Best sweepstakes & social casinos in Virginia for 2024

The legality of sweepstakes casinos in Virginia

VA prohibits all gambling except sports betting. That is why many players turn to sweepstakes casinos. Sweepstakes gambling is the legal loophole allowing Virginia players to enjoy a casino-like experience without legal consequences. Since sweepstakes casinos use virtual currencies instead of actual cash, they’re free to use and, more importantly, legal.

Since sweepstakes casinos in Virginia follow the sweepstakes model, they don’t require a gambling license. Therefore, players can enjoy various games, like poker, blackjack online, and slots, without mandatory payments.

VA sweeps gambling illegalities

Two primary reasons make sweepstakes gambling legal in Virginia: chance and a free-to-play model. The three elements of the lottery include prize, consideration, and chance. In other words, players must pay (consideration) to enter the lottery, and the prize winner is selected randomly. However, private lotteries are illegal in Virginia.

The element that makes them illegal is the consideration. Thus, taking out this element leaves us with the prize and chance. This combination results in sweepstakes gambling.

Sweepstakes casino games are free, and the prize winner is selected by chance. However, to make the experience more similar to traditional casinos, sweepstakes casinos offer free virtual currencies.

To sum up, sweepstakes casinos are entirely legal in Virginia. However, the state has banned some sweepstakes casinos, such as b spot.

Virginia vs. neighboring states: sweepstakes legalities

As mentioned above, sweepstakes casinos are legal in Virginia as long as the games are free to play and they choose winners by chance. However, making actual payments to sweepstakes casinos isn’t illegal; it’s just optional. If players want to purchase more virtual coins to play even more sweepstakes games, they can. However, the casinos don’t obligate them to do so.

While states don’t have to follow the nationwide law regarding gambling, they usually do. Thus, Virginia’s laws and legalities can differ from those of its neighboring states.

For example, sports betting is legal in Virginia, while North Carolina doesn’t allow it online, and Tennessee doesn’t allow it in person. On the other hand, West Virginia permits dog and horse racing bets and video lottery games.

Georgia is much more strict regarding its gambling laws, making it a felony with the punishment of at least a year of imprisonment if convicted. All neighboring states agree with Virginia regarding sweepstakes gambling and casinos—it’s not gambling, so it’s legal.

Virginia sweepstakes gambling governing laws

The Dominant Factor Doctrine assesses whether chance is the determinator of the outcome of the sweepstakes.

The nationwide laws from the following organizations govern sweepstakes gambling:

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• United States Postal Service (USPS)
• United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

The fundamental principle that governs sweepstakes gambling in Virginia and other states is the “no purchase necessary” rule. It guarantees that sweepstakes casinos won’t request mandatory payments from their players, and everyone has an equal chance of winning the prize.

The other essential principle that ensures equal chances of winning in sweepstakes gambling is chance. Sweepstakes gambling is legal if casinos select winners randomly and not according to skill. Thus, Virginia and many other states use the Dominant Factor Test to assess whether chance determines the outcome of sweepstakes gambling.

VA sweepstakes casino game options

Besides the legalities of sweepstakes casinos, the game variety is crucial to players. When you pick the sweepstakes casino to invest your time and luck, it’s vital to have many different game options. If a casino only offers one or two game categories, it can become dull quickly.

Thus, Virginia sweepstakes casinos try to offer various game types, like slots, poker, craps, baccarat, bingo, and roulette, to appeal to their players.

Slot games

Slots are some of the main games players opt for in sweepstakes casinos. Slots offer more variety than other game types, which adds to their appeal. The game includes matching symbols in various combinations to win prizes. The winnings depend on the bet amount and the symbol combinations.

Sweepstakes slots offer various themes and sets of symbols. Thus, players can find the theme they like in popular slots like Book of Ra, Fortunes, Starburst, Big Bass Bonanza, etc. You can find these and many more slot games at almost all Virginia sweepstakes casinos, including Riversweeps, PENN Play, and Bally casino.

Poker games

Poker is the most played card game in sweepstakes casinos. It’s a game where players bet on their hands. The stronger a player’s card combinations, the higher the chances of winning. Players combine the cards in their hands with the shared cards on the table, trying to build better combinations than other players.

Some of the most played online poker game titles include Triple Draw, Razz, Omaha, Texas Hold’em, and Kansas City Lowball. Players can find various poker game titles and variations in many Virginia sweepstakes casinos, such as Global Poker, CasinoCastle, Enchanted Sweeps, etc.

Craps games

Craps is a popular dice game in Virginia sweepstakes casinos. Craps players bet on the outcome or specific numbers.

There are several stages of craps. First, a player rolls the dice and, depending on the total sum, either Pass Line passes or it’s “craps.” Different outcomes have different odds and payout amounts. The variety of betting options makes craps games exciting and entertaining to Virginia sweepstakes players.

Virginia players enjoy many craps games and variations, such as New York Craps, Die Rich Craps, High Point Craps, and Las Vegas Strip. Virginia sweepstake casinos that offer craps games include LuckyBird.io, Sweeptastic, and Sunshine Sweeps casino.

How to pick the best legal sweepstakes casinos in VA

Sweepstakes casinos are entirely legal in Virginia. Thus, their number is constantly on the rise. That makes it more challenging for players to pick the best one. Of course, players’ demands and choices differ. However, there are some crucial factors in determining whether a sweepstakes casino is worth your while:

• Legality and regulation – Always ensure the desired sweepstakes casino is legal in your jurisdiction. Check its regulatory bodies, operating licenses, and regulations from reputable authorities in Virginia. 
• Security measures – When signing up for your sweepstakes casino account, you must provide personal information. Ensure the casino has robust security measures to protect your login credentials, date of birth, and name. 
• Bonus and promotions – Since you can only play sweepstakes games with virtual coins, having them on your account is vital. To avoid purchasing more coins, find a sweepstakes casino that offers generous and regular bonuses and promotions. 
• Game variety – Players can quickly get bored if a sweepstakes casino offers only one or two game options. Various game categories and options ensure a better and more interesting casino-like experience. 
• User experience – Before creating an account and entering sweepstakes games, read user reviews on that sweep coins casino. If the user experience is predominantly negative, avoiding that website is safer. 

Sources

• Kinnaird, D. Reconsidering the Legal Definition of Gambling: A Resuscitation of the Gambling Instinct Test. Virginia Law Review Association.
• Prizes and Gifts Act. LIS.
• Contests and Sweepstakes. VirginiaABC.
• Virginia Official Rules for Online Sweepstakes. USLegal.