Updated 5 November 2026. Author: Gambling Soft team.
Short answer: a social casino sells one virtual currency with no cash path and ships everywhere a mobile app store reaches; a sweepstakes casino adds a second, redeemable currency and is allowed in roughly 37 states as of November 2026; a real-money online casino is licensed in only seven states, each with its own licence, taxes and local requirements. Both social and sweepstakes operators earn mainly on Gold Coin sales (KPMG primer, 2025), the sweepstakes operator also pays prize redemptions. The Gambling Soft platform runs the social and the sweepstakes modes on one installation at the product price (turnkey from $7,500, ready casino with source code from $8,500, platform code $19,000) and launches in 7 business days; for a state-licensed real-money casino the same platform is delivered as source code and the operator obtains the state licence separately (sweepstakes casino software, pricing).
The three models side by side
| Criterion | Social casino | Sweepstakes casino | Real-money casino (state licence) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currencies | Gold Coins only | Gold Coins plus Sweeps Coins redeemable for prizes | Cash deposits and withdrawals |
| Where it can run | All states, app stores, web | Open states (about 37 in November 2026), geoblocking for the closed ones | Seven licensed states, one licence per state |
| Licence | None | None; official rules, AMOE, counsel | State licence, supplier certification, local taxes |
| Revenue | Gold Coin sales | Gold Coin sales minus redemptions | GGR after state tax (from 15% to above 50% depending on the state) |
| Payments | App store billing or cards, low risk | High-risk processors, KYC at redemption | Regulated PSPs, KYC at deposit |
| Time to launch | 7 business days on the Gambling Soft platform | 7 business days for the platform; underwriting and counsel set the date | Months to years for the licence |
| Main risk | App store policy, player churn | New state bans, processor loss | Licence cost and the small number of states |
When the operator wants reach without legal exposure: a social casino is a game, not a sweepstake, so it runs in every state and in app stores. Revenue per player is lower because nothing is redeemable, and monetisation depends on packages, VIP levels and events. Many sweepstakes operators keep a social version for closed states.
When a sweepstakes casino is the right choice
When the operator wants US revenue closer to real-money levels without a state licence and accepts the compliance work: rules, AMOE, state list, KYC and a processor that underwrites the vertical. A vendor decision framework estimates that a sweepstakes operator captures several times the revenue per gross sale dollar of a social casino (Track360, 2026, vendor estimate), and the market estimates for 2025 ranged from $6.9 billion (Eilers and Krejcik) to $14.3 billion (KPMG upper estimate), more than the licensed US online casino market. The price for that is the ban wave: ten to thirteen closed states by November 2026.
When a real-money casino is the right choice
The budget for any of the three models starts from the online casino software price list and the guide on the cost to start an online casino in 2026.
When the operator has the capital and the time for a state licence in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware or Rhode Island, and a supplier certification for the platform. Gambling Soft delivers the platform as source code for that path; the licence, certification and the local PSPs are the operator's project and usually take longer than a year.
Running two models on one platform
On the Gambling Soft platform the social and the sweepstakes modes are settings of the same installation: Gold Coins only in closed states, Gold Coins plus Sweeps Coins in open ones, the same games (about 6,000 at launch, 25,000+ official games from 80+ providers), one admin panel, one affiliate program and one set of reports. The operator can start social, add Sweeps Coins when counsel and the processor are ready, and switch a state off the day a ban takes effect.
FAQ
No. A social casino has one currency and no prizes; a sweepstakes casino adds a free, redeemable currency and must follow sweepstakes law. The bans of 2025-2026 target the sweepstakes model, not social casinos.
Which model earns more?
Sweepstakes, by vendor and market estimates, because redeemable prizes raise spending; social casinos earn less per player but run everywhere without legal exposure.
Yes, on the Gambling Soft platform the Sweeps Coin wallet, redemption and the state list are switched on in the admin panel once the rules and the processor are ready.
Does Gambling Soft help with a US state licence?
We deliver the platform with source code and the technical documentation for certification; the state licence itself is obtained by the operator with local counsel.
What does the sweepstakes mode cost?
Nothing on top of the product: turnkey from $7,500, ready casinos with source code from $8,500 to $47,500, platform code $19,000, white label at one third of the code price plus 8% of profit.
Read also: legal states 2026, how to start a sweepstakes casino, online casino licence in the USA state by state.
See also
- Online casino software pricing 2026 (full price list)
- How much does it cost to start an online casino in 2026
- Best turnkey casino software providers 2026: 10 compared
- Casino software comparison: Gambling Soft vs 9 vendors
- White label casino vs source code
- Ready-made casinos with source code
- Turnkey online casino: packages from $7,500 and the 7-day launch
- White label casino solutions
- iGaming platform features
- How to start an online casino in 2026: 7 steps