Why the model looks like this

A sweepstakes casino holds no gambling licence. It runs under promotional law, the framework covering prize draws and competitions, and the central rule there is that entry cannot require payment. Everything downstream exists to satisfy that rule.

Because entry must be free, the operator cannot sell a chance to win. It sells Gold Coins, an entertainment currency with no cash value, and attaches the promotional currency as a bonus. The bonus is the redeemable half.

The gold half

Gold Coins arrive in huge quantities because issuing them costs nothing and they exist to keep the lobby running. Play anything with them, win more, lose it all and ask for more. What you can never do is convert them. When an advertisement leads with six figures, it is leading with gold.

The promotional half

The second currency, normally Sweeps Coins, is the actual product. It arrives with purchases, in daily drops, or by free post. Staked the required number of times, it becomes redeemable for cash, gift cards or prizes depending on the operator.

That is why our tables put the redeemable figure first. A package of 250,000 GC plus 25 SC is a 25 SC offer with a large hat on.

Play-through in plain terms

The promotional balance arrives locked and the play-through multiple sets how much staking unlocks it. One-times on 50 SC means 50 SC of stakes in total, counted by stakes rather than results, so wins and losses simply move you along.

Two-times doubles the distance and gives the house edge a second full run at the balance. It predicts better than anything else whether a balance reaches the cashier.

Filing a redemption

Unlocked and above the operator floor, the balance can be filed. The first filing triggers identity verification, meaning a photo document and proof of address, which adds a day or two once and then never again. After that the only variable is the cashier.

Our figures measure a verified, filed request through to funds landing, taken three times per brand, published as the middle result.