Playthrough Requirements Sweepstakes Casinos

Publish Date: 04/16/2025
Fact checked by: Meghan

Quick facts about meeting playthrough requirements

Before we get into the meat of our conversation about playthrough requirements, I’d like to share these tidbits with you.

  • You can’t redeem Sc for alternative prizes at a sweepstakes site without meeting its playthrough requirements
  • All sweepstakes casinos have playthrough requirements
  • Playthrough requirements aren’t fixed because each sweepstakes brand fixes them at its discretion
  • Sweepstakes sites aren’t available across all US states, so you’d need to ascertain a site’s eligibility before signing up

How do sweepstakes casinos work?

To fully describe how sweepstakes casinos playthrough requirements work, it’s only right that I start by explaining how sweepstakes casinos work. So here goes.

Sweepstakes casinos are very much like real-money casinos. They offer premium games from leading providers, generous bonuses and promos, excellent support, great usability, and, for the most part, an exciting on-the-go gaming experience. Here’s where they differ:

“Sweepstakes casinos run a free-to-play gaming model, so you don’t need to make initial purchases to explore their services. Since these sites run on a sweepstakes model where real money isn’t supported, players can’t withdraw real money winnings but can redeem SC winnings for alternative prizes.”

You might be wondering how sweepstakes brands pull off the free-to-play model. Well, they’re able to do this by using virtual currencies instead of real money. Most sweepstakes sites operate a dual virtual currency system where two currencies are used for either entertainment or entering sweepstakes promotions. Although these currencies might have brand-specific names, they all operate based on the same principle. Here’s how they work

Gold Coins (GC) are strictly used for entertainment and can’t be redeemed for alternative prizes. You can’t exchange them, but you can get them via bonuses, promos, gameplay, and non-mandatory GC package purchases. Sweeps Coins (SC) are used to enter sweepstakes promotions and can be redeemed for alternative prizes once you meet the site’s prize redemption requirements. You can’t purchase SC but can get free Sweeps Coins via bonuses, promotions, and gameplay.

One of the prize redemption requirements you’d need to meet to redeem your SC for alternative prizes is called playthrough requirements. Keep reading to find out what they are.

What are sweepstakes casinos playthrough requirements?

A sweepstakes site’s playthrough requirements refer to the number of times you’re required to play through your SC before you can redeem them for alternative prizes, such as real money prizes, gift cards, and merchandise. Basically,

“Playthrough requirements are to sweepstakes casinos what wagering requirements are to real-money casinos. All sweepstakes sites have playthrough requirements, and without meeting these requirements, you can’t redeem SC for real-time rewards at these sites.”

Here’s an illustration of how playthrough requirements work at sweepstakes sites.

Let’s say you play at a sweepstakes casino that offers a 1x playthrough requirement. What this means is that whether you claim SC from a free bonus or as part of a non-mandatory GC package purchase, you’ll have to play through them at least once before redeeming them for alternative prizes. Basically, if you receive, say, 50 SC from a bonus, you’ll be required to play 50 SC worth of games before initiating prize redemption.

However, these playthrough requirements don’t apply to SC that win via promotional play. With these kinds of SC, for every 100 SC that you win, if your gameplay costs you 1 SC and you score a win that doubles the amount you put in, you’ll now have 90 SC to play through.

Why are playthrough requirements important?

Sweepstakes casinos are supposed to be all fun and games, so why should you bother with playthrough requirements? Here’s why.

Although you’ll get free GC and SC to explore a sweepstakes site’s game for free, where’s the fun in just redeeming them for real-time rewards without going through using them for gameplay? With playthrough requirements, you’d have to actually play the site’s games and put in some effort before claiming your alternative prizes.

There’s also the regulatory aspect to things. Meeting playthrough requirements keeps things fair and in line with the US Sweepstakes laws with which sweepstakes brands must comply. Without mandatory playthrough requirements, sweepstakes sites would be something of a “money grab” where users waltz into the site and grab prizes without doing anything.

How to meet your Sweeps Coins playthrough requirements

Now that you understand how sweepstakes sites and their playthrough requirements work, let me walk you through the steps of playing through your SC.

  • Step 1: Sign up at your preferred sweepstakes casino
  • Step 2: Claim your welcome bonus (if available) and other promos that offer SC
  • Step 3: Have a go at the site’s games with your GC
  • Step 4: Switch to “Sweepstakes Mode” to play with your SC
  • Step 5: Score some more SC via gameplay
  • Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 to meet the site’s required playthrough requirements and the minimum prize redemption limit

Once you’ve met the playthrough requirements and minimum redemption limits, you can initiate the prize redemption process.

My top 4 tips on how to meet Sweeps Coins playthrough requirements like a pro

Having shown you the steps to meeting playthrough requirements at a sweepstakes site, I’d like to take things further by offering you my top tips on how to meet these requirements faster. Here goes.

🎰 Go for High-RTP Games

Return To Player Percentages (RTP) refers to the returns you can get from a game over time. The higher the RTP, the higher the returns to the player (in this case, you). I’m always looking to play the highest-RTP casino slot machines (with a minimum RTP of 97%). Although these values are only theoretical and determined over a very long period of time, playing high RTP games could potentially offer better virtual currency return. With high-RTP games, you’re more likely to score more SC that have already met the site’s playthrough requirements.

💡 Be Strategic with Your SC

Each sweepstakes casino game has different amounts of coins you’re expected to play with. For some, you’d need to use more SC, and for others, less SC. It’ll be a lot easier to meet your playthrough requirements faster if you play games that require more SC for gameplay. However, you could also lose some SC if the outcome isn’t favorable. The trick is to only use more SC on games that you’re pretty great at, so you’ll get to play more SC to meet your “target” faster.

🕹️ Play as Often as You Can

Your SC have a shelf life at the site, after which you’d lose them. Thankfully, most sites offer you enough time to use them, so do so. I always aim to log in and play some games whenever I can, and that has always helped me meet playthrough requirements. You don’t have to spend extended periods at a time; just consistently log in and play your SC as often as possible. The best part about consistent gameplay is, some sweepstakes sites award you SC as part of your daily login bonus.

🗺️ Use the Sweepstakes Rules Page Like a Map

Most sweepstakes brands have a Sweepstakes Rules page that spells out the do’s and don’ts of participating in their sweepstakes promotions. It’s on these pages that you’ll find the small print about all the requirements you need to meet, including sweepstakes casinos redemption time limits. Use this page as your guide when playing so you can easily avoid any pitfalls that could easily void the way you use your SC.

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3 playthrough requirement myths I’d like to bust

I’ve come across quite a number of myths about how playthrough requirements work at sweepstakes sites, but I’ve got just enough time to handle three of the more popular ones now:

Myth: " Playthrough requirements are always around 1x."

Fact: Not true. Each sweepstakes brand reserves the right to determine what playthrough requirements its players must meet. At some sites, you might have to meet playthrough requirements as high as 20x.

Myth: "All casino games require similar amounts of SC."

Fact: Each casino requires a certain number of coins to play. Just as different slots require varying amounts per spin, table games, arcade games, and other games require different amounts of virtual currency for gameplay

Myth: "The best sites offer the lowest playthrough requirements."

Fact: From my experience, there’s no relationship between playthrough requirements and the quality of service offered by a sweepstakes brand. There are several other factors to consider when rating a sweepstakes site’s quality.

Playthrough requirements across top sweepstakes casino brands

I’ve compiled a list of the playthrough requirements available at the leading sweepstakes casinos in the industry. Hopefully, this helps you make informed decisions when shopping for sites to explore freemium gaming.

Sweepstakes casino brand Playthrough requirements
Stake.us 3x
WOW Vegas 1x
McLuck 1x
MegaBonanza 1x
Sportzino 1x
Fortune Coins 2x
Chumba Casino Can get up to 20x
DingDingDing 1x
High 5 Casino 1x
RealPrize 1x
Zula Casino 1x
Funzpoints 1x
Fliff Casino 1x-20x
The Money Factory Casino 1x
Sweeptastic 1x

3 things to avoid when meeting playthrough requirements at sweepstakes casinos

I've been able to offer a significant amount of insights in this sweepstakes casino guide because of the lessons learned from making mistakes while playing at sweepstakes casinos. To help you steer clear of these same makes, here are things to avoid when trying to meet playthrough requirements at sweepstakes casinos.

1. Not reading the T&Cs

The terms and conditions (T&Cs) page doesn’t make for interesting reading, so very few social gamers take the time to go through it. That’s a big mistake. Just like the Sweepstakes Rules page, the T&Cs page contains loads of information that could either make or mar your gaming experience at a sweepstakes site. I’ve passed up reading these pages because I was too caught up in trying to explore my welcome bonuses and the casino lobby and I ended up making costly mistakes that cost me my SCs. Take the time to review the small print in the T&Cs, and you’ll also figure out ways to avoid any pitfalls when playing through your SC.

2. Forgetting to check your progress

It’s important to keep your eyes on how far you’ve gone with meeting your playthrough requirement. Different sites have varying ways to check how long you’ve got to meet the requirements, but it’s often displayed as a progress bar at the top of the homepage. Once you know how far along you are, it becomes easier to either up the amount of SC you’re playing or leave things as they are.

Besides helping you meet the playthrough requirements, checking your progress also lets you quickly attain the minimum SC redemption amount also required for prize redemption.

3. Picking the wrong offers

Once upon a time, I picked the sites I played at based on how generous the welcome bonuses and promos were. I soon learned differently. That’s because some of the sites with generous bonuses and promos had some really steep playthrough requirements.

Having to battle steep playthrough requirements can make the gameplay less interesting and rewarding, regardless of how much of an expert you are. These days, I look up the playthrough requirements first to ascertain how player-friendly they are before signing up to the site.

Pros and cons of meeting Sweeps Coins playthrough requirements

Here’s a quick look at both sides of the coin when it comes to meeting playthrough requirements at sweepstakes sites.

Sweeps Coins playthrough requirements: Pros and Cons
Sweeps Coins playthrough requirements: Pros and Cons
  • Mostly low
  • Unlocks alternative prizes
  • Encourages extended gameplay
  • Might be stringent

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Conclusion – You can easily meet your sweepstakes casino playthrough requirements now

As long winded as that sounded, meeting playthrough requirements at sweepstakes casinos should be easier after reading this guide. You’ve learned how these requirements work and how to meet them. I’ve also offered proven tips about playthrough requirements, busted a couple of myths about them, and described some things to avoid.

Armed with this info I’ve provided, all that’s left for you to do is to head on to your preferred sweepstakes site, log in and test all that you just read about.

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Sweep Coins playthrough requirements FAQs

🎮 What are playthrough requirements?

Sweepstakes brands set certain conditions that their users must meet before claiming Sweep Coins for alternative prizes. These conditions may vary from brand to brand and it’s important to understand how they work at any of the brands you choose to explore.

🔍 Where can I find the lowest playthrough requirements?

All of the top sweepstakes casinos offer player-friendly playthrough requirements, so you won’t have to snoop around for long before finding some.

⚡ What is the best way to play through my Sweeps Coins?

There are several ways to play through your Sweeps Coins quickly. This guide provides a couple of actionable tips to help you meet these requirements in little or no time.

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