as an exercise in community building.
Filling a Vacuum In States Without Legal Gambling
The legal status of sweepstakes casinos will vary by state, and some state legislators are still formulating regulations as this type of gaming is relatively new. Yet, the upshot is that some sweepstakes casinos – and a similar style of platform called social casinos – operate in states where direct real-money casino gambling is not legal. It is, therefore, a lower barrier to entry for many new players.
