New York sweepstakes casinos are really starting to take off

Recent trends have confirmed that sweepstakes casinos are really starting to take off in New York, and the latest tech updates have improved social gaming lobbies tenfold.

Recent trends have confirmed that sweepstakes casinos are really starting to take off in New York, and the latest tech updates have improved social gaming lobbies tenfold. However, potential changes to legislation could throw a spanner in the works.

Getting started: What is an NY sweepstakes casino?

A social or sweepstakes casino refers to any desktop or mobile gaming site that operates under the sweepstakes umbrella. These free-to-play platforms offer a similar experience to real-money gambling sites; however, there is never any need to physically deposit real money to join in and play.

Instead, NY sweepstakes casinos make use of two virtual currencies that allow users to switch between fun and promotional gaming. Once registered, players can unlock virtual currencies, toggle between the two social gaming modes, and ‘spin’ as usual.

Along the way, players will focus their efforts on simply having fun or they will be aiming to later redeem prizes. For the latter to occur, a few terms and conditions must first be met.

Understanding the sweepstakes model: Is it legal to play at a sweepstakes casino in New York?

Although social casinos mimic real-money gambling sites in a functional sense, they operate completely differently and follow a different set of rules.

Play for free

Whether playing at a sweepstakes casino in New Jersey, New York, or one of the many other legal states throughout the US, the idea of playing for free doesn’t change. In fact, this is a legal requirement of all legitimate social casinos.

To abide, social casinos in New York will present players with two virtual currencies that enable users to choose between two gaming modes. These virtual currencies can be picked up via promotions, and through various other perks; however, they will (almost) always fall into one of two categories.

Gold Coins: The Gold Coins released by sweepstakes casinos in New York will be non-redeemable, non-withdrawable, and non-exchangeable. In other words, they are solely for entertainment purposes. Members will find that they can win, claim, and purchase Gold Coins; however, the latter will not increase any chances of landing a winning spin.

Sweeps Coins: The Sweeps Coins released by sweepstakes casinos in New York will enable players to enter a promotional style of play. Each additional Sweeps Coins won through gameplay has the potential to later be redeemed for prizes; however, members must initially play through these Sweeps Coins a set number of times and meet a minimum amount of eligible Sweeps Coins.

Games of skill

One of the reasons why it is prohibited to play at a real-money online casino in New York is because of the element of luck. However, sweepstakes casinos in New York are deemed to offer casino-style games that are based on skill.

The outcomes of these social gaming titles are also kept completely fair through the use of random number generators (RNG). An RNG is a piece of software or hardware that has been programmed to randomize the outcomes of all casino-style games based on the pre-programmed return to player percentage and volatility.

Once a Gold Coin or Sweeps Coin spin has been placed, the outcome will automatically be assigned and cannot be tampered with by a social casino.

Statewide and state-specific rules to follow

Real-money gambling sites are expected to don individual licenses from each and every state they operate. However, sweepstakes casinos are currently vetted on a statewide level, and must simply adhere to state-specific rules. Currently, this includes some of the following.

Although this covers the current state of play, this approach looks like it is set to change pretty drastically. Senate Bill 5935 is in its third hearing and Assembly Bill 6745 has just been passed. These bills aim to ban sweepstakes casinos, games, operators, vendors, payment processors, investors, and board members from operating across the state.

Keeping it social: What to expect from the best sweepstakes casinos in New York

It isn’t going to take New Yorkers long to find a social casino. However, there are some key differences between the bottom, middle, and leaders of the pack. These following features are critical to the credibility of a sweepstakes casinos in NY.

Enhanced safety and security

Sweepstakes casinos will undergo rigorous testing from statewide organizations, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), United States Postal Service (USPS), and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Beyond these checks, sweepstakes casinos in New Jersey will also be under the scrutiny of the state.

To operate legally, this means that social casinos must perform Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, offer safer gaming tools, and only be available to those who are over 21 years old and physically located in New York. Additional bonus points go to NY sweepstakes casinos that allow players to add two-factor authentication to their