The Sweeps-Pick Score
Our score is the industry median, adjusted by what we verified ourselves, and the ranking follows the score. Here is exactly what goes into it.
Informed by published methodologies from Action Network, VegasInsider, Gambling.com, RG.org, Time2play, Sweepsy and others.
How the score is calculated
Sweeps-Pick Score = industry median − our verification adjustments, out of 5, rounded to one decimal.
- Industry median: the median of the published expert scores from Covers, Deadspin, Sweepsy, SweepsKings, VegasInsider, Action Network, Time2play, BonusFinder, TheLines, Casinos.org, LegalSportsReport, PlayUSA and RG.org, each normalized to /5. We use the median so one outlier site can't swing it.
- Caution: −0.3, applied once, when a recent sample of 60 Trustpilot reviews shows 15%+ reporting payout delays or 5%+ reporting account closures or confiscation after a win; Trustpilot has a fabricated-review warning or a suspended score; the BBB rates it F with 100+ complaints in 12 months; or it fails a gate. State actions and lawsuits are disclosed in each review but don't trigger Caution on their own.
- Sentiment cap: player sentiment below 5/10 caps the score at 3.4.
- Gates: a casino that fails a gate keeps its review and score but is not ranked.
The ranking follows the score. The seven categories below are our verification breakdown — what we check on every casino — shown on each review; they don't set the headline number.
Two gates (pass/fail)
A casino that fails a gate is not ranked; its review stays published with a warning.
The operator publishes a mail-in (AMOE) or other free Sweeps Coins route. An AMOE we can't verify (for example, behind a login) doesn't fail the gate; we flag it in the review.
The casino must not accept Sweeps Coins play in states with an effective statutory ban (the restricted list on our state pages). If its published rules don't exclude every banned state, it stays ranked with a Caution badge marked 'state compliance unverified', and the review tells players in those states not to play for Sweeps Coins.
What we verify: seven categories
Each review shows these as its verification breakdown, with the weight each one carries within it. Player sentiment from this breakdown sets the 3.4 cap; the Caution badge comes from the complaint audit described above.
Starts at 8/10. Low gift-card (≤ 25 SC) and cash (≤ 50 SC) minimums and 3+ cash methods with an e-wallet or instant option add points; a single cash method or no published processing timeline costs 0.5.
Starts from the free SC at signup (5+ SC: 9, 2–4.99: 8, under 2 or unverified: 7). Verified daily SC and a 3+ SC mail-in add points; multi-step unlocks and terms that contradict themselves cost 0.5. Paid offers never add points.
Starts from the title count (2,000+: 9 down to under 500: 7); live dealer and in-house or original games add points.
Starts at 9/10, minus 0.5 for 20+ restricted states. Regulatory and legal problems apply as multipliers (below).
A blend of Trustpilot, App Store and Google Play ratings, each converted to /10 and weighted by review volume. Fewer than 500 reviews in total pulls the score toward neutral.
Native iOS and Android apps 9, one native app or an installable web app 8, mobile web only 7.
Verified 24/7 live chat 9, limited or purchase-gated chat 8, email only 7. If the casino doesn't publish it, we score a neutral 8.
Penalty multipliers
Documented problems multiply the verification category they affect. Several multipliers on one category combine, but never below 0.5x; a bonus never goes above 1.15x. Only events that name the casino itself, from the last 24 months, count.
Bands & status badges
Bands describe the final Sweeps-Pick Score. Player sentiment below 5/10 caps the score at 3.4.
- 4.5+ — Outstanding
- 4.0–4.4 — Excellent
- 3.5–3.9 — Good
- 3.0–3.4 — Fair
- Under 3.0 — Not Recommended
- VerifiedNo red flags in our checks, and the mail-in address is verified from the operator.
- TrackedNo Caution trigger in our complaint audit.
- Caution−0.3 to the score: A recent sample of 60 Trustpilot reviews shows 15%+ reporting payout delays or 5%+ reporting account closures or confiscation after a win; Trustpilot has a fabricated-review warning or a suspended score; the BBB rates it F with 100+ complaints in 12 months; or it fails a gate. Fewer than 1,000 Trustpilot reviews adds a Limited data note.
How the score is built
We start from the full US field of 50+ active sweepstakes casinos, not a hand-picked shortlist.
A casino that fails a gate or trips an automatic disqualifier gets no score — no exceptions for affiliate partners.
We register real accounts and play with both Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins to test games, bonuses, and the redemption path.
We take the industry median, run the complaint audit and the seven verification checks, apply the Caution deduction and sentiment cap, rank by the result, then re-verify on a regular cycle.
A casino is removed before scoring — regardless of its bonus — if it has missing or hidden sweepstakes rules, no free entry method (AMOE), no working redemption path, or credible player-safety complaints.
The homepage table is ranked by Sweeps-Pick Score — the industry median of 13 review sites, adjusted by our complaint-rate verification — highest first. Each row also shows the affiliate-consensus average rank for reference; it breaks ties (brands listed on 3+ sites ahead of those on fewer). Casinos with a Trustpilot score below 4.0 are not ranked, and reviewed casinos with no affiliate listings need a Trustpilot score above 4.0; casinos that fail a gate are not ranked either. Their reviews stay published. We update the order monthly.
sweepspicks earns affiliate commissions from some of the casinos listed here. Commissions never change a casino's Sweeps-Pick Score or its position — several unaffiliated brands rank above affiliated ones. See our affiliate disclosure for the full policy.