
Global Poker is a little different than other sweepstakes casinos.
Naturally, they predominantly offer poker games, while most other sites like Global Poker tend to be focused on slots.
I’ll be reviewing McLuck, WOW Vegas, and Stake.us – and introducing you to all their best games.
I’m sure we all know that Global Poker’s being going 2016 – and that it specializes in free-to-play, poker-inspired games that are powered by either:
Well guess what? Global Poker isn’t the only brand that offers these services.
Actually, VGW Holdings, the guys behind Global Poker, run a handful of their very own Global Poker sister sites, including Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots.
However – and it’s a big “however” – having tried out those two platforms for myself, I’m pretty confident McLuck, WOW Vegas and Stake.us are all better Global Poker alternatives.
This is particularly true if you’re into sweeps cash casinos that prioritize table games (McLuck and Stake.us offer tons more of these than what most of their competitors do).
Or if you enjoy a Global Poker-style, tournament-led approach to sweepstakes gaming (which WOW Vegas and McLuck both deliver big-time).
Anyhow, here’s my two cents on the ins and outs of the three brands:
One of the best parts of playing with Global Poker is of course the brand’s brilliant Vegas-style ambience, which other sites like Global Poker sometimes have trouble bettering in my opinion.
But McLuck totally nails it. The second you visit here, you’ll feel the flair and smell the cards.
That said, my recent McLuck review found that:
“Excluded states for McLuck include Alabama, Washington, Idaho, Kentucky and Georgia”.
It also spotted that, sadly, McLuck doesn’t currently offer any poker games.
What they do have, though, is pretty much every other kind of casino-style table game under the sun – from fast-paced Live and Auto Roulette tables, to high-limit Gravity Blackjack.
Every table game in McLuck’s portfolio is powered by the software Beter Live, and offers you the opportunity to sit opposite real-life dealers as you play.
Need-to-knows
There’s also a welcome bonus that’ll bag you 7,500 GC and 2.5 SC on sign-up, followed by 50,000 GC and 25 free bonus SC if you opt to purchase a $9.99 GC package in your first few days of playing.
This buy-in part is strictly optional, though.
Full disclosure – WOW Vegas is the only one of my sites like Global Poker on this list that doesn’t actually offer table games.
But there’s one thing WOW Vegas does much, much better than Global Poker: and that’s slots.
There, you may even have the opportunity to enjoy some free slots that pay real money, with ongoing weekly promotions.
Over at WOW Vegas, you’ll find a ton of top-ranking slots games from big-name software houses.
Many – like WOW Rush and Joker’s Jewels, come chock-full of lively bonus rounds and multipliers of the kind you simply don’t see much of in Global Poker’s comparatively limited slots catalog, too.
My WOW Vegas review found that the brand offers: “Over 1,000 slots to enjoy”.
Need-to-knows
It also found that this is a site that apparantly keeps on growing. New games are added to the platform weekly, and the site currently has millions of US users and counting.
Other special features here include 24/7 customer help, instant-play functionality and a 250,000 WOW Coins (GC) and 5 SC bonus.
Sites like Global Poker come in many different shapes and sizes, but Stake.us is undoubtedly the biggest when it comes to two things: and that’s welcome bonuses and game selection.
On that first point, my readers can currently use the code “PROMOBOY” to unlock a unique, three-for-one offer on registration here.
It’ll land you 55 SC, 260,000 GC, and 5% rakeback – just follow the steps outlined in my last Stake.us review to claim the whole lot.
But how does Stake.us compare to Global Poker on games? Well, it stacks up very nicely.
There are two totally unique poker games here (Stake Poker and Video Poker), both developed by the brand in-house.
Switchable game modes covering Omaha and Texas Hold’em-style gameplay are available on each, too.
Must-knows
Stake.us players can also initiate “rapid rebuy” and “run it twice” features that aren’t always available on Global Poker’s like-minded games.
There are also 2,000+ different slots and other tables available here, too. However for me, it’s definitely that bonus that makes Stake.us really shine.
Up next you will find in detail all the offers, payment methods, games, and other specs you might find interesting to compare with Global Poker.
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Sign up Bonus | ||||
27.5 SC FREE and 57.5K Gold Coins | 55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback | 35 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins | Get 5 SC FREE+ 250 Gold Coins and 600 Diamonds! | 21 SC FREE and 20K Lucky Coins |
Daily SC | ||||
Up to 2.5 SC and 2.500 Gold Coins | 10k Gold Coins + 1 Stake Cash | 0.3 SC FREE and 1500 WOW Coins | Spins on Wheel | 1K Lucky Coins |
Cash Prize | ||||
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Playthrough | ||||
1x | 3x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
Min. Cashout | ||||
10 SC | 75 SC | 25 SC | 50 SC | 100 SC |
Min. Purchase | ||||
$1.99 | $20 | $1.99 | $2 | $1 |
Packages | ||||
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VIP Program | ||||
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Top Game Providers | ||||
NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Playson, ... Show More | Hacksaw Gaming, Pragmatic Play, Stake Originals, ... Show More | Betsoft Gaming, Pragmatic Play, 3 Oaks Gaming, ... Show More | Pragmatic Play, High5Games, Vivo Gaming, ... Show More | 1Spin4Win, Betsoft Gaming, GameArt, ... Show More |
Slot Games | ||||
1908 | 1420 | 1295 | 1961 | 941 |
Payment Methods | ||||
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Visit | ||||
T&Cs apply, 18+
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As I mentioned earlier, Global Poker is owned by VGW alongside its sister sites, Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots.
The fun thing about this trio is that each one is centered in a gaming style, you have Luckyland Slots centered on slots, Global Poker on poker, and lastly, Chumba offering a combination of both.
Keeping in mind that most sweeps casinos offer slots nowadays, out of the two sister sites, I would recommend Chumba, this way you get to experience the best of both worlds.
But to be fair, right now instead of aiming for a sister site, I would recommend some better sites like the ones listed earlier... for instance Wow Vegas.
We all know Global Poker has something of an ace up its sleeve in the game catalog department, offering anything from tense poker tournaments on Omaha and Texas Hold’em games, to a small selection of eye-popping slots.
But guess what? You’ll find similar sweepstakes slots, poker tables and more with McLuck, WOW Vegas and Stake.us. Here are three hand-picked game highlights from me:
McLuck’s Gravity Blackjack game, powered by Beter Live, might not quite offer the same classic, poker-style gameplay as Global Poker’s flagship Texas Hold’em title, but it certainly delivers a similar level of Las Vegas classiness and flair.
It’s one of the best blackjack games I’ve played by a mile, offering a wild 99.29% RTP, 10x multipliers and, of course, live dealer interactions – something I personally have never seen advertised at Global Poker.
One reason WOW Vegas is one of my favorite sites like Global Poker is the brand’s brilliant Elvis Frog Trueways slot – though, coincidentally, the same game’s also available at McLuck.
While there are a couple of good slots over at Global Poker, like Grizzly Reels for example, they’re a bit too low-key for me, graphics-wise, and don’t tend to offer many bonus rounds, or particularly competitive RTP. Conversely, Elvis Frog Trueways qualifies for a 500 GC prize drop bonus daily at WOW Vegas and offers a high RTP of 96.79% at both WOW Vegas and McLuck.
While McLuck and WOW Vegas don’t really offer much by way of poker games, Stake.us’ in-house-developed Stake Poker game is one of the best I’ve seen this side of Global Poker’s Omaha and Texas Hold’em tournaments.
It comes with a whole bunch of in-built, switchable game modes, like “Rabbit Hunting” and “Rapid Ring Games”, where experienced players can enjoy sneak-peeking at community cards or initiating mid-game table moves, respectively. These features are very rare - and terrific fun, too.
Well… yes and no. Here’s a quick comparison table of what’s what with each of these brands, app-wise:
Welcome bonus | App Store rating | Google Play store rating | Best feature | |
McLuck (iOS and Android apps available) | 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC. Optional 50,000 GC + 25 SC $9.99 first-purchase promo. | 4.3-stars. | 4.1-stars. | Live dealer tables. |
WOW Vegas (available as a mobile-friendly website only) | 250,000 WOW Coins (GC) + 5 SC. | N/A. | N/A. | Terrific slots. |
Stake.us (available as a mobile-friendly website only) | 55 SC + 260,000 GC + 5% rakeback. | N/A. | N/A. | Superb sign-up bonus. |
In a nutshell, you can download a sweepstakes casino app for McLuck from either the App Store or Google Play.
However, WOW Vegas and Stake.us run on mobile-friendly websites only. This isn’t a bad thing, mind – it just means you can access their games without any download requirement.
Each time I think about reviewing Global Poker sister sites or alternatives, I keep the same standardized set of criteria in mind. For me, a brand is only really worth a second look if it offers:
Clearly the first thing players look out for before choosing a sweeps casino.
What do they offer? How good is the no-deposit bonus? Do they offer a first-purchase bonus? These are some of the main things I look at before playing.
An easy one... does the sweeps casino offer real cash prizes? Some sweeps casinos do not offer this possibility, some at least might offer gift cards, but that is about it.
Most sweeps casinos solely focus on slots, which can make your gaming experience a bit redundant.
I always keep an eye open for alternatives that feature table games, or at least different variations of classic slots, like megaways or jackpots.
Besides welcome bonuses, does the sweeps casino offer daily login bonuses? Tournaments and giveaways where you can win free coins? Not everything is about the first bonus, but rather the whole experience.
Like any social casino, they all come with ups and downs, so I've taken the liberty to make a small list of the pros and cons of playing at sites like Global Poker.
Dependable sweepstakes casinos that offer decent US availability and broad, well-balanced game selections are widespread. Hell, there are even a few Global Poker sister sites like Chumba Casino to choose from.
But finding sweepstakes brands that are really special takes a bit of digging and know-how.
In my days reviewing sweeps sites, I’ve learned that the best sites should offer state-of-the-art live dealer experiences in the vein of McLuck, and bonus-packed slots powered by top software brands, like those offered by WOW Vegas.
Of course, they should offer standout bonuses, like Stake.us’ latest new customer promo, too.
Right now, these three are my top picks for the best Global Poker alternatives around – but only you can choose which one is most palatable to your own gaming tastes.
They’re best-known for their Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha games, but you’ll also find a solid selection of slots games like Grizzly Reels up-for-grabs, too.
In terms of prize pool size, “Sunday Scrimmage” occasionally offers an impressive 50,000 SC prize pool. Though you will find similarly exciting tournaments at McLuck if you check out their “McJackpots” page.
Not many other sweepstakes casinos tend to offer Texas Hold’em or Omaha-style games, so Stake.us is probably your best bet here. Their Stake Poker and Video Poker titles have tons of in-game mini modes and bonus rounds to choose from.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.