About Us

Who We Are

Springboardresearch.com is an independent comparison site dedicated to sweepstakes casinos and social casinos in the United States. Our team reviews platforms that let players enjoy casino-style games through a promotional sweepstakes model — no real-money wagering, no sports betting licence required — and we publish those findings so readers can make informed choices before they sign up anywhere.

This page is written and maintained by Whitney Caldwell, lead editor at springboardresearch.com. Whitney oversees all platform reviews, tracks regulatory developments at the state level, and ensures that every rating on the site reflects current, verifiable information rather than promotional copy supplied by operators.

What We Cover and Why It Matters

The sweepstakes casino space has grown quickly, and so has the number of new platforms entering the market. That growth is useful for players — more choice, more promotions, more game variety — but it also creates noise. Not every platform that launches handles redemptions reliably, maintains transparent terms, or serves all the states it initially appears to. Our job is to cut through that noise.

We focus specifically on new sweepstakes casinos alongside established operators, because new entrants often carry the most uncertainty. A platform may launch with a generous welcome offer and an impressive game library but have untested customer support or redemption processes that have not yet been stress-tested at scale. We track these platforms from launch and update our assessments as evidence accumulates.

Every platform we cover operates on the dual-currency sweepstakes model standard in the US market: players receive Gold Coins (a free-play currency with no redemption value) alongside Sweepstakes Coins, which can be redeemed for prizes once eligibility conditions are met. Purchasing Gold Coins is never the only way to participate — legitimate operators always offer a no-purchase-necessary alternative method of entry.

How We Research and Score Platforms

Our editorial ratings are produced through desk research and document review, not through personal deposits or play sessions. We do not claim to have tested platforms as a customer would. What we do is systematic: we examine operator terms and conditions, map welcome offers against their stated eligibility requirements, verify which US states are served and excluded, review the redemption and identity-verification processes described in each platform's help documentation, and assess game library breadth across the categories that genuinely matter to this audience.

The criteria we apply when forming a rating:

• Welcome offer value and transparency — how clearly the platform states coin amounts, eligibility conditions, and any purchase requirements attached to a bonus.
• Sweepstakes Coin availability — whether SC are accessible through free daily rewards and alternative entry methods, not only through purchases.
• Game library breadth — the spread across slots, table-style games, and live-dealer formats where available.
• Redemption process clarity — minimum thresholds, identity verification steps, and the payment routes described in the operator's own documentation.
• State eligibility — how clearly a platform communicates which states it serves and whether excluded states are listed upfront.
• Responsible play provision — whether the platform provides spending controls and links to support resources.

Commission relationships do not influence ratings. Platforms are ranked by editorial score. We may earn a referral fee if a reader clicks through and creates an account, but that relationship is disclosed on every relevant page and does not determine position. An operator cannot improve its ranking by increasing what it pays us.

Our Editorial Standards

We hold ourselves to a short list of commitments that are non-negotiable regardless of commercial arrangements:

1. We only name, review, and rank platforms that we have actually researched. We never copy promotional copy from operators and present it as editorial assessment.
2. We do not invent facts. If a detail — a payment processing time, a catalogue count, a licence number — was not supplied or cannot be verified, we write around it rather than guessing.
3. Every recommendation carries at least one genuine limitation. A platform that tops our rankings still has drawbacks worth knowing.
4. We do not call sweepstakes casinos real-money casinos, and we do not imply that prize redemption is guaranteed, instant, or available without conditions.
5. We update pages when material facts change. The date shown at the top of each page reflects the most recent editorial review.

If you believe a fact on any of our pages is incorrect, or if your experience with a listed platform differs significantly from our assessment, we want to know. Accurate, current information is the only product we have to offer.

Legal Standing and Our Scope

Sweepstakes casinos are not licensed gambling operators in the traditional sense. They operate under US promotional sweepstakes law, which treats play as a promotion rather than wagering. That distinction has real consequences for readers: consumer protections that apply to state-licensed online casinos do not automatically apply to sweepstakes platforms, and availability varies meaningfully by state. Some states restrict or prohibit sweepstakes casino operations; others have no current restrictions but may legislate in future. Laws in this area are changing, and operators themselves sometimes choose not to serve certain states regardless of whether those states have enacted restrictions.

We do not offer legal advice and we do not tell readers that any specific platform is definitely legal in their state. Where we know a platform excludes a state, we say so. Where the picture is unclear, we say that too. Readers with specific legal questions about their situation should consult the operator's current terms and, where appropriate, seek their own legal guidance.

Age requirements also vary: most platforms require users to be at least 18, but some set the threshold at 21 either across all states or in specific jurisdictions. We note the age requirement on individual platform reviews where that information has been verified.

For more on how to play responsibly and where to find support, see our responsible gambling guidance.

What the Sweepstakes Model Means for You

Understanding the dual-currency structure is worth a moment of your time before you sign up anywhere. Gold Coins are the social-play currency — they let you enjoy slots, table games, and other casino-style titles without any stake attached. They cannot be redeemed for prizes. Sweepstakes Coins are different: they carry redemption value, subject to the platform's specific conditions, and are the currency that distinguishes sweepstakes casinos from purely free-to-play social games.

The key things to confirm on any platform before you play:

• The minimum Sweepstakes Coin balance required before you can request redemption.
• What identity documents you will need to submit — most platforms require a government-issued photo ID and, in some cases, proof of address.
• How long redemption requests typically take to process, and by which payment method.
• Whether your state is listed as eligible.
• Whether any prize you receive may be subject to state or federal tax obligations — redemptions can be taxable income, and keeping a record of what you receive is good practice regardless of the amount.

Get in Touch

We're straightforward to reach. If you have a question about a review, want to flag an error, or have feedback that would help us improve, email us at [email protected]. We aim to respond to all queries within two business days.

You can also use our contact page for general enquiries. If your query relates to the terms governing how we operate this site, our terms and conditions cover the detail.

We are an independent site, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the platforms we review. Our only interest is giving readers a reliable starting point for a category that changes fast and where good information genuinely makes a difference.