How do free social casinos work
Let’s first look at the mechanics of these sites and how they work. It’s important to understand this as they operate in a very different way to real money online casinos, and there are some key distinctions relating to laws and regulatory compliance.
They use virtual currencies for gameplay
With real money casinos, you deposit USD and use it to play games. At free social casinos, there’s no ability to make real money deposits. Instead, the sites typically have two virtual currencies that are an effective substitute for real money but work differently. You use these virtual currencies to play the casino-style games.
The most common names for the two virtual currencies are Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, but some sites have their own name variations. For example, Stake.us calls Sweeps Coins Stake Cash. We’ve explained the purpose of both virtual currencies below:
- Gold Coins: Gold Coins or GC are used for gameplay. When you register with a social casino app or site, you’ll usually start in Gold Coin mode - you can then use any GC you have to play games, getting the chance to get GC prizes in return. Gold Coins have no other function and they cannot be redeemed for prizes, or swapped for Sweeps Coins.
- Sweeps Coins: Sweeps Coins or SC can also be used to play the games with. You can usually switch to Sweeps Coin game mode, and when you do, you have the potential to get SC prizes back. Unlike Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for electronic gift cards and cash prizes, but there are eligibility requirements. You usually need a minimum SC balance, to have played with your bonus SC a set number of times, and to have completed a full ID verification.
You can get these virtual currencies for free in various ways
One of the best things about these sites is that they have social casinos bonuses which is how you get the virtual currencies and play the games for free. Common types of promotions include:
- Welcome bonus.
- Daily login bonus.
- Referral scheme.
- VIP program.
- Random bonus drops.
- Social media contests.
- Game tournaments.
- Mail-in bonus.
You typically don’t need social casinos promo codes for these offers, but some will need a code, like the Stake.us welcome bundle, for example, where you get 560,000 Gold Coins, 56 Stake Cash, and a 5% rakeback, only if you use the GAMEDAY code during registration.
They have hundreds of awesome casino-style games
With your free virtual currencies, you can enjoy a superb range of casino-style games. In most instances, these are the same games used at real money online casinos, but you play using Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Most sites that we’ve tested and reviewed will have video slots, arcade games, single player table games, live dealer games, scratchcards, video poker, bingo, and jackpot slots.
Pros and cons of free social casinos
We love free social casinos, but at the same time they aren’t perfect and there are some things to consider if you are thinking about trying them. The game variety and accessibility are awesome, and you should always be able to play the games for free as per regulations. However, only a few sites have a mobile app, and SC redemption processing times are slow.
Pros
- Fantastic game variety.
- Widely available in the US.
- Free to play games.
Cons
- Not many downloadable apps.
Five epic social casino free play sites to try now
You should now be able to see the benefits of these sites and the enjoyment you stand to gain from them. All that’s left now is to give one a try, and we’ve got that covered. Below, we’ve used our extensive industry knowledge and testing to give you five recommended sites. Each one has a unique feature or excels in a slightly different area - you can see their welcome bonuses in the table below.
| Free social casino | Welcome bonus |
|---|---|
| RealPrize | 100,000 Gold Coins, 2 Sweeps Coins |
| Stake.us | 560,000 Gold Coins, 56 Stake Cash, 5% rakeback |
| Sixty6 | 75,000 Gold Coins, 2 Sweeps Coins |
| Sweepnext | 25,000 Gold Coins, 2.5 Sweeps Coins |
| LoneStar | 100,000 Gold Coins, 2.5 Sweeps Coins |
RealPrize - best choice for live dealers
Our first pick is RealPrize and this is just a well-rounded social casino with an excellent welcome bonus and daily login bonus. Whenever we play here, we usually go to the live dealer section which has awesome titles from ICONIC21 like Gravity Blackjack, Gravity Plinko, and Baccarat. Don’t forget to click our links, sign up, and get your 100,000 GC and 2 SC welcome bonus. Afterwards, you can also claim the many other bonuses offered by RealPrize, such as the daily rewards and the referral bonus.
Stake.us - immense welcome bundle
Use the GAMEDAY bonus code when you sign up at Stake.us and you unlock an exclusive cumulative bundle of 560,000 Gold Coins, 56 Stake Cash, and a 5% rakeback on your first month. At the time of writing this guide, this is THE largest welcome bundle available. Stake.us is known for its Stake Originals arcade games - make sure you try out legendary titles like Crash, Limbo, Pump, and Dice. You can also explore other games for free using your bonus virtual currencies, like slots, table games, and more.
Sixty6 - awesome 3-reel slots
If you sign up with Sixty6 you get a brilliant welcome bonus of 75,000 GC and 2 SC, but this site also has a daily login bonus that can go as high as 100,000 GC and 5 SC, which is one of the largest available! You can even score additional free virtual currencies by following Sixty6 on Facebook, Instagram and X. For gaming, Sixty6 has an amazing selection of 3-reel slots from developers like 3 Oaks Gaming, and some of our top titles include Coin Volcano, 3 Aztec Fires, and Coin Strike.
Sweepnext - multiple GC purchase bonuses
Sweepnext is one of the newer free social casinos to launch in 2025 but it’s already got a fantastic reputation. New customers can get 25,000 GC and 2.5 SC for free, and they have three incredible optional GC first purchase bonuses. For example, you can get 250,000 GC for $9.99, and after the GC purchase is complete, you get 25 free SC as a bonus. We love the arcade games and live dealer games here, but they also feature a grand slot collection from notable developers like Novomatic and Red Rake Gaming.
LoneStar - great Pragmatic slot collection
If you want to try legendary slots with amazing soundtracks and bonus features, look no further than the Pragmatic Play collection at LoneStar. Games like Gates of Olympus, Release the Kraken, and Madame Destiny are so much fun and the quality is insane. You can enjoy these games for free by clicking our links, signing up, and getting your 100,000 Gold Coin and 2.5 Sweeps Coin welcome bonus. After that, LoneStar gives you a consistent daily login bonus of 5,000 Gold Coins and 0.30 Sweeps Coins.
Get into the world of free social casino gaming today
If you’ve not already played at free social casinos, then you should get started today! These sites have far greater availability compared to their real money alternatives, and you can prioritize fun due to the free virtual currencies that you get to enjoy the games with. Whether you enjoy the bright lights and epic animations of slots, the strategy of table games, or the fast-paced action of arcade games, free social casinos will deliver.
So, what are you waiting for? Why not get started now by clicking the links we have here and trying out one or more of the sweepstakes casinos we’ve recommended? Stake.us is great for its immense welcome bundle, RealPrize has cracking live dealer games, and Sweepnext, LoneStar, and Sixty6 have some amazing video slots to try.
