What Is the Sweepstakes Casino Dual Currency Model?

From the outside, I’d say online sweepstakes casinos look a lot like real money sites. But once you start browsing, you’ll notice their sign-up promotions run on two different sweepstakes currencies. Same thing when you create an account and jump in for the first time—you’ll see at least two separate wallets, sometimes even three.

Whether it’s your first time on a sweepstakes casino or you’re coming from real money casinos, the setup can be a bit confusing if you’re not familiar with it. The last thing you want is to use the wrong currency by mistake or miss out on free rewards.

In this guide, I’ll break it all down—what sets the currencies apart, when to use each one, and plenty more. I’ll walk you through it with real examples from the best sweepstakes sites along the way.

The Dual-Currency System

What are the two types of currencies?

Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC) are the standard names for the two currencies. WOW Vegas calls its GC WOW Coins, and Crown Coins Casino went with Crown Coins, but it’s all the same thing.

When you claim a sweepstakes casino no deposit bonus, you’ll usually get a big stack of GC and a smaller amount of SC. You can also pick up more through daily bonuses, social media giveaways, missions, lucky spins, or whatever else the site throws your way.

If you want to play with a bigger bankroll, you can buy GC, and most of the time, that comes with a free batch of SC that’s about the same value as what you spent.

Understanding the Dual-Currency System improves your play

Both sweepstakes currencies serve a key purpose, and knowing how to use them right can go a long way in helping you get the most out of your play. Let me go through each one.

Primary currency: Sweeps Coins

SC are the sweepstakes currency you’d use for a shot at redeeming real prizes. Unlike Gold Coins, you can’t buy them directly. They come from sweepstakes casino bonuses or as a free gift when you purchase GC packages.

Any SC you have sits in a separate balance, and you can switch between the two anytime. Winnings from SC bets add back to it, while anything won with GC stays with that currency.

There are a few exceptions to the above. For example, at NoLimitCoins, I got 100,000 GCs and 100 Super Coins, which at first might seem like their version of sweeps coins. But Super Coins work more like a decimal-based system—so instead of a 0.20 minimum bet, you’ll see 20 Super Coins. When you win, payouts come in Winnings, which is their actual redeemable currency, the equivalent of SC on other sites.

To cash out real prizes, operators require you to meet a minimum wagering requirement.  The best you’ll find is 1x, which is what DingDingDing offers, while others, such as Chanced, set the bar a bit higher at 3x.

That means any SC you get—whether from daily promos or bundled with a purchase (because SCs in that case are still technically a bonus gift)—has to be played through that many times before you can cash out.

Secondary currency: Gold Coins

Gold Coins (GC) are a play-for-fun currency at sweepstakes casinos, meaning they don’t have any cash value and under no circumstances can they be redeemed for money or prizes. But the best part is they let you play slots, table games, and everything else under the same conditions as if you were playing for real rewards—just without the pressure. You can test out games, try different strategies, and get a feel for how everything works.

And yes, that even includes online poker and live dealer games on sites like Stake.US. That’s a big step up from just playing demos at real money casinos. Most of the time, you can’t even access player-versus-player or live dealer games. Plus, GC stays in your bankroll, so your wins and losses carry over across all games. It’s not like regular demos where the balance resets every time you refresh the screen.

You’ll usually get a batch of GCs as soon as you create an account. Some sites might ask you to verify your email, phone number, or even submit documents before unlocking the full amount. Below is what mine looked like when I first signed up at Hello Millions:

There are plenty of promotions to pick up more GCs if your balance runs low. McLuck gives out 1,500 GCs just for logging in, while LuckyLand Slots runs slot tournaments and Facebook contests where you can claim extra rewards.

If you feel that’s not enough, you can always buy more GCs. You’ll find a store in your account with all the available bundles. The first time around, you’ll get a special deal with extra value, but you can still check out what regular offers look like.

Every bundle includes the GCs you’re purchasing, plus a free set of SCs as a gift. Some sites even throw in a third currency for specific promotions or features. I’ll get into that a bit further down. But for now, here’s what a typical store looks like, courtesy of RealPrize Casino:

Don’t overlook the value of a third currency

Now that I’ve covered what are gold coins and sweeps coins, let’s talk about the third currency. This one isn’t all that common—you’ll only find it on a handful of platforms, and each site gives it a different name, purpose, and way to use it. Let me give you a couple of examples:

The purpose of the dual currency system

The whole point of having two sweepstakes casino currencies is to keep playing for fun completely separate from real prizes. But beyond that, a few other things come into play, like:

• Keeps casinos legally compliant – Instead of direct gambling, SC works within promotional sweepstakes rules, allowing these sites to operate in places where real-money casinos aren’t allowed.
• Encourages players to explore games – You can try every game with GC first, risk-free, before deciding whether to play with SC.
• Controls withdrawals through wagering requirements – Since SC is always given as a free bonus, the playthrough ensures it’s used for actual gaming before being redeemed.
• Casinos can throw out way more GCs in promos – Since they don’t have real cash value, sites can drop huge daily bonuses, contest prizes, and giveaways, so you always have something to play without needing to make a purchase.

Legal basis for two currencies

For a sweepstakes site to stay legal, it has to run on at least two currencies. That’s because U.S. laws ban real money online casinos unless they’re licensed in specific states. But the way social casinos work, it’s not considered real money gambling.

GCs are purely for fun, have no cash value, and are regularly available for free. That’s what keeps the site classified as a social gaming platform instead of an online casino. If you decide to buy GCs, that’s up to you, but you’re not funding anything that can be cashed out or used to win real prizes.

Now, here’s the key part—when you purchase GCs, the site, out of its own generosity, gives you SCs as a free bonus. You can use SCs to play for potential rewards, but you didn’t actually buy them. You paid for GCs, and the SCs were simply a gift included with the purchase.

How to obtain and use each currency

Now that you’ve got a good idea of what are gold coins and sweeps coins, I’ll quickly walk you through how to get and use them, with Mega Bonanza as an example.

Step 1: Create your account

Go to the Mega Bonanza homepage and click “Sign Up” at the top to begin the registration process. Enter your personal details, email, username, and password, agree to the terms and conditions, and verify your account via the confirmation email sent to your inbox.

Step 2: Claim your free Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC)

Once your account is verified, Mega Bonanza will automatically credit your balance with 7,500 GC + 2.5 Free SC as a welcome bonus. You’ll also get daily login rewards just for showing up, which adds more GC and small amounts of SC to your account.

Step 3: Purchase Gold Coins to receive bonus SC

You can keep playing with the GC and SC you’ve got for as long as you want. But if you’re looking to boost your bankroll faster, just head to the “Buy Coins” section in your account and pick a Gold Coin package. The first one comes at a special price—I got 50,000 GC and 25 SC for just $9.99. After that, all the regular bundles are available in the store.

Step 4: Earn free Sweeps Coins without buying

You can get extra SC for free by joining social media giveaways, participating in casino promotions, or referring friends. Some sweepstakes operators also offer a mail-in option, where you can request SC by sending a postcard with your details.

Step 5: Decide on your sweepstakes casino currency

Select any of the available slots at Mega Bonanza and choose Gold Coin Play before going in to play for fun. Any winnings from GC games will be added to your GC balance, but since GC has no real cash value, it can only be used for further gameplay.

To use your SC balance, you must click on Play for real cash prizes.

Step 7: Redeem SC for Cash or Gift Cards

Once you’ve got at least 10 SC (equal to $10) that’s been played through once, head to the redemption section and put in a request. You’ll need to verify your identity with a government-issued ID and proof of address, then pick how you want to get paid—bank transfer, PayPal, or a gift card. Processing usually takes 1 to 5 business days.

Conclusion

Getting how the dual-currency system works is key to making the most of your time at a sweepstakes site. GCs are just for fun, but SCs are what actually give you a shot at real prizes.

Pay attention to the different names a sweepstakes casino currency could go by, and always make sure you know the specific casino rules—things like playthrough requirements and minimum limits—so you can plan your strategy right.