The words and abbreviations you'll see on sweepstakes casinos, in player forums, and on this site. Sites avoid gambling words, so the same term often has multiple names.
Coins and accounts
GC (Gold Coins): Play money. You can buy or earn them for free, but it has no cash value and can't be redeemed. Some sites call them something else or do not have them entirely (ex. Card Crush).
SC (Sweeps Coins): Coins you can redeem for cash prizes once you've played through them. Usually 1 SC is worth $1. Sites don't sell SC directly: you get it free, by mail, from promos, or as a bonus with a Gold Coin purchase. Some brands use their own name, such as Stake Cash or Fortune Coins.
Unplayed SC: Sweeps Coins you haven't met the playthrough on yet. You can play with them but can't cash them out until you meet the playthrough requirement.
Redeemable SC: Sweeps Coins that have met the playthrough requirement and can be cashed out for real-life prizes.
Coin package (GC package): A bundle of Gold Coins sold for money, usually with free Sweeps Coins attached.
SC expiry: Some sites remove Sweeps Coins from accounts that sit unused for a set time, often counted from your spin.
Account verification (KYC, or "Know Your Customer"): identity checks most sites require before you cash out. Expect a photo ID, and sometimes a selfie or proof of address. The name on your account, your ID, and your bank account must match. As a rule of thumb, do your KYC before making any significant purchases on a site. If you make a purchase and fail KYC, you could forfeit any SC on your account.
AML: Anti-money-laundering rules. They're the reason sites watch for unusual activity and sometimes hold a cash-out for review.
The sweepstakes model
Sweepstakes casino (sweeps): A site with casino-style games that runs under sweepstakes rules instead of gambling licenses. You play with Gold Coins for fun or with Sweeps Coins for a chance to win cash prizes.
No purchase necessary: The legal rule that anyone must be able to get Sweeps Coins without buying anything. It's why every site has a free way in, usually through a mail-in entry.
AMOE (mail-in request): "Alternative method of entry": the free way to get Sweeps Coins, usually a handwritten request mailed to the site. Each one is worth a few SC. The formatting rules are strict, and a mistake voids the request.
Play, entry, or spin: What sites call a bet. Likewise, a purchase is what a casino would call a deposit, and a redemption is a withdrawal.
Restricted state: A state where a site won't let you play for Sweeps Coins or cash out, either because the state banned sweepstakes casinos or because the site chose to stay out. See where sweepstakes casinos are legal.
Geolocation: Location checks sites use to enforce state rules. Using a VPN to get around it breaks the terms at the sites we've checked and can get your account closed, but it varies by site.
Bonuses
Daily login bonus (daily): Free coins for logging in once a day. Some sites raise the amount if you log in several days in a row and reset it if you miss one.
First-purchase bonus (welcome offer): A discounted first coin package, usually with extra Sweeps Coins. Often the best deal a site offers.
Reload bonus: Extra coins on a later purchase.
Sale or promo: A limited-time package with extra Sweeps Coins. The good ones are where most purchase profit comes from.
VIP program (tiers): Levels you climb by playing, either through SC, GC, or a combination of both. Higher levels can bring better sales, bigger bonuses, or faster cash-outs.
Rakeback: A share of everything you bet, paid back to you whether you win or lose. Only a few sweepstakes sites offer it (ex., Coinsback).
"Up to" offers: A bonus advertised by its top prize, such as "up to 500 SC". Most people get far less, so purchase at your own discretion.
Playthrough and cashing out
Playthrough (wagering requirement): How many times you must bet a Sweeps Coin before you can cash it out. At 1×, you must bet 100 SC in total. At 3×, it's 300 SC.
Washing (SC wash): Clearing playthrough on the cheapest, least volatile game you can find, so you lose as little as possible along the way.
Crosswashing: Betting both sides of the same roulette spin or baccarat hand, usually on two sites, so your balance barely moves while playthrough clears. It doesn't lower the cost, and it carries account risk. See our crosswashing guide.
Hedge: Placing bets that offset each other so a loss on one is covered by a win on the other. Crosswashing is a hedge.
Redemption (cash-out, redeem): Turning redeemable Sweeps Coins into cash, a gift card, or, at some sites, crypto**.** See our cashing out guide.
Redemption minimum: The smallest balance you can cash out. Often 50 to 100 SC for cash, and generally less for gift cards.
Game math
RTP (return to player): The share of all bets a game pays back over time. A 97% RTP game pays back 97 cents per dollar bet, on average. Higher is better for playthrough.
House edge: The share the house keeps on average: 100% minus RTP. A 97% RTP game has a 3% house edge.
EV (expected value): The average result of a play or a deal if you could repeat it many times. "+EV" means the average result is a profit, such as a package whose free Sweeps Coins are worth more than the cost of playing them through.
Volatility (variance, swing): How much results jump around the average. Low volatility means frequent small wins and losses. High volatility means long dry spells and rare big wins. For playthrough, low is safer.
Expected keep: Our ranking measure: the typical balance you'd have left after meeting a site's playthrough at the smallest bet, per 100 coins you start with. See how we score.
Bankroll: The coins or money you have as your playable SC balance.
Bet size (unit): How much you bet per spin or hand. A common rule is 1%-2% of your balance. Lower is better to reduce volatility.
Min-bet: Playing at the smallest bet a game allows, to keep swings small.
Games
Slots: Spinning-reel games. RTP and volatility vary the most, so check both before using one for playthrough.
Table games: Blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, and similar games. Some sites don't count them toward playthrough, or count them at a lower rate.
Live dealer (live games): Table games streamed from a studio with a real dealer. Several sites can show the same table, which is what makes two-site crosswashing possible.
RNG (random number generator): The software that determines results in non-live games. For reputable games, you can verify each play or spin to ensure fairness.
Provider (studio): The company that makes a game, such as Evolution or Playtech. Reputable sites license games from well-known providers.
Banker and Player: The two main bets in baccarat. Banker pays even money minus a 5% commission; Player pays even money. Both are returned on a tie.
Red and black: The even-money color bets in roulette. Each covers 18 numbers.
Zero and double zero (green): The green pockets on a roulette wheel. Every color bet loses when the ball lands there. A European wheel has one, and an American wheel has two, which doubles the house edge.
Sites and companies
Operator: The company that runs a site. On this site, we also use it to mean the site itself.
Site (brand): A single sweepstakes casino under its own name.
Parent company (network): A company that runs several sites. See our companies page.
Sister sites: Sites run by the same parent company. They often look alike and may share account data.
Pilot: On Smart Money Sweeps, a site we track but haven't finished scoring.
Account trouble
Promo ban (bonus ban): When a site stops sending you sale offers and bonus coins, usually because your play looks profit-focused rather than like gambling. Your daily login bonus may continue. Sites rarely announce it, but you'll notice the difference.
Limited or restricted account: An account the site has partly blocked, often pending a review.
Account closure (ban): The site shuts your account. Depending on why, it may keep your balance.
Multi-accounting: Having more than one account at the same site. Every site we've checked bans it, and it can cost you all of your accounts and balances.
Bonus abuse (promo abuse): Using promotions in ways the site didn't intend. Sites give themselves broad room to cancel bonuses or prizes over it.
Collusion (coordinated play): Two or more people working together, such as one betting red while the other bets black. Banned at every site we've checked but hard to prove.
Player slang
Grind: Steady, low-value play: collecting dailies, clearing playthrough, or climbing VIP levels.
Degen: A player who chases big wins over steady profit, or one who makes deliberately risky plays.
Self-exclusion: Blocking yourself from a site for a set time or for good. Most sites offer it in your account settings.