Red Flags to Watch For in New Sweepstakes Sites

Not all sweepstakes casinos offer the same level of fairness and security. Sadly, there are a few rotten apples that are best avoided.

Usually, the signs are easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for, but if you’re brand new to the game, you are more likely to miss the signs completely. This guide covers what red flags in sweepstakes casinos to look for, roughly in order of how seriously to take them.

How to check a sweepstakes casino in 5 minutes

A new sweepstakes casino can’t prove the one thing that matters most: that it reliably pays out. It takes time to build a reputation online, whether good or bad.

Before anything else, start by running a few basic checks to determine the validity of the sweepstakes casino. These checks take less than 5 minutes and catch most problems before you put time or money into it.

1. Find the company name in the footer or terms, and see what else it operates. Do a quick Google search on their other casinos; if they have a good reputation, their latest addition will likely follow the same pattern.
2. Find the free entry instructions. If you can’t locate them within two minutes, that’s your answer. A sweepstakes casino is legally obligated to offer a free entry, and if it’s impossible to find, they are more likely rogue than good.
3. Find the payout timeline. Look for a stated number of days, and not worthless jargon like “as soon as possible”.
4. Find the excluded states list. It should be specific and include the currently closed states. If you see them operating in closed states, they are likely to get shut down any minute and are likely to not operate fairly in other areas.
5. Find the responsible gaming tools. Deposit limits and self-exclusion should exist before you need them. If the casino has no responsible gambling tools whatsoever, it’s usually a sign it doesn’t care much about its players.

If all five check out, you’re dealing with an operator that’s at least built things properly. If two or more are missing, close the website.

We know it can be hard for new players to tell good casinos from bad ones, so choosing from our vetted best sweepstakes casinos list can offer reassurance. Each casino listed has been quality-tested by our experts and offers a safe experience.

Serious red flags

The above list is small red flags, but below you can find the big ones that are waving in the wind for all to see. You should treat them as disqualifying on their own.

A buried or unusable free entry route

Every legitimate sweepstakes casino must offer a free way to get Sweeps Coins. It’s not a courtesy, but the legal basis the entire model stands on.

So when a site hides those instructions in dense terms, writes them to sound discouraging, or credits free entries at a rate so low the route is effectively theatre, that’s not sloppiness. It’s a deliberate choice about how they view the obligation, and it tends to predict how they’ll treat other obligations too.

The US Federal Trade Commission has pursued this pattern in the wider sweepstakes industry: Publishers Clearing House paid $18.5 million in a settlement covering, among other things, misleading consumers about how to enter and creating the impression a purchase was necessary to win. You can read more about this case on FTC.gov.

Any suggestion that buying improves your odds

Purchased and free entries have identical odds. Always.

A site implying otherwise in copy, in the interface, or through a support agent has a fundamental problem with the model it’s operating on. You’d be better off avoiding such websites entirely.

A fee to verify your identity or release a payout

Legitimate sweepstakes casinos never charge for this. If you’re asked to pay a fee to unlock a withdrawal, you’re not dealing with a slow casino; you’re dealing with something else entirely. Stop and don’t spend any money.

No named company anywhere

A real sweepstakes casino names its corporate entity in the footer or terms. Total anonymity means there’s nobody to hold responsible if things go wrong, and no way to check which other sites they operate and their history.

Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins Are Deliberately Confusing

If a sweeps casino makes it difficult to understand how much GC vs SC you’re getting, treat it as a major red flag. It’s easy for new players to get them confused, but if experienced players also find it difficult to separate them the way the casino promotes them, it’s usually a major red flag.

No customer support

Responsive customer support is one of the most important features of a sweepstakes casino since you need somewhere to turn if something goes wrong. If they have no visible support channel or it’s buried and hard to find, treat it as a warning for what to come.

Legit sweepstakes casinos usually offer multiple customer support channels via email, live chat, and social channels, and they can usually be reached 24/7.

What to do if you are playing in a rogue sweepstakes casino

If you’ve already created an account at a sweepstakes casino and realize it has several red flags after reading this article, we advise you to stop playing immediately and especially don’t spend any money on it. You should then conduct further investigation to see if your suspicions are legit.

Start by looking up their reputation online. Check forums and other social channels to find out if other players have gotten their redemptions or not. Some negative comments are always expected, but if you see mostly good ones, they are likely fine. Although we advise against spending any real money there, you can try to make your first redemption if you’re not too far away.

If they are riddled with bad stories from previous players, don’t share your payment details and avoid them like the plague. You’re not likely to get any redemptions, and you should also change your passwords if you’ve used the same one elsewhere.

Where to report a suspicious sweepstakes casino

If you suspect the site is nothing but a scam, you should report it via https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/. Reports can help the FTC and other law enforcement to identify scam patterns and further protect others.

You can also contact your state attorney general or local consumer protection office.

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Jon Frendo Bongailas Author

Games & Payments Editor

Jon focuses on game libraries, software providers, and the redemption process end-to-end. He tests every payout method a platform offers before it gets a score and covers the bonus and payment guides.

Marcus Lee Browning Fact Checker ▾

Founder & Lead Reviewer

Eight years covering online gaming and sweepstakes platforms. Marcus runs account testing and redemption timing, and has cashed out of more sweeps sites than he’d care to count. He writes the operator reviews and sets the final scores.