How we rate and score

PlayTheSweeps runs a two-tier scoring system, and we are deliberate about the difference because it is the whole point of the site.

Editorial rating (what you see now)

Every licensed platform we cover gets an editorial ratingfrom 0 to 10: our desk's assessment, scored on the six pillars below. It is built from verifiable signals, the operator's own terms, regulator records, independent complaint boards, Trustpilot, and documented user reports, not from another review site's verdict. It is an informed desk assessment, not a hands-on test, and we label it as such everywhere it appears.

The pillars are not weighted equally. For a US sweepstakes audience, two questions matter more than anything: can you legally play where you live, and will you actually be paid. So we weight trust and licensing at 30% (which folds in state availability and any cease-and-desist or lawsuit activity) and redemption speed at 20%, with bonus value and game library at 15% each and user experience and support at 10% each. A platform with a huge game library but excluded from twenty states will rank below a smaller, broadly available one, on purpose.

Verified score (the gold standard, in progress)

A verified scoreis only assigned after we run the full hands-on protocol on a platform ourselves: sign up, buy Gold Coins, play through, request a real cash redemption, and time the money landing in a bank account. Until a platform clears that test its verified score reads "pending." We will never quietly relabel an editorial rating as a verified one; the hands-on test is what earns it.

The six pillars

• Trust & licensing. Operating company named and traced, sweepstakes rules published, regulatory standing checked (cease-and-desist letters, lawsuits and state exits count against the score), and dispute history read on independent complaint boards and Trustpilot.
• Bonus value. No-purchase welcome offer, the ongoing free-coin economy, redemption thresholds and any playthrough on Sweeps Coins.
• Game library. Provider list confirmed in the lobby, not from marketing pages. Catalog size, exclusives, and live-dealer availability.
• UX & app. Sign-up friction, KYC thresholds, native app quality, interface, and any dark patterns.
• Redemption speed. Reported redemption speed and reliability from operator terms, user reports and complaint boards. This pillar is reputation-based until our own timed test replaces it.
• Support. Channels offered (live chat, email), reported responsiveness, and how the operator handles a disputed redemption.

What we verify before a platform is rated at all

• The legal entity behind the platform and where it is registered.
• Sweepstakes rules published and consistent with the no-purchase-necessary model.
• State exclusion list confirmed against the operator's own terms of service.
• Age requirement (18+ or 21+, it varies by platform).
• Regulatory standing: open cease-and-desist letters, lawsuits, or state exits.

Unlicensed and gray-area apps

Some apps readers search for, such as fish-table games, run on an unlicensed agent model. We cover them editorially because accurate information beats silence, but we never take affiliate commissions from them and our coverage says plainly what they are. Where a reader wants a legal alternative, we point to licensed sweepstakes platforms instead.

Re-review cadence

Scored reviews are re-checked every 90 days, and sooner when an operator changes its offer, its terms, or its state list. Every page shows its last-reviewed date.