To gain new customers and keep everyone satisfied with their services, real money and sweeps casinos are constantly adopting new services into their operations, and the use of gift cards for payments is one of the growing trends.
Currently, these cards are accepted only for deposits on real money casinos. Still, the most sought-after option is using gift cards for cash redemptions which is only available on sweeps casinos. Although these apps don’t support them for deposits, this is an insignificant issue for many players since sweepstakes casinos always offer various ways to encourage free play.
This guide summarizes how gift card redemptions work, the best slots to play for gift card prizes, top apps offering this option, why they’re better than real money apps, and more.
How Online Gift Card Casinos Work
As the name implies, online gift card casinos are apps that support gift cards for online gambling. These include sweepstakes and real-money online casinos, but there is a slight difference in the services offered.
With real money online gambling sites, the focus is to offer a convenient deposit alternative through gift cards. However, real money casinos usually focus on casino-specific gift cards or prepaid debit cards from operators like AmEx, Discover, Mastercard, or Visa. Most of these gift cards don’t offer a withdrawal option, and you can purchase them from your bank, a local retailer, or an online store.
You can access gift cards for redemptions on sweepstakes apps, but you cannot make deposits. Also, in addition to being digital, slots payouts via gift cards are closed-loop, meaning you can only redeem its value at the issuing merchant.
For this guide, we’ll focus on sweepstakes casinos that offer slots payouts through gift card redemptions, so you can get firsthand experience on how they work without risking your money.
Top Sweepstakes Casinos Offering Gift Card Redemptions
Gift card redemptions on sweepstakes casinos are popular for their low minimum redemption amount and most social casinos let you get away with half the amount you need to make real cash redemptions. Although this is great for low rollers and casual players, not all sweeps casinos support gift card redemptions.
For top slots with gift card redemptions, here are the best gift card casinos you can visit today:
🥇Stake.us
The Stake.us app has carved a name for itself in the sweeps community by focusing on cryptocurrency payments and building a massive social media following. With players having the option to make anonymous deposits and withdrawals using Tether, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin, and Dogecoin, this remains one of the top new sweeps casinos on the block.
Like other sweepstake casinos on this list, Stake.us supports redemptions via gift cards, but the minimum limit is 39.62 SC, and players must pay fees. Also, if you opt for other payout methods, you should understand that crypto volatility affects payouts.
Other excellent features of Stake.us include the chat feature, which allows you to interact with other members of the Stake community, and access to unique casino titles like Plinko, Dice, Crash, and more.
To kick off your Stake.us account, you’ll get a 10,000 GC and 1 SC bonus on sign-up, and you can keep claiming this same amount for a total of 300,000 GC and 30 SC monthly.
🥈NoLimitCoins Casino
Regarding game selection, NoLimitCoins has less than 100 games on its platform, but its overall service makes it stand out.
The casino hosts games from NetGame, with exciting features like the Rapid Link, Hold’N’Link, and Jackpot features, making them unique. These games may not be the most popular, but it’s worth trying out for anyone who has a genuine interest in slot titles. Also, the fish table games on the NoLimitsCoins is another reason why we’re sure you’ll have a great time here.
For players lucky to hit the jackpot here, you can claim Target, Amazon, or DSW gift cards or opt for online banking when necessary.
🥉High 5 Casino
It’s common for older operators to have a tough time adapting to the latest technologies, but High 5 Casino is one of the few that has continuously evolved as a sweepstakes operator. It offers a massive library of over 610 games comprising slots, table games, and jackpots from Pragmatic Play, its in-house developers, and more. The 15 live dealer games on the app are the most notable since you’ll only find a handful of sweepstakes casinos with live games.
Although its gift card withdrawals start from 50 SC, double what Pulsz Bingo offers, High 5 Casino has partnerships with many more stores. Some of our best picks include gift cards from Xbox, PlayStation, Amazon, Walmart, Apple, JC Penny, Best Buy, and more.
High 5 Casino also supports other payment options like PayPal, Skrill, and bank cards, but you’re likely only going to need these for withdrawals since you get a welcome bonus of 250 GC, 5 SC, and 600 Diamonds, in addition to other daily and weekly promotions.
🎖️Pulsz Bingo
Launching after the Pulsz Casino, the Pulsz Bingo platform has become a better recommendation thanks to the inclusion of several bingo rooms that you can visit in addition to its collection of casino-style games.
For its redemptions, you can opt for the gift card option with as little as 25 SC or get real cash payouts via bank transfers, Trustly, or bank cards (AmEx, Visa, Discover).
With a welcome offer of 5,000 GC and 2 SC, you can try out slots, Megaways, scratchcards, and other exclusive titles from Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming, Booongo, Playson, NetEnt, and more.
High RTP Slots to Play for Gift Cards
When playing slots for gift cards, hundreds of games are available to you, but your best options are the high RTP games on sweeps cash casinos. For a quick test of how well these games pay, you can try out some of our recommended titles, such as:
Big Bass Bonanza
With an RTP of 96.7%, Big Bass Bonanza is one of the top titles from Pragmatic Play available on Stake.us, Pulsz Bingo, and High 5 Casino. The game’s massive popularity has also given rise to titles like the Big Bass Amazon Extreme, Big Bass Bonanza Megaways, and more.
This is a 5-reel slot with ten paylines with a minimum bet from 0.01 SC to 0.1 SC, depending on the social casino you choose to play on. This fish-themed slot has a free spins bonus round offering up to 20 free spins, and max payouts can get to 2,100x your initial bet.
Madame Mystique Megaways
Megaways are fun titles that offer many winning ways, and Madame Mystique Megaways from Pragmatic Play is one of the best available. With an RTP of 98%, few slots offer a better payout.
If you’re familiar with Pragmatic Play titles, you’ll know that this is an enhanced RTP game derived from Madame Destiny Megaways (96.56% RTP) and exclusively available on Stake.us.
This magic-themed slot offers up to 200,704 ways to win on a 6×8 reel structure, and maximum payouts go as high as 5,000x your bet. With the slot’s free spins and bonus buy feature, this is an exciting addition for Stake.us visitors.
Chilli Heat
The Mexican chilli theme of Chilli Heat is a fresh take for slots, and the high RTP of 96.5% makes this game worth your time. The game has a 5×3 reek structure, 25 paylines, and is another Pragmatic Play title available on Stake.us, High 5, and Pulsz Bingo.
This medium volatility slot accepts bets from 0.25 SC, and maximum payouts can go as high as 2,500x your stake. Bonus features like free spins and coin respin are present in the game, with access to Mini, Major, and Grand jackpot payouts for lucky players.
There are other high RTP slots we won’t be able to cover, but sites like Stake.us save you time by providing details of the RTP of each game before you launch them. Also, you can find games in other categories on any sweepstakes gift card casino.
Other Games You Can Play for Gift Cards
Sweepstake casinos try to cater to all online casino lovers by offering free games aside from slots. If you’re looking to take a break from slots and want something fresh, here are other categories we recommend:
- Live Dealer Games: To enjoy the real casino experience from the comfort of your home, live dealer games are your best bet, and you can find these titles on sites like Stake.us and High 5 Casino.
- Table Games: Table games offer some of the best skill games with high RTPs, like Blackjack, and you can also find them on McLuck Casino, Pulsz, Stake.us, and many other social casinos that support gift card redemptions.
- Bingo Games: Pulsz Bingo is your best bet when seeking bingo titles for gift cards, with five fun bingo rooms to access.
- Fish Games: For a unique and fun gaming session, it’s always great to play fish table games, and these titles are readily available on Funrize, NoLimitCoins, and TaoFortune, along with gift card payouts.
- Scratchcards: Specialty games like scratchcards are becoming popular thanks to the instant win option they offer. Pulsz and McLuck Casino are two sweepstake casinos that provide these titles.
Gift Cards You Can Win While Playing Slots
You can win hundreds of gift cards playing slots, and the selection depends on the number of companies that partner with the specific sweep casino you select. From our assessment, High 5 casino has one of the most impressive selections in this regard, and some of the options available include:
- Best Buy
- Starbucks
- Apple
- Xbox
- PlayStation
- Red Lobster
- Amazon
- Airbnb
- Lowe’s
- Google Play
- BitCard
- Walmart
Rules and Requirements for Gift Cards Redemptions
You must meet several requirements before making redemptions on any sweep casino, which applies to all payout methods. If you’re taking this action for the first time, these are some of the things to note:
Account Verification
Sweepstakes casinos may seem lax compared to real money online casinos, but they still take identity verification seriously. Proof of address and an identification document (government-issued ID or driver’s license) are enough to complete your verification on any social casino you visit.
Wagering Requirement
To trigger any withdrawal on a social casino, you must first meet the minimum wagering requirement set by the operator. Thankfully, sweeps casinos offer very low wagering requirements (sometimes 1x or no-wagering requirements) and you can completed by playing a few slots rounds.
Withdrawal Limits
If you’ve cleared the above condition, you also must meet the withdrawal limits set by the operator. Generally, Florida and New York players have a $5,000 maximum withdrawal limit, while most sweep operators have a $10,000 max withdrawal per transaction.
On the other hand, the minimum withdrawal for gift cards is usually 50 SC, which is available at High 5 Casino and McLuck Casino, but this value shoots up to 100 SC with other methods – giving gift cards an edge here. Pulsz and Funrize and its sister sites support gift card redemptions for your slot winnings from as low as 25 SC.
Gift Card Redemptions: Pros and Cons on Sweepstakes Casinos
Like every payment option in the gambling industry, gift card redemptions have their benefits and downsides that you should note:
| ✅Benefits | ❌Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| A lower minimum withdrawal requirement | Don’t support deposits on sweeps apps |
| Some gift cards can be added to digital wallets like Apple Wallet | You’re restricted to certain stores when spending gift cards |
| Most gift cards have very long expiry dates – so no rush in claiming your payout | |
| Great option if you don’t want to reveal your banking details | |
| Helps eliminate banking fees |
Why Sweepstakes Casinos are Best for Gift Card Slots
For US players, there are two options for playing online casino games: sweepstakes and real money online casinos. However, players usually have specific issues when using gift cards on real money casinos, such as:
- Occasional need to use casino-specific gift cards for deposits
- Support for only deposit transactions
- Inability to claim welcome bonuses with gift card deposits
- Many online casinos detect gift cards deposits as regular bank cards, creating issues during withdrawals
With sweepstakes casinos helping you avoid these downsides, they also have their unique benefits, such as:
No Need for Deposits
The main benefit of sweeps casinos is the option to play with no purchase necessary. On these apps, you receive free coins through bonuses, so you don’t need to worry about deposits, and you still get to redeem real gift card prizes.
Legal in Most US States
Unlike real money casinos, whose services are only legal in six US states, most sweepstake casinos operate in all US states except Washington and Idaho. Thanks to this feature, playing sweeps slots and winning gift cards is much easier than through real money casinos.
Frequent Bonuses
To ensure you can keep playing without ever spending your money, sweeps casinos always have bonuses you can claim. These include daily login bonuses, social media promotions, mail-in bonuses, and more.
Instant Payouts
Most casinos that accept gift cards offer instant payouts by sending your code directly to your email address. These instant gift card casinos usually don’t have any fees attached, which is a welcome addition.
Summary
Gift card payment is another addition to the growing list of payment options available in the gambling industry, but it still has several drawbacks that need to be addressed before it becomes a mainstream option. Nonetheless, with benefits like an instant payout option, lack of transaction fees, and low withdrawal requirement, it’s an excellent option to try out.
Currently, the push for the use of gift cards is noticeable on sweepstakes casinos, and with the holiday seasons approaching, now is the best time to sign up on High 5 Casino and start redeeming gift cards to share with loved ones.
