NORTH AMERICA
On the rise :
Sweepstakes in the States
Alex Windsor , CMO at GameTime Digital , explains why sweepstakes has become so popular in the US and why its delicate legality might soon prove tricky
The US has always loved two things : sweepstakes and gambling . A report on ABC News claimed that more than 55 million Americans participate in sweepstakes contests annually . And according to NerdWallet , in 2024 , 62 % of Americans said they had gambled over the past year . Therefore , it was inevitable that the two worlds would eventually collide to create sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks .
Since 2020 , these types of sites have experienced a thunderous rise in popularity . From WOW Vegas to Rebet , millions of people across the country have started creating accounts . After all , it ’ s an exciting new concept , so players are naturally interested to see what the hype is all about .
So , how do sweepstakes casinos and other similar sites work ? It ’ s actually very simple . To place bets , players use gold coins or sweeps coins — not real money . These coins are virtual , meaning they have no real-world value . However , sweeps coins can be redeemed for prizes if you win enough of them , so there ’ s still plenty of incentive for players .
Chumba Casino and the sweepstakes era
Chumba Casino is the site that started it all . Launched back in 2017 by Virtual Gaming Worlds ( VGW ), it ’ s a free-to-play social casino site that features hundreds of casino-style games , including slots , video poker , bingo and more . Flashforward to today and the site has “ over one million ” daily players , making it a huge success .
Other companies in the igaming industry saw Chumba Casino take off and decided they wanted a piece of the pie , too .
This has led to a huge wave of sweepstakes casinos hitting the internet since 2017 , with some of the biggest names being Pulsz ( 2020 ), WOW Vegas ( 2022 ) and Stake . us ( 2022 ). These sites have ultimately reaped the benefits of an exciting new niche , attracting countless players from around the world to sign up with them .
The list keeps growing
Currently , the number of active sweepstakes casinos in America is well over 50 , with our sweeps review site SweepsKings reporting that 11 of these sites launched in 2024 . It ’ s a big number by any stretch of the imagination , especially for a market that ’ s still relatively new . And there ’ s more to come .
Over the next decade more and more sweepstakes operators are expected to come online with operators desperate to take advantage of the sweepstakes boom . It ’ s hard to blame them , either ; the demand for sweepstakes
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