The Terms That Can Make or Break Your Account

Sweepstakes casino terms and conditions exist for legal compliance and fraud prevention. Understanding them protects you from losing coins, getting locked out of redemptions, or having your account closed. The most important sections to understand are state restrictions, playthrough requirements, redemption minimums, and coin expiration policies.

This article explains what these terms mean and why they should matter to you.

Where to find the terms and conditions

The most critical information is usually in the “Sweepstakes Rules” section, which covers playthrough requirements, redemption eligibility, and state restrictions. If you can’t find what you need in the main T&Cs, check the FAQ section or Help Center.

These sites usually include their terms and conditions in the footer of their homepage. You’ll typically find them under links labeled “Terms & Conditions,” “Sweepstakes Rules,” “Legal,” or “Privacy Policy.” Some operators have separate general T&Cs from specific sweepstakes rules.

Here are direct links to the official terms and conditions or sweepstakes rules for major operators:

Note: Always review the most current version of terms and conditions directly on the platform’s website, as these can be updated with notice. We check monthly to help update our casino reviews.

What these sections mean

• Eligibility Requirements explain who can create an account based on age, location, and residency. This section tells you if your state is restricted and whether you need to be 18+ or 21+.
• Virtual Currency Terms define how Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins work, including how they’re obtained, used, and whether they expire. This is where you’ll find coin expiration policies.
• Redemption Requirements outline what you must do before cashing out, including minimum SC balances, playthrough requirements, and KYC verification steps.
• Account Policies cover rules about duplicate accounts, account security, and what happens during periods of inactivity.
• Prize Restrictions detail any caps on redemptions, processing times, and geographic limitations on prize values.

What are playthrough requirements?

Playthrough requirements determine how many times you must play through your Sweeps Coins before they become eligible for redemption. This only applies to Sweeps Coins (SC). Gold Coins (GC) have no playthrough requirements since they can’t be redeemed.

Here’s the key distinction: bonus SC received directly (like from welcome offers or daily bonuses) must be played through. Only SC won through gameplay become redeemable for prizes.

Most sites show this in your account dashboard. You’ll see separate balances for “redeemable SC” and “unplayed SC.” Some sites use progress bars to show how close you are to completing the requirement.

Why this matters to you: Playthrough requirements prevent players from immediately redeeming free bonus coins without any gameplay. They ensure you actually use the platform before cashing out. Higher playthrough requirements or unknown terms make it significantly harder to redeem your cash prize. Stick to operators that offer 1-3x.

Standard playthrough requirements

If you receive 10 SC with a 1x playthrough requirement, you must use all 10 SC in gameplay. The SC you win from that gameplay session becomes redeemable. If you receive 10 SC with a 3x requirement, you must wager a total of 30 SC (10 SC × 3) before your prize becomes redeemable.

Most common issues

Duplicate accounts

Every sweepstakes casino prohibits creating more than one account per person. This is one account per individual, per household, and per IP address. If you have multiple accounts or your account is not registered in your name, the operator has the right to close your account immediately, you lose all Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins and are permanently banned from the casino (and any sister casinos).

How operators detect multiple accounts:

• IP address matching
• Email addresses
• Payment information
• Device IDs
• Physical addresses

Why this rule exists: It prevents bonus abuse and fraud. Without this restriction, users could create unlimited accounts to claim multiple welcome bonuses and other promotions.

Coin expiration and inactivity

Most sweepstakes casinos void Sweeps Coins after periods of inactivity. The standard policy is 60 consecutive days without logging in, though this varies by platform. Bonus SC typically expire 7-10 days after claiming. SC won through gameplay remain valid indefinitely as long as your account stays active.

Why it matters to you: You can lose all of your SC simply by not logging in for two months. Platforms implement this to manage inactive accounts and unclaimed balances. Most have a 60-day rule, but we did find a few that charge a service for inactivity.

KYC verification

Know Your Customer (KYC) verification is a two-stage process required by all sweepstakes casinos.

• Level 1 (Registration): Basic information including email address, full name, date of birth, physical address, and sometimes phone number. This happens when you create your account.
• Level 2 (Pre-Redemption): Comprehensive verification requiring government-issued photo ID, live selfie for facial recognition, proof of address (utility bill or bank statement), and occasionally debit card photos or social security number. This happens before your first redemption.

Third-party verification tends to go through service providers like Jumio, Sumsub, or Veriff to process and verify your documents.

Why this matters to you: You cannot redeem prizes without completing Level 2 verification. Some operators like Stake.us require this immediately after signup, while others only require it before redemption. It’s also important to note that your account must match your idenitification 100%. If the operator is requesting you’re SSN, you will most likely receive a 1099-MISC tax form (see below).

Location, age and caps on wins

Operators enforce strict geo restrictions through IP address geo-blocking, GPS location checking on mobile apps, KYC address verification, and payment method billing address checks. Here is a rundown of what you agreed to when creating your account and what to expect.

State-by-state eligibility

Sweepstakes casinos are not legal in all 50 states. How these sites operate can vary state-by-state, and access changes as laws evolve. If you create an account in a restricted state, you won’t be able to play or redeem prizes. Even if you bypass initial geo-blocking, you’ll fail KYC verification and lose access to your account and any winnings. There are also prize caps in certain states.

• Restricted states (all sites): California, Connecticut, Delaware, Montana, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, West Virginia and Washington.
• Restricted states (can vary): Massachusetts, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Wyoming

What happens if my state becomes restricted?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution here. Operators handle this differently depending on the regulatory situation. The casino will typically notify you via email if your state becomes newly restricted.

Operators may phase out sweepstakes functionality entirely while maintaining social casino play—for example, VGW (Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots) transitioned to Gold Coin-only play in New York after the state banned sweepstakes casinos.

In other situations, operators may choose to withdraw completely. Stake.us announced plans to withdraw from California ahead of potential regulatory changes. Most platforms will allow a grace period to redeem existing SC before closing your account or removing sweepstakes features, but this isn’t guaranteed and varies by platform and legal circumstances.

State-specific prize caps

Florida and New York have laws that prevent winners from receiving more than $5,000. How the operator handles this will vary, but in most cases, SCs above the 5,000 mark are null and void.

See this article for an explanation: Why sweeps terms are extra important in New York and Florida

Age requirements

Some operators have recently updated from 18+ to 21+ minimum age. Underage play results in permanent account closure with no possibility of redemption, even if you didn’t know the age requirement changed.

Redemption restrictions

Sweepstakes casinos require minimum SC balances before you can request redemptions. Cash prizes typically require more SC than gift cards. You can’t redeem small amounts. If you have 75 SC at a casino with a 100 SC minimum, you must win 25 more SC before requesting a redemption.

Cash vs. gift card redemption minimums

Redemption frequency

Some platforms limit how often you can cash out. Common restrictions include one redemption every 24 hours, weekly maximum redemption amounts, and monthly caps on total prizes claimed. Different redemption methods have different processing speeds.

Arbitration clauses

Most operators include mandatory arbitration in their T&Cs. This means you waive the right to sue in court or participate in class-action lawsuits. Any disputes must be resolved through private arbitration.

Sweepstakes casinos reserve several rights in their T&Cs:

• Suspend or terminate accounts at their discretion
• Modify T&Cs with notice (usually email notification)
• Void prizes for violations
• Approve or deny redemption requests

Why this matters to you: Operators have significant control over your account. They can change rules, deny redemptions, or close accounts if they believe you’ve violated terms—even accidentally. If you have a dispute with the operator about a denied redemption or account closure, you cannot take them to court. You must go through their arbitration process instead.

Tax reporting

Some operators issue 1099 forms to the IRS for winnings above certain thresholds. Whether or not you receive a 1099, you’re legally required to report all winnings on your tax return.

Common mistakes that get players flagged

T&Cs can change with notice, so bookmark your platform’s terms page and check for updates periodically. When something is unclear, contact customer support before taking action.