
Under the current laws, you can't access a real money online casino in California right now. However, there are still sites where you can play casino-style games with the potential to claim cash prizes. They're called sweepstakes casinos.
In this guide, we'll explain what sweepstakes casinos are, how they work, and which brands offer the best experience. Are you big on exclusive titles, slots action, and exhilarating games of chance? Great! Keep reading, and you'll discover how a sweepstakes casino can easily give you all the thrills of an online casino with real money in California.
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Sweepstakes casinos are free-to-play online gaming platforms. You’ll find many of the same titles as you would in a real money online casino. California doesn’t allow real money casinos, though, which makes sweepstakes the perfect option if you live in the Golden State.
With a sweepstakes online casino in California, real money does come into the equation. But it works slightly differently. Instead of using your cash to play games, you can use it to purchase gold coins (GC). Then, you use the GC to play games.
There’s a second type of coin, called sweepstakes coins, also known as sweeps coins or SC. You can’t purchase these coins directly, but you can get your hands on them in a few different ways:
The games at a sweepstakes casino let you toggle between GC and SC mode. If you play with GC, you win or lose GC. When you play with SC, you win or lose SC.
Sweepstakes coins can be redeemed for prizes, provided you meet certain criteria. This tends to include a SC playthrough requirement (like 2X or 3X), a minimum SC balance, and a fully verified account. The rewards vary between casinos so it’s always best to check, but you can usually choose between gift cards and cash prizes.
Looking for the best online casino in California with real money? I hate to say that you’d end up disappointed at this point. There’s simply no traditional casino available in the state right now. But let’s look at things objectively. Actually, when you get down to it, there are loads of benefits to the sweepstakes casino model. You can have just as much, if not more, fun on these platforms.
| Feature | Sweepstakes online casino | Real money online casino |
| Legal in California | ✅ | ❌ |
| Play with real money | ❌ | ✅ |
| Win real money | ❌ | ✅ |
| Redeem cash prizes | ✅ | ❌ |
| No deposit required | ✅ | ❌ |
| Legally regulated | ✅ | ✅ |
| Speciality games | ✅ | ✅ |
| Live dealer games | ✅ | ✅ |
| Table games | ✅ | ✅ |
| Slots | ✅ | ✅ |
So, now you know: in California, an online casino with real money isn’t an option, but sweepstakes casinos are. Your next question is probably, “Where can I play?” Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to. We’ve trawled through all the top sweepstakes sites, tested them on various metrics, and ranked them in the list below. Now you can spend less time on research and more time on gameplay!
RealPrize is the self-declared #1 social casino in America, as you’ll see when you land on the homepage. It’s not just a hollow claim—they’ve got the customer testimonials to back it up. On Trustpilot, RealPrize has arguably one of the most impressive ratings out there… 4.4 out of 5 stars, from nearly 15,000 reviews! Customers love the game selection, free bonuses, and social media activity, and honestly? We’re inclined to agree.
It’s got all the game categories you’d expect, with most-played titles like Fire Stampede, Golden Tiger, Joker’s Jewels, and everyone’s favorite sweet treat, Sugar Rush 1000. One of the best things about RealPrize is its generous referral program. You can get 200k GC and 70 SC for free when a friend signs up using your referral code. Plus, you can claim VIP bonuses which increase with each level you achieve, starting with Bronze and peaking at Black. This is all on top of a 100k GC + 2 SC sign up bonus, no code necessary.
We can’t talk about online sweepstakes casinos without even mentioning Stake.us. This trusted brand has a commendable 4.5 Trustpilot rating from almost 10,000 reviews. But let’s get to the crux of it: Stake.us boasts the largest game library in all of California, with more than 3,000 casino titles. Plus, it’s the only place you can play famous Stake Originals, like Dice, Crash, and Keno.
Other reasons we love Stake.us include its user-friendly site. The simple layout is easy to navigate, and the on-screen text is nice and big, making it conveniently readable. It’s also got one of the liveliest chat rooms—whenever you log in, there’s always a convo going on. The platform caters to all ages, from retirees to the younger, tech-savvy crowd… You can even sign up with your Twitch account, as well as Facebook and Google. Last but not least, there’s a super juicy welcome bonus. Use code STFSOCIAL to claim a whopping 560K Gold Coins, 56 SC, and 5% Rakeback when you sign up!
Putting McLuck on this top-five list was an easy decision. It’s one of the top sweepstakes casinos you can access from California. You can find a massive variety of games from providers like BGaming, Playson, Playtech, Habanero, and all the usual big names. We particularly rate the selection of hold and win games—there are over 75 titles to choose from in this category! The team behind McLuck constantly has its eye out for exciting new titles, too. They add new games every single week, so you’ll never get bored.
The user experience at McLuck is also worth a mention. When we’ve contacted their customer support team, they’ve been quick to reply, polite, and helpful. McLuck also makes it easy to try out their games without committing loads of GC. You can get started with as little as 1 GC per spin on titles like Hercules & Pegasus, Candy Stars, Lady Fortune, and Fruits & Jokers 100.
LoneStar isn’t quite as well-known as some of the other sweepstakes casinos in this list, but it’s a great option nonetheless. This brand is quickly gaining popularity among Californian gamers thanks to its mix of games, fast payouts, and regular social media promotions. They upload to Facebook multiple times a week with updates, new features, and ways to win GC and SC by engaging on their posts. If you’re active on social media, you can also snag freebies through their special occasion promos. For example, this Labor Day, 50 players were picked to receive a $100 gift card. All you needed to do to enter the draw was log in daily to collect tickets, no purchase necessary! That’s a big yes from us. 👏
Spree is another top-notch alternative to a real money online casino in California. And with more than 1,500 social casino games to pick from, you really can go on a gaming ‘spree!’ All the games are free to play, including 45 titles exclusive to Spree like Spree Gold, Spree Stampede, and Thor Power Coins. It’s a powerhouse for action-packed slots, but if you’re more of a specialty games or table games fan, your options are slightly limited. Spree currently offers five Live Games: Gravity Roulette, Grand Bonus Blackjack, Live Roulette, Auto Roulette, and Grand Bonus Baccarat. They’re always adding new titles, though, so watch this space!
Although you can’t play at an online casino with real money in California, you can have hours of fun with the sweepstakes casinos we’ve listed above. But what makes those sites worth visiting? Don’t worry, we didn’t pluck our choices out of thin air. A considerable amount of thought went into each pick. We’ll explain our reasoning now.
Generally speaking, we expect online sweepstakes casinos to accept payment methods like credit and debit cards. At any online casino, PayPal isn’t typically a direct payment method, but it may be an option with third-party crypto exchanges where you can buy virtual currency. We gave extra points to brands that accept a range of cryptocurrencies. For instance, you can purchase GC at Stake.us using Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin, Tron, Ripple, Tether, Dogecoin, and plenty of others. If you’re interested in the fastest payout, online casino Stake.us tops the chart at under 6 hours for crypto price redemptions.
This is an obvious one: we only consider sweepstakes casino brands that offer top-level security to protect your data. We check the encryption methods they use—including SSL and TLS as standard—as well as 2FA authentication, data handling and storage processes, and secured payment gateways.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is the games! For each site we evaluate, we look at the big titles they offer and also consider any exclusives. As a minimum, we expect them to work with major gaming providers like Swintt, Pragmatic Play, Jini Studios, Relax Gaming, and NetEnt.
Who needs a real money online casino in California when you can play for free? Although you may end up buying GC packages to boost your gameplay, there’s still plenty of freebies to collect, whether it’s daily login bonuses, social media promotions, or exclusive jackpots. We weighed up all the bonus offers to help us decide on the top 5 sweepstakes casinos in our list.
Despite there being more than 60 local brick-and-mortar Indian casinos, there’s no such thing as a traditional real money online casino in California. However, spending real money at an online casino in California is possible and perfectly legal—as long as we’re talking about buying gold coins at a sweepstakes casino. That’s because sweepstakes casinos can operate legally in states where traditional online casinos can’t.
Sweeps casinos are legal in California as they don’t involve real money gaming. Instead, these online gaming platforms let you play for free. If you like, you can enhance your gameplay by buying GC packages. But the point is having fun, exploring games, being social, and engaging with the community, whether you spend your hard-earned cash or not.
So, if you’re looking for somewhere to stack up spins, bluff your hand at poker, or test your nerve in a crash game—and you want the potential to redeem SC for real cash prizes—try out a sweepstakes casino from our top five list today. Oh, and one last thing: if you sign up now, don’t forget to take advantage of the free GC and SC at Stake.us, using code .
No, it’s not. It’s illegal to operate or play at a real money online casino in California. The same is true in many other U.S. states. There’s no such thing as a legal real money online casino in Florida, Alabama, Texas, Hawaii, or Idaho, just to name a few examples.
Compared to an online casino with real money in California, a sweepstakes casino is legal, accessible, and just as fun. You can still play all the titles you know and love—like Poker, Baccarat, Gates of Olympus, Big Bass Bonanza, and Gonzo’s Quest, as well as all the classics—plus exclusive games like Plinko and Mines.
No, you can’t win real money directly at online sweepstakes casinos. However, you can win sweepstakes coins (SC). If you have enough SC and you meet the qualification criteria, you can redeem those SC for prizes, which often include real cash or gift cards.