Scratchcard slot games can sometimes be found at sweepstakes casinos under “Other” or “Arcade” game categories. Still, it’s quite unusual for a casino to specialize in this field of i-gaming without offering any other games whatsoever.
That would be Scratchstakes in a nutshell, but before I get to whether or not its games are any good or if it pays out real money, I’d like to address a more pressing issue – is it a legit site? It’s far removed from traditional sweepstakes casinos in terms of games, bonuses, and promos, but unlike most dodgy casinos, it’s at least transparent about who’s running the show.
I can’t recommend Scratchstakes because testing the site gave me more questions than answers, especially about money-related issues. If you’re looking for reputable sweepstakes sites that pay real cash prizes, use our banners to find the best sites in the current market.
What is Scratchstakes?
Scratchstakes was founded in 2019 and is run by Bohemia Marketing LLC, which according to the sweepstakes’ T&Cs is a group of “veteran sweepstakes players”. After some digging, I uncovered that this brand also operates under the name “Prizes Now” with a site similarly structured to Scratchstakes.
My first impression of Scratchstakes is “a mix of scratchcard games hosted on a site marketing itself as a sweepstakes casino with elements of old-fashioned lottery mechanics”. However, that barely scratches the surface of this platform.
This site offers 16 scratchcard games like Lucky Leprechaun, Baseball Bucks, and Sapphire 7’s, all of which you can play for free a set number of times each day. Players can either win instant prizes ranging from $1 to a whopping $888 (varies from game to game) or a free entry for daily giveaways.
All games at Scratchstakes are free to play, but you can only launch each game five times daily, with no option of buying extra “spins”. On the downside, the odds of winning real money prizes are ridiculously low (the “best” being 50,000:1) and the platform gets to use your information for promotional purposes.
How Scratchstakes Works?
The only similarity between Scratchstakes and more traditional sweepstakes sites is the sign-up process. You can become a member by tapping “register” and providing your mail, after which you’ll need to respond to the confirmation email by providing additional personal info (full name, date of birth, etc.).
After you’ve created an account, you’ll get to play 16 scratchcard slot games with slightly different graphics and considerably different prizes. Players receive 5 free-play tickets for each game each day, meaning that you can play all of them for a total of 80 times daily.
Cash Prize Gameplay
Gameplay-wise, Scratchstakes games resemble real-life scratch cards. After opening your desired game, either drag your mouse to “scratch” the fields or tap “reveal” to see the symbols on the game grid. The symbols can only include the cash prizes that the game can actually offer (e.g. you can only draw $1, $2, or $5 in Reelin’ Cash) or a Daily Entry token.
All games are played on a 3×3 grid with 3 “paylines”, and if three identical symbols appear horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, you’ll win the shown prize.
Daily Entry Gameplay
Coin-shaped tokens will sometimes appear in your games. Unlike “instant” cash prizes, lining up three tokens will give you a single entry to Scratchstakes’ $100 daily giveaway. This giveaway event is a raffle in which one user is randomly selected to receive the $100 reward.
You can earn and submit multiple entries, but note that there is a cap of 400 entries for each event. You can keep track of how many spots are left by the number displayed inside the coin at the top of any Scratchstakes page.
Unlike instant prizes, you’ll need to email your entry ticket to Bohemia Marketing LLC. Winners are contacted via provided email addresses, but I should remind you that your name will be used for promotional purposes by this brand should you wish to redeem your prize.
Do Scratchstakes Sweepstakes Pay Real Money?
Scratchstakes states that it does pay real money prizes, but unfortunately, this is almost impossible to fact-check.
Unlike standard sweepstakes sites, Scratchstakes doesn’t use any conventional banking methods like credit cards, e-wallets, or online banking that would leave a digital paper trail. It all boils down to email correspondence between alleged winners and the operator.
The “Winners” section lists over 48,000+ users, but since only their initials are displayed, it’s impossible to verify whether they managed to withdraw real cash from this site.
On a side note, it doesn’t matter whether you won the main jackpot of $8,888, $100 from the daily raffle, or a single dollar – your name will still appear in the list, and you’ll have to agree to receive “occasional” promotional content from Scratchstakes.
Is Scratchstakes Sweepstakes Legal?
From the standpoint of legality, Scratchstakes checks out in several fields:
- They took active measures to prohibit underage gambling by allowing only 18+ years old players to register and play.
- They abide by the “no purchases necessary” rules by granting 80 free-play tickets daily
They also don’t have an in-game store and sell no currencies (virtual or otherwise), so it would be difficult to dub them illegal any more than a standard sweepstakes or even a purely social casino.
On the other hand, Scratchcards promises real cash prizes, and they are very vague about the transaction process. Even if the site might be legal, I still can’t recommend it for the following reasons:
- No conventional payment methods are supported
- All transactions are carried out off-site
Other Sweepstakes Like Scratchstakes
There are dozens of sweepstakes-esque sites similar to Scratchstakes, so let me list a few along with their main highlights:
- Sweeps4All – a site giving away virtually everything and anything from cash, cookware, and computers to gift cards and LCD TV sets.
- Sweepsloot – similar to Sweeps4All, Sweepsloot is a raffle-focused site giving 5 free tickets per event to win cash, Chromebook laptops, Amazon gift cards, or smaller daily prizes.
- Sweepzilla – a popular sweeps giveaway site offering 10 daily entries per event, albeit with time-limited promotions.
- Sweeps Crush – big giveaways and a revolving door of cash prize events make Sweeps Crush somewhat trendier than most alternatives.
And then there is the “Prizes Now” site, which is another name Scratchstakes’ parent company operates under. It deserves special mention because it completely eliminates the gameplay elements and simply offers “a chance of earning rewards” after submitting your email.
Just like I don’t recommend Scratchstakes, I suggest you avoid these sites not only because they’re dodgy, but because they’re full of ads that you might accidentally click on and potentially infest your device with malicious software.
Our Thoughts & Alternatives
Scratchstakes looks, feels, and smells like a scam, and my intuition rarely fails me. I can’t give it a positive trust rating until it integrates at least a few standard payment methods, not to mention all of the other red flags flying high above its pages.
Without any slots to speak of or regular bonuses, it’s hardly a fun place to spend days or weeks trying to claim a dollar or two.
Instead, I recommend using our banners to safely register with respected sweepstakes casino sites. Read my reviews for in-depth guides about these casinos complete with up-to-date promo codes, payment, and slot information.