While real-money online casinos aren’t available in California, anyone 18 and up in the state can play at sweepstakes casinos. These sites offer slots, blackjack, roulette, and more casino games for cash prizes, plus rewards programs, live dealers, mobile play, and other features that make them just as good as the real thing. Here’s everything you need to know about playing casino games online in California.
Best Sweepstakes Casinos in California
- Biggest No Deposit Bonus
- Best Promotions for Existing Members
- Fish Shooting Games & Plinko
- Instant Cashout with Crypto
- Over 1,500 Slots
- Live Dealer Blackjack, Roulette, & More
- Accepts PayPal
- Top-Rated App for iOS & Android
- Most Live Dealer Rooms
- Huge Progressive Jackpots
- Exciting Rewards Program
- 5-Star App for iOS & Android
- Low Minimum Prize Redemption
- Over 1,000 Slots
- Accessible VIP Loyalty Program
- Accepts Skrill & Trustly
- 5 SC Free on Signup + 200% Purchase-Match Bonus
- Huge Variety of Games
- Accepts Apple Pay & Google Pay
- Tons of Promotions for Existing Users
Are Sweepstakes Casinos Legal in California?
Yes, sweepstakes casinos are legal in California. Sweepstakes casinos operate under the sweepstakes model, where players use site-specific currency (rather than real money) to play the games. To stay compliant with the law, players always have an opportunity to win at a sweepstakes casino, no purchase necessary. That’s one of the biggest draws.
If the player wins games using Sweepstakes Coins (or the site’s equivalent), they can redeem the winning Sweepstakes Coins for a cash prize.
Basically, at a sweepstakes casino, every game acts as a mini sweepstakes giveaway. And the odds of winning are the same as if you were at a real money casino.
California Online Gambling Laws
California has limited real money online gambling options. Check out this breakdown of what’s legal and what’s not.
Type of Gambling | Legal? |
Online casinos | Not legal |
Online sportsbooks | Not legal |
Online poker | Not legal |
Online lottery | Not legal |
Online horse race betting | Legal |
Sweepstakes casinos | Legal |
Social sportsbooks | Legal |
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) | Legal |
Sweepstakes poker | Legal |
How To Win Cash Prizes Playing at Sweepstakes Casinos
With a little luck and strategy, you can win cash prizes playing at sweepstakes casinos quite easily. Here’s how.
Collect Sweepstakes Coins
You get free Sweepstakes Coins (or the casino’s equivalent) when you sign up at a new sweepstakes casino. You can also receive Sweepstakes Coins by purchasing Gold Coins, which is the fun-play currency and cannot be redeemed for cash prizes. But when you purchase Gold Coins, you receive free Sweepstakes Coins as a bonus.
Other ways to collect Sweepstakes Coins include the daily login bonus, social media contests, email promos, mail-in requests, and seasonal promotions for existing players.
Play the Casino Games
You have to play with the Sweepstakes Coins before you can redeem them for a cash prize. But the Sweepstakes Coins that you win on the games, whether it’s slots and jackpot slots or table games like blackjack or craps, can be redeemed for a cash prize.
For example, if you have 1 Sweepstakes Coin, play a slot, and win 100 Sweepstakes Coins, you can redeem the winning coins for a cash prize.
Win Enough to Redeem for a Prize
All sweepstakes casinos have a minimum for cash prize redemption of at least 50 Sweepstakes Coins. Because the welcome bonus and daily login bonuses don’t require a purchase, you only receive a few Sweepstakes Coins at a time (unless you purchase Gold Coins, in which case you can receive a lot of Sweepstakes Coins as a bonus depending on the size of the purchase). It can take a bit to build up enough Sweepstakes Coins to get a cash prize, but it’s certainly possible, and it’s a lot of fun to try.
Top 5 Best California Online Casinos
Stake.us – Best for Low Redemption Minimum
Players looking to redeem for the lowest possible amount should look no further than Stake.us, which allows redemption for as low as $5. However, you have to use a cryptocurrency to redeem for that prize, as Stake.us does not offer online bank transfer for cashout. If you’re willing to earn more to redeem for a cash prize in USD directly to your bank account, then WOW Vegas is likely the better choice.
Welcome Offer: | Up to $25 Stake Cash & 250,000 Gold Coins |
Legal in California: | Yes |
Minimum for Prize Redemption: | $5 |
Types of Coins: | Stake Cash & Gold Coins |
Payment Methods: |
|
Progressive Jackpots? | Yes |
Table Games? | Yes |
Live Dealers? | Yes |
Wow Vegas – Best for Game Variety
Wow Vegas prides itself on offering the excitement of the Las Vegas Strip from anywhere in California, saving players the trip to Sin City while providing huge win potential. Where Wow Vegas really stands out is its sheer size, with hundreds of slots, plus table games, live dealers, and every other type of game you can imagine. But if you’re looking for the biggest possible progressive jackpots a la Vegas, Chumba Casino may be the better choice.
Welcome Offer: | Up to 35 Free Sweepstakes Coins + 1.5 Million Wow Coins |
Legal in California: | Yes |
Minimum for Prize Redemption: | $25 for gift cards; $100 for cash prize |
Types of Coins: | Sweepstakes Coins and Wow Coins |
Payment Methods: | Debit and credit card; Google Pay; Apple Pay; Skrill; Trustly online banking |
Progressive Jackpots? | Yes |
Table Games? | Live Dealer only |
Live Dealers? | Yes |
Chumba Casino – Best for Jackpot Slots
Chumba is among the first sweepstakes casinos, setting the bar for high-quality play that others have come to copy. Chumba boasts a large selection of exclusive games, including table games, and its progressive jackpots have resulted in million-dollar cash prizes. Players can log in daily to receive free Sweeps Coins on top of the generous welcome bonus and the many social media giveaways going on all the time. However, if you’re into fish shooting games, Fortune Coins may be the more compelling option, as Chumba has a limited selection.
Welcome Offer: | Up to 32 FREE Sweeps Coins and 12 million Gold Coins |
Legal in California: | Yes |
Minimum for Prize Redemption: | $10 for gift cards; $100 for cash prize |
Types of Coins: | Sweeps Coins & Gold Coins |
Payment Methods: | Trustly online banking, credit and debit cards, Skrill wallet |
Progressive Jackpots? | Yes |
Table Games? | Yes |
Live Dealers? | Yes |
Fortune Coins – Best for Fish Shooting Games
Fortune Coins has a wide variety of games, but it’s also one of the leading sites for fish shooting games, which has become all the rage. It’s a skill-based game where the more fish you take out, the more coins you win. Players have turned small amounts into big wins at Fortune Coins on fish shooting games. But if you want to redeem sooner than a $50 cash prize and go for a gift card instead, check out Modo.us below.
Welcome Offer: | 630,000 Gold Coins and 1,000 FREE Fortune Coins |
Legal in California: | Yes |
Minimum for Prize Redemption: | $50 cash prize |
Types of Coins: | Fortune Coins & Gold Coins |
Payment Methods: | Trustly online banking, credit and debit cards, Skrill wallet |
Progressive Jackpots? | Yes |
Table Games? | No |
Live Dealers? | No |
Modo.us – Best for Gift Card Redemptions
Modo.us are always launching new promotions and exclusive games that keep things exciting, and that’s on top of the existing selection of great games. You can find every type of option, including jackpot slots, live dealers, and digital table games. But perhaps the best part is that you can redeem for a gift card as low as $20, making it absolutely possible to turn the no deposit bonus into a prize. And if you’re going to shop there anyway, gift cards are as good as cash.
Welcome Offer: | 20,000 Gold Coins and 1 free Sweepstakes Coin |
Legal in California: | Yes |
Minimum for Prize Redemption: | $20 gift card; $100 cash prize |
Types of Coins: | Fortune Coins & Gold Coins |
Payment Methods: | Trustly online banking, credit and debit cards, Skrill wallet |
Progressive Jackpots? | Yes |
Table Games? | Yes |
Live Dealers? | Yes |
What Makes a Sweepstakes Casino the Best in California?
Fairness and Legitimacy
We take a deep dive into the sweepstakes casino’s security encryption, random number generator (RNG) certification, and other safety measures to ensure every game is fair, legitimate, and displays accurate odds. If a sweepstakes casino doesn’t pass this initial consideration, we do not recommend it under any circumstances.
Game Selection
One of the main aspects we look for when ranking the best sweepstakes casinos in California is the variety of games. Every player has their own unique interests and play styles, so we believe there’s no such thing as too many slots, table games, live dealers, or fish shooting games. The more a casino has, the higher we rank them.
Win Potential
We’re always on the lookout for life-changing win potential, and we highly rate any sweepstakes casino with six- to seven-figure progressive jackpots and high minimums for table games. Players should have the chance to win big on every spin, and any casino that lives up to that gets a thumbs up from us.
Prize Redemption
We love to see sweepstakes casinos with low minimum cash prize and gift card redemption. While it’s not disqualifying to have a cash prize minimum of $50 or more, we give great ratings to sweepstakes casinos that allow low prize redemption (between $10 and $25) for gift cards.
Free Sweepstakes Coins
The more opportunities to get Sweepstakes Coins, the better. Players need these coins to win cash prizes and gift cards, and the more they receive, the better their chances of walking away a winner. We look for the best welcome bonuses, daily login bonuses, rewards programs, social media giveaways, and more to ensure players always have something in their account to play with.
California Online Casino Games
Slots
Slots is the most prominent game at both online casinos and brick-and-mortar casinos. The reason is simple: it’s the most popular casino game in the world. These games offer the opportunity to win big from small wagers, and their special features keep things entertaining every spin. Every sweepstakes casino we recommend features a great variety of slots.
Blackjack
Blackjack is far and away the most popular table game at the casino, and it’s commonly available at sweepstakes sites. Blackjack features great odds if basic strategy is used, and online blackjack allows for special features not possible at a physical table.
Roulette
Roulette is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat casino game, where players guess where the ball will land on the reel. Several different versions of roulette are available, with French and European roulette offering the best odds.
Live Dealer Games
Live dealers are becoming increasingly common at sweepstakes and social casinos in California. A live dealer is streamed online to players from physical tables. Players can place digital bets on the tables, just like they’re at a real-life casino, and can even tip the dealers and interact with other players.
Fish Table Games
Fish table games, also known as fishing shooting games, involve shooting fish or other creatures to rack up points. The more points you score, the bigger the prize. Fish shooting games rely on a mix of strategy and luck, so players get better the more they play. Just be sure to play in demo mode or with Gold Coins first to practice before risking Sweepstakes Coins.
More Games
Sweepstakes casinos will often have just as many casino-style games as a real-money online casino, including video poker, casino poker, craps, keno, bingo, slingo, scratch cards, and more. As mentioned, you can use Gold Coins to play for fun before risking Sweepstakes Coins to try out the game and practice strategy.
Types of Promotions at California Online Casinos
Every opportunity to play more while spending less makes us say yay. Here are some of the promotions you can expect at California online casinos:
- Welcome Bonus: Players get the most promotions up front with the welcome bonus, which includes both a no deposit bonus and a purchase-match bonus.
- No Deposit Bonus: A no deposit bonus or, more accurately, a no purchase bonus, is a common offer that gives players free Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins without needing to make any payment.
- Purchase-Match Bonus: With a purchase-match bonus, players receive extra Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins when they make a purchase. For example, you might see $29.99 worth of coins for just $9.99, essentially a 200% purchase-match bonus.
- Daily Login Bonus: Log in each day at most sweepstakes casinos to receive free Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. Daily login bonuses usually go up for each consecutive day too, so it’s a good idea to get a streak going.
- Prize Pool Tournaments: Compete against other players while playing the select games, climb the leaderboard, and win a piece of the prize pool.
- Social Media Giveaways: Follow the sweepstakes casino on their social media channels to get in on the regular giveaways on offer.
- Spin the Wheel: Some sweepstakes casinos invite players to spin a prize wheel every few hours or once per day. Wins can include raffle tickets, free coins, and more.
- Mail-In Requests: Players can send in a request for free Sweepstakes Coins by filling out a mail-in request form. Just be sure to carefully follow the instructions provided by the sweepstakes casino to ensure you qualify for the free coins.
Should You Play Online Casino Games in California?
California is a great place to win cash prizes playing casino games. Whether you like slots or table games, fish shooting games or live dealers, it’s all at your fingertips from the Golden State. The sweepstakes casino model also ensures that you can always win for free, no purchase necessary, which, for more casual players, makes it better than real-money casinos.
However, all forms of gambling involve risk, including sweepstakes casinos. There’s a risk to personal finances as well as a risk of addiction. Be sure to practice responsible gambling to keep everything fun and for entertainment purposes only.
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or use the National Problem Gambling Helpline’s free anonymous chat.