Are sweepstakes legal in Pennsylvania? Keystone State social casinos
PENNSYLVANIA is one of the most liberal states in the US in terms of its online gambling options. with online sports betting, casino games and poker rooms all legal.
In addition to regular real money online casinos, there are also a healthy selection of social casinos available for Pennsylvania residents.
In this article, we will explain how social casinos work and how Keystone State residents can participate.
The state of gambling in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania passed a piece of legislation legalizing online gambling back 2017, when Gov. Tom Wolf signed HB271 into law. However, it wasn’t until the following year that it could be enacted, when the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amatuer Sports Protection Act. With PASPA removed, each state was free to determine its own state betting laws and sports betting in Pennsylvania went live in November 2018.
Since then, the online gambling industry in PA has gone from strength to strength with 12 licensed sportsbooks up and running, the majority of which also offer online casino games.
Are sweepstakes legal in Pennsylvania?
Sweepstakes are legal in Pennsylvania, which includes the prizes you can win through sweepstakes contests at social casinos. Sweepstakes contests are in a separate legal category to real money gambling on offer at the sportsbooks and real money online casinos in the state.
There is no gambling license required to host a sweepstakes contest, which is why social casinos are so widely available around the US compared with real money gambling sites.
Social casinos and sweepstakes casinos are like a low-pressure, social alternative to real money gambling sites. All the games are totally free to play, with no requirement to reach for your credit card at any point if you prefer not to.
At the same time, social casinos do share some similarities with real money sites, in things like the types of games you can play and the layout of the site.
Some social casinos have free versions of the most popular real money slot games, from top software providers like Pragmatic Play and NetEnt.
And, of course, when you play in sweepstakes mode you have the chance to redeem real cash prizes.
The best social casinos in Pennsylvania
Fans of online casino-style games in Pennsylvania have access to some of the best social casinos in the world, with modern software, the latest games and excellent bonuses. Check out our favorite sites below:
- Fortune Coins - 1,250,000 GC + 4,300 SC
- Stake.us - 25 Stake Cash + 250,000 Gold Coins
- High 5 Casino - Get 5 Free Sweeps Coins + 250 GC + 600 Diamonds
- WOW Vegas - 1.5 million WOW Coins + 34.5 Free Sweepstake Coins
- Sportzino - Up to 220,000 GC + 10 SC
- Chumba Casino - 2,000,000 free GC + 2 free SC
- Luckyland Slots - 7777 gold coins + 10 sweeps coins free
- Zula Casino - 100,000 GC + 10 SC
- McLuck - 57,500 Gold Coins + up to 27.5 free Sweepstakes Coins
- Global Poker - Use code PLAYPOKER for exclusive Gold Coin offer
- Pulsz - up to 367,000 Gold Coins + 32.3 Free Sweepstakes Coins
- Funrize - 125,000 FREE Gold Coins
Can I win real money at social casinos in Pennsylvania?
Kind of. With social casinos, you can’t actually play the games for real money, or make deposits or withdrawals in the same way as regular online casinos. However, you can still redeem cash prizes. Here’s how it works.
You can play the games at social casinos for free, using two different types of virtual currency or token. Normally, they are called Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, although some sites have come up with their own names for them. You’ll get both of them for free when you sign up, and you can collect more through various promotions and giveaways - as well as winning them through the games.
Gold Coins is like playing in basic mode. No matter how many you win, Gold Coins can never be exchanged or redeemed for prizes. They only exist as a vehicle for playing the free games. If you run out of your free supply of Gold Coins, you can also purchase some more.
Sweeps Coins are a little different, and are used for playing in Sweepstakes mode. You can never purchase Sweeps Coins. They can only ever be acquired as a free bonus, and you often get some as a free extra when you purchase Gold Coins packages.
When you win additional Sweeps Coins through the games at social casinos, you can redeem them for prizes including cash prizes that get transferred to your bank account. You normally need to hit a certain threshold to request a prize redemption (like 50 or 100 Sweeps Coins) and you can only redeem SC that you win via the games, not the ones you got as a free bonus.
Even though traditional online gambling is legal in Pennsylvania, social casinos and sweepstakes games are a fun alternative. They have less of an emphasis on hitting big wins, and more on having fun and sharing the experience with the social community. However, thanks to Sweeps Coins, you can also redeem cash prizes.
Find our social casino reviews
- High 5 review
- Global Poker review
- Pulsz casino review
- Wow Vegas Casino review
- Chumba Casino review
- Stake.us review
Responsible sweepstakes and social playing
Remember to play responsibly at social and sweepstakes casinos
A responsible player is someone who:
- Establishes time limits before playing
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t play if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- National Council on Problem Gambling – https://www.ncpgambling.org/
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1-800-522-4700 or go to ncpgambling.org/chat
