While most US states seem to be progressing in the way of legalizing online gambling, the Golden State actually appears to be regressing. Numerous bills have been shot down. Plus, when propositions have been taken to the general public for the legalization of gambling, they’ve been resoundingly defeated every time. It might seem like a forlorn hope if you live in California. However, the good news is there are still ways to legally play online casino games for real money in California by way of a constantly expanding list of sweepstakes casinos.
Sweepstakes casinos fall under the sweepstakes model and are therefore able to circumnavigate the usually restrictive gambling laws of CA. By itself, this would already be fantastic news. But it gets even better. Because as a sweepstakes promotion, these sites are legally obligated to give their users a way to play real money games for free through their no-deposit welcome bonuses and other daily login bonuses.
In this guide, we’ll be giving you the scoop on all the best sweepstakes casinos that are available to Californians — plus, we’ll also be doing a deep dive into how they work and how you can get started today without spending a penny.
Best CA Online Casino Bonuses (Sweepstakes) in September 2023
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash No Deposit Bonus
10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash No Deposit Bonus
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
Below are our picks for the five best sweepstakes online casinos in California. Though for a quick side-by-side comparison, the below table will give you a quick snapshot of everything you need to know.
| 🎰Casino | 🎁No Deposit Welcome Bonus | 💵First Purchase Bonus | 🤑Other Bonuses |
|---|---|---|---|
| WOW Vegas | 4.5 SC + 8,500 WC over 3 days | 200% Bonus 1.5 Million WOW Coins +30 SC For $9.99 | Daily Login Bonus Mail-in Bonus Referral Bonus Reload Bonus VIP Bonus Social Media Tournaments |
| Fortune Coins | 360,000 GC + 1200 FC First Day Bonus | $50 Fortune Coins Package For $10 20 Million Gold Coins + 5,000 Fortune Coins | Daily Login Bonus Mail-in Bonus Referral Bonus Reload Bonus VIP Bonus Social Media Tournaments |
| Stake.us | 10,000 GC + 1 SC | N/A | Daily Login Bonus Rakeback Bonus Mail-in Bonus VIP Scheme Reload Bonus |
| Pulsz | 2.3 free Sweepstakes Coins and 5,000 Gold Coins | 50% Bonus Sweepstakes Coins 30 SC For $19.99 | Daily Login Bonus Mail-in Bonus Referral Bonus Reload Bonus VIP Bonus Social Media Tournaments |
| High 5 Casino | 5 Sweeps Coin +, 250 Game Coins + 600 Diamonds | 55,000 GC +25 SC For $9.99 150% Bonus | Daily Login Bonus 4-Hour Login Bonus Mail-in Bonus Referral Bonus Reload Bonus VIP Bonus |
🥇WOW Vegas Casino
Despite only starting in 2020, WOW Vegas has quickly established itself as one of the best sweepstakes casinos in the US. An easy sign-up process and a great selection of games is awesome. However, what really makes WOW Vegas stand apart from its competitors is its bonuses. To start off with, new users who sign up via our links will get a no deposit bonus of 4.5 SC + 8,500 WOW Coins for free over the course of their first three days.
But it’s not just new users who get rewarded at WOW Vegas. Because for existing users, you can collect a daily login bonus of 5,000 WOW Coins + 1 SC.
No strings attached. Just log in daily to get free money.
And the bonuses don’t stop there. Because WOW Vegas also runs numerous other promotions like social media giveaways, referral bonuses, and more. These bonuses are all 100% free, though if you really want to kick-start your sweepstakes casino experience and make a purchase, WOW Vegas has an exclusive first purchase bonus of 1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 SC for only $9.99. That’s a 200% bonus to play 300+ slots and table games!
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
🥈Fortune Coins Casino
With a selection of unique casino style games that you won’t find anywhere else, Fortune Coins has established itself as one of the most innovative sweepstakes casinos. However, the innovation doesn’t just stop with their selection of games because Fortune Coins is also home to one of the biggest no deposit welcome bonuses of all sweepstakes casinos in California. Because exclusive for our readers who sign up via our links, you can look forward to $12 worth of bonuses.
That’s 360,000 Gold Coins, + a total of 1,200 Fortune Coins when you sign up and complete the verification process. The way it breaks down is that you get 500 Fortune Coins for completing registration, another 500 Fortune Coins for opting to their email campaign and linking your Facebook, plus a further 200 Fortune Coins when you verify your email address and mobile number. That makes their day one welcome bonus worth $12.
Plus, their first purchase bonus is just as wild. With this bonus, when you purchase their $10 package, you’ll get $50 worth of Fortune Coins for their premium real money play, plus 20,000,000 Gold Coins for fun play. So if you love bonuses, Fortune Coins is for you. Just visit them and play their 200+ fish games, Relax Gaming slots, and table games!
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
🥉Stake.us Casino
Sponsoring high-profile celebrities like Israel Adesanya and Drake — chances are you’ve probably heard of Stake before. For so long, Stake.com eluded the US marketplace, but with the launch of Stake.us, they’ve finally arrived across the US, including in California. With their unique crypto based banking methods, Stake.Us is the casino of the future.
Part of this futuristic outlook is their commitment to giving their users a way to play their real money games for free by embracing the No Purchase Necessary policy of sweepstakes casinos via their free SC bonuses. These bonuses are pretty straightforward. Log in once a day to get 1 free SC + 10,000 GC. Send them a handwritten postcard for 5 free SC. Or even easier, sign up via our links and get a welcome bonus of 10,000 GC + 1 SC — no purchase required.
If you’re a fan of crypto, Stake.us is for you. There are 400+ games there, include provably fair games, jackpots, live dealer rooms, and slots by Pragmatic Play, Stake Originals, and others.
10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash No Deposit Bonus
10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash No Deposit Bonus
🎖️Pulsz Casino
When it comes to sweepstakes casinos, there’s perhaps no name bigger than Pulsz. First launching in the second half of 2020, Pulsz changed the game by bringing mainstream slots to sweepstakes casinos with popular US slot machine developers like NetEnt, as well as European giant Pragmatic Play. If you’ve never played these European games, you’re in for a treat. And even better, you can get started for free.
Because when you sign up to Pulsz using our links, you’ll get a no purchase welcome bonus of 2.3 Sweeps + 5,000 Gold Coins when you finish your registration. For existing users, you can also get free Sweeps Coins when you sign up your friends via their referral program or by following their mail-in bonus rules. Additionally, you can also get 1 free Sweeps Coins once a day when you sign in.
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
🏅High 5 Casino
With 25+ years of experience in US casinos, there are few names as trusted as High 5. The High 5 online sweepstakes casino recently relaunched, bringing with it the opportunity for users to take part in their Sweeps Play feature for the chance to win real money cash prizes.
To celebrate, for new users residing in CA who sign up to High 5 via our links, you can get started for free today with a no purchase welcome bonus of 5 Sweeps Coins + 250 Game Coins + 600 Diamonds.
Additionally, High 5 also offers one of the very best first purchase bonuses that you’ll find with their 150% deposit bonus, where you’ll get 55,000 Game Coins + 25 Sweeps Coins for $9.99. Combine these two bonuses, and you’re looking at a $30 package for less than $10.
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
How These Online Casinos Work in California
Given California’s restrictive gambling laws, it might seem a little weird that while traditional California online casinos aren’t allowed, CA sweepstakes casinos are. The reason for this is that casino gambling in California is restricted to California Native American tribes — thereby limiting most gambling to these territories. Sweepstakes casinos get around these laws as rather than operating as online gambling sites, they instead operate under the California Gambling Control Commission as sweepstakes promotions.
These sweepstakes promotions mainly differ from traditional online casinos as they are required to operate under the No Purchase Necessary policy. This means they must always provide a way to play their games for free. The obvious benefit of operating under these policies is that they are able to offer casino style games for the chance to win real money — however, another benefit of operating as a sweepstakes promotion is that they can offer their services to anyone 18 or older. It’s also why you’ll see sweepstakes casinos use terminology like “purchase” and “redeem” rather than “deposit” and “withdrawal”.
Online Registration
Signing up to a sweepstakes casino is simple. By following the below five-step procedure, you’ll be able to get started with your free welcome bonus in a matter of minutes.
- Using our secure links, navigate to the sweepstakes online casino of your choice.
- Click the “Sign Up” button.
- Fill in a few pages of basic information, click through the prompts, and after reading through the terms & conditions, click the “Join Now” button.
- A confirmation message will now be sent to your email. Click the link inside, and you’re in.
- Log in, claim your welcome bonus, and start playing.
That’s it. You will need to go through the KYC process to verify your ID once you redeem your Sweeps Coins for cash, but even that process is very simple.
Instant Play on Any Device
Sweepstakes casinos are well aware that there’s a growing number of players who want to play on the go. That’s why all the best have developed a mobile-compatible version of their sites or in some cases, have even gone through the effort of creating an iOS and Android mobile app. Whichever of these you use though, you’re guaranteed to get the same gold-class service that you’d get if you were playing online via your desktop.
Virtual Currencies
One of the biggest differences that you’ll notice about a traditional real money online casino when compared to sweepstakes casinos in California is their dual currency system. It might seem a little confusing at first, but it all has to do with the No Purchase Necessary policy that all sweepstakes casinos must abide by.
The name of these currencies may vary based on where you play — though for simplicity, you can split them into two categories: the Fun Play currency and the Promotional Play currency. Below, we’ll go into more details for both.
- Fun Play (Gold Coins) — The Fun Play currency is usually called Gold Coins, although in the case of WOW Vegas it’s WOW Coins, and for High 5 it’s Game Coins. Whatever they’re called, they serve the same purpose. These coins are used to play casino games for fun and cannot be redeemed for any sort of real money prizes. While they might not directly have any real money value, when you purchase Gold Coins packages, you’ll often be given the premium currency as a free bonus.
- Promotional Play (Sweeps Coins) — Promotional Play currencies are the currency you can redeem for cash prizes once you’ve won enough. This currency is usually referred to as Sweeps Coins, though in the case of Fortune Coins they’re called Fortune Coins, and for Stake.us they’re Stake Cash. For legal reasons you can’t purchase this currency directly and instead must purchase a Gold Coin package that includes free Sweeps Coins.
List of all Legal California Online Casinos
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash No Deposit Bonus
10,000 GC + 1 Stake Cash No Deposit Bonus
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
Unlock 57,500 Gold Coins + 27.5 FREE Sweepstakes Coins
Unlock 57,500 Gold Coins + 27.5 FREE Sweepstakes Coins
47,777 LC + 22 FREE SC
47,777 LC + 22 FREE SC
125,000 Coins Free on Registration
100,000 Gold Coins + 1,000 Super Coins
100,000 Gold Coins + 1,000 Super Coins
88,800 Tao Coins On Sign-Up
1000 GC+ 0.2100 SC No Deposit Bonus
1000 GC+ 0.2100 SC No Deposit Bonus
Get up to 90,000 Gold Coins + 9.8 SC FREE
Get up to 90,000 Gold Coins + 9.8 SC FREE
With 60+ Native American tribes and even more casinos, there’s no shortage of land-based casinos in the Golden State. The large number of Native American casinos is one of the main reasons that there are no commercial casinos in California and is also why you won’t find any sort of traditional online casino.
There have been numerous attempts to legalize sports betting and online casinos in California — though none of the proposed bills have gotten anywhere near passing. This means that for the time being, if you want to play online casino games for real money prizes in California, your only options are sweepstakes casinos.
Below are a list of sweepstakes casinos currently operating in California ranked from best to worst:
- WOW Vegas
- Fortune Coins
- Stake.us
- Pulsz
- High 5 Casino
- MCLuck Casino
- Sweeptastic
- BetRivers.net
- Funrize
- NoLimitCoins Casino
- TaoFortune
- Fliff – sweepstakes sports betting
- Pulsz Bingo
- Bingoport
- Rush Games
- LuckyBird.io
- Loyal Royal Casino
- Ding Ding Ding Casino
- Chumba
- Global Poker
- LuckyLand Slots
- Funzpoints
- b spot
- SweepSlots
- ZitoBox
- Gambino Slots
- Skillz Games
This isn’t an exhaustive list as there are some other casinos that claim to be sweepstakes casinos like Riversweeps and Vegas-X; however, in our investigations, we’ve found that they promote shady practices — and as such, we don’t advertise them, nor do we recommend playing at them.
Types of Bonuses at CA Sweeps Casino Sites
Like CA online casinos will do in the future, sweepstakes casinos offer different bonuses to players based in Cali. These include:
Welcome Bonus
Welcome bonuses are the most popular form of bonus at sweepstakes casinos. With these bonuses, you get free Sweeps Coins just for signing up. No deposit is required for these bonuses, nor do you need a welcome bonus promo code — instead, all you need to do to claim it is to make sure you sign up to your chosen sweepstakes casino using our links.
First Purchase Bonus
A first purchase bonus is a bonus that awards users bonus coins on their first purchase. These bonuses are fairly straightforward to understand, giving you extra Sweeps Coins with your first purchase — and to make these bonuses even easier to claim, many sweepstakes casinos advertise their first purchase offers in popups that’ll appear on their homepage.
Daily Login Bonus
One of the main highlights of sweepstakes casinos when compared to other more traditional real money online casinos is that sweepstakes casinos will give you free bonus money just for logging in. While these bonuses aren’t always massive, they are 100% free to claim. Even better, if you sign up to multiple sweepstakes casinos you claim multiple login bonuses each day and easily rake in an extra $5 a day just for logging in to a few sites.
Social Media Promotions
Sweepstakes casinos also host many giveaways for free Sweeps Coins. The best way to find these giveaways is to follow your chosen sweepstakes casino on Facebook. From there, they’ll usually host a weekly competition or quiz where if you guess the correct answer to their questions and leave your answer in the comments, you can be randomly chosen to receive free Sweeps Coins & Gold Coins.
Mail-In Bonus
The mail-in bonus is one of the strangest, but easiest ways to get free Sweeps Coins. This bonus ties into their legal status as a sweepstakes promotion, and by taking advantage of it, you can get free Sweeps Coins just by sending in a letter or postcard to the US headquarters of a sweepstakes promotion.
One thing to keep in mind though is that sweepstakes casinos are pretty strict about what you need to write on your postcard. As such, if you do want to claim this bonus, you’ll need to check out the terms & conditions page for more details.
Refer a Friend Bonus
Another great way to earn free Sweeps Coins without needing to make a purchase is by simply telling your friends about the sweepstakes casino you signed up for and having them sign up via your referral links. These bonuses are great. Because when a friend signs up via your link, not only will they get a bonus — but you will too. To find your unique referral code, just head to your account page and select the refer a friend option.
Does a Sweepstakes California Casino Bonus Pay Real Money?
Yes.
Sweepstakes casino bonuses do pay out real money when you collect enough Sweeps Coins. Now there are some rules and wagering requirements that you’ll have to follow — however, these requirements are very quick and easy to pass. In this section, we’ll cover two standard requirements you’ll need to meet before you can redeem your Sweeps Coins to cash.
- Wagering Requirements — Wagering requirements are common for all casino bonuses. These requirements (sometimes referred to as playthrough requirements) determine how many times you need to playthrough your Sweeps Coins before they’re eligible to be redeemed. These requirements vary from sweepstakes casino to sweepstakes casino, and as such, you should always read the terms & conditions page to find this information. However, the good news is that most sweepstakes casinos only employ an x1 wagering requirement with all of their Sweeps Coins bonuses. That means you only need to play through your account balance once before your coins can be redeemed into cash.
- KYC Verification — While sweepstakes casinos may not have to follow laws that bind traditional online casinos, they still do nevertheless have to follow certain sweepstakes laws that limit who they’re allowed to offer their games to. Two of these key requirements are that you must live in a state that allows sweepstakes promotions and that you are at least 18 years old. To confirm this information, sweepstakes casinos are required to verify your identity before paying you out. For this, you’ll need to follow KYC (Know Your Customer) protocols. This process is pretty easily done though. Just submit a scan of your government issued photo ID, a selfie, as well as any information that they require. Once you’ve sent through this information and it has passed through their automatic verification process, your account will be marked as secure and you’ll be eligible to redeem your Sweeps Coins.
What Casino Games Can You Play?
At sweepstakes casinos, you can play all the traditional casino games that you’d expect at any other online casino.
These games include table games like blackjack and roulette, as well as slot machines. Additionally, sites like Fortune Coins and Stake.us also offer unique in-house developed games that you won’t find anywhere else. In the case of Fortune Coins especially, they’ve started offering arcade style shooters in the form of multiplayer fish games where you collect bounties for hunting big fish.
All these games are eligible for Promotional Play, and you can use them to meet the playthrough requirements of your sweeps Coins bonuses.
Will Real Money Online Casinos Become Legal in California?
The question as to whether or not real money online casinos will become legal in California is difficult to answer.
While a lot of states are making good headway in this department, California isn’t one of them. The Native American tribes that run all the physical casinos in the state are worried that online casinos will take away their business. As such, they’re resoundingly against any new bills that would legalize online casinos.
Similarly, residents of the Golden State don’t seem to be too interested in legalizing online gambling. When polled, the general public seems mostly against it. Because of these factors, I wouldn’t bet on any type of online gambling becoming legal in California anytime soon.
The good news is though, there are still ways for you to play casino style games online for real money via sweepstakes casinos. While these casinos operate under the sweepstakes model, they function similarly to a traditional online casino and are the perfect place to play real money slots online in CA.
Even better, thanks to the No Purchase Necessary policy of sweepstakes promotions, you can get started for free. Just sign up to any of our recommended sweepstakes casinos to claim your free no deposit welcome bonus and get started today.
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 Free SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
GET UP TO 367,000 GC +32.3 FREE SC
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
360,000 Free Gold Coins + $12 Fortune Coins No Deposit Bonus
Unlock 57,500 Gold Coins + 27.5 FREE Sweepstakes Coins
Unlock 57,500 Gold Coins + 27.5 FREE Sweepstakes Coins
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
5 FREE Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds + 250 Game Coins
FAQs
Are online casinos legal in California?
Traditional online casinos are not legal in California. However, you can still legally play at sweepstakes casinos in California as they're classified as a sweepstakes promotion.
What online casino games can I play in California?
At sweepstakes online casinos in CA, you can play all the typical casino games you'd expect, like blackjack, roulette, online slots, live dealer games, and other popular casino games.
Do any online casinos in California offer a no deposit bonus?
Yes. Since sweepstakes casinos all have to abide by the No Purchase Necessary policy, they must all provide a way for players to Sweeps Coins for free via a no deposit bonus. The most popular of these are welcome bonuses. To claim yours, just sign up to your chosen sweepstakes casino by following our exclusive links.
What are the best online casinos in California?
The best sweepstakes casino sites available in California are WOW Vegas, Fortune Coins, Stake.us, Pulsz, and High 5.
What is the legal gambling age for sweepstakes casinos in California?
The legal gambling age in California varies based on what type of gambling you're doing. For sweepstakes promotions, you must be at least 18 to sign up.