Heading into 2025, social casinos are more popular than ever. Stake.us, WOW Vegas, Chumba, and other similar sites have attracted millions of worldwide users, with most people playing on either Android or iOS. If you’re wondering why they’ve become so popular, it’s mainly because social casinos use virtual coins — not real money. Specifically, they use Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. These coins aren’t the same and serve different purposes, so let’s unpack the key differences and how they work.
How Are Sweeps Coins and Gold Coins Different?
Sweeps Coins can be used to redeem real prizes while Gold Coins have no value and are used just for fun. That’s the major difference between these two types of social casino currencies. In a nutshell, if your aim is to win prizes, you’ll need to use Sweeps Coins.
In most social casinos, a Sweeps Coin is worth $1. For example, if you were playing slots and won 200 SC from a big jackpot, this works out at approximately $200. Sweeps Coins you win can then be redeemed for prizes from the menu. Most social casinos have a lot of great prizes, so it’s an exciting experience.
Gold Coins have no value at all. The purpose of Gold Coins is that they allow you to play for free with no pressure involved. You might join one social casino and then receive 250K+ Gold Coins in return, pretty much gaining you unlimited access to all the games you want. However, no matter how many Gold Coins you win from the casino games, you can’t redeem them for any prizes.
Where to Get Sweeps Coins
Because Sweeps Coins can be used to redeem prizes, they’re the most popular type of currency in today’s social casinos. However, many players often get confused about where to get Sweeps Coins, but it’s actually pretty simple. The two most common methods are:
- Redeem any free Sweeps Coins offers during the sign-up process
- Purchase a Gold Coins package that includes free Sweeps Coins
Let’s take a look at WOW Vegas for a second. WOW Vegas is one of the most popular social casinos and currently has an offer where you receive 1,500,000 WOW Coins and 35 free Sweeps Coins after making your first purchase of $9.99. There are also plenty of other sites where you can get similar offers, but this is just a good example.
Remember, you can never directly purchase Sweeps Coins. They are either given away for free or included as part of Gold Coins packages. This is why it’s a great strategy to stay up-to-date with the latest social casino offers listed on sweepstake-casinos.com, allowing you to keep your Sweeps Coins topped up all year round.
Are Sweeps Coins Classed as Real Money?
No — Sweeps Coins are not classed as real money. However, you can sort of see them as a substitute for real money, with a typical Sweeps Coin valued at $1. Any SC you win can then be redeemed for prizes from the dropdown menu, which is great news for all the prize-lovers out there. And in terms of offerings, these prizes typically include cryptocurrencies, gift cards, or even cash transfers, but it’s subject to the specific social casino that you sign-up with.
Which Type of Social Casino Currency is Right For Me?
After joining a social casino for the first time, you might be wondering which type of currency is best for you. Here’s how we see it:
If you want to compete and win prizes, use Sweeps Coins. Alternatively, if you’re only interested in having fun and playing your favorite games, use Gold Coins.
It’s especially recommended that you use Gold Coins if you’re a beginner player, as they’ll provide you with an opportunity to familiarize yourself with how the different games work, from roulette to mobile slots. Once you’re more experienced, you might then want to start using your Sweeps Coins.
Other Advice for Social Casino Beginners
Every day, thousands of new players try social casinos for the first time. If you’re also a beginner, here are some pieces of advice that you should follow in order to maximize your experience and get the most out of it:
- Understand casino game rules before playing (e.g. don’t play blackjack without knowing how to win)
- Learn the gameplay controls and mechanics
- Take advantage of free bonuses and rewards
- Watch popular casino streamers on Twitch like CasinoDaddy and xQc to learn different strategies
- Only purchase Gold Coins packages that you can afford
Pretty quickly, you’ll start to get the hang of things and understand the ins-and-outs of social casinos. Remember, they’re not that much different to traditional online casinos. The major difference is that you’re playing with virtual coins instead of real money — and there’s also a stronger focus on socializing with other players.
Summary
It’s time to wrap things up. You’re now officially up-to-date on the differences between the two most common social casino currencies: Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Moving forward, you’ll be able to use Gold Coins to play your favorite casino games or place bets with Sweeps Coins if you feel like potentially grabbing some prizes.