Skip to main content

How We Rank Casinos

Our editorial team uses a transparent, documentation-based methodology to evaluate sweepstakes casinos. Every review is built from each operator's published rules, terms, and policies — and we tell you when something can't be verified.

Last updated: August 2026

Commercially Funded, Editorially Controlled

FortuneSweep is funded by affiliate commissions — we may earn a commission when you sign up through our links, and partners may be featured prominently. What we never do is alter a factual claim to favour a partner: bonus figures, redemption terms, and availability are reported as the operator publishes them. Full details in our affiliate disclosure.

We do not claim first-hand play testing — our reviews are documentation-based. The editorial team reads each operator's official sweepstakes rules, bonus terms, and redemption policies in full, and anything we can't verify from a primary source is marked as unverified or left out.

Methodology in Practice

A concrete example of the redemption rule: our Fortune Wins Casino review shows the redemption time as "Varies." We could not find a specific processing window published in the operator's own terms, so we say so plainly rather than estimate a number. Where an operator does publish a window, we cite that figure instead.

The same principle governs bonus figures, game counts, and state availability: if the operator's own documents or an official record don't support a number, we don't print it.

Our Ranking Criteria

Each casino gets an editorial score on a visible 1–5 scale, built from six weighted criteria.

25%
Weight

Safety & Licensing

This is the biggest chunk of our score, and for good reason. If a casino isn't operating legally or doesn't protect your data, nothing else matters. We verify each platform's published sweepstakes rules and legal standing before we even look at their games.

Legally operating under US sweepstakes law
Site uses SSL encryption (your data is protected)
Fair gaming certifications the operator publishes
Tools to set limits and self-exclude if needed
20%
Weight

Bonus Value

A flashy welcome bonus means nothing if the terms are terrible. We read the full bonus rules and look at what you actually get after the fine print — daily rewards, loyalty perks, and whether the published promotions keep coming or dry up after day one.

What the welcome bonus is really worth
Daily login reward amounts
How often they run new promos
Whether the VIP program is worth sticking around for
20%
Weight

Game Selection

Some casinos have thousands of games but they're all the same reskinned slot. We care about variety and quality — good providers, different game types, and whether they keep adding fresh stuff.

How many games, and are they actually different?
Quality of game providers (Pragmatic, NetEnt, etc.)
New games added regularly
Games that work well on mobile
15%
Weight

Payout Speed

Here's where a lot of casinos lose points. We compare each operator's published redemption terms — processing windows, minimums, and methods — against what their marketing promises. If an operator doesn't publish a redemption window, our review says so instead of guessing.

Operator-published redemption windows (never guessed)
PayPal, gift cards, and other redemption options
What's the minimum you can redeem
Marketing claims checked against the official terms
10%
Weight

Customer Support

You don't think about support until something goes wrong. We document the support channels each platform publishes — live chat, email, help center — along with the availability and response commitments stated in their own terms and help pages.

Published support hours and channels
Live chat offered, per the operator's own pages
Help center that answers real beginner questions
Clear escalation path in the official terms
10%
Weight

User Experience

If the site is clunky or the mobile version is a mess, it doesn't matter how good the games are. We assess what's publicly verifiable: how the platform's site presents on phones and desktops, and how clearly it explains sign-up, purchases, and redemptions.

Clean design that's easy to navigate
Mobile web support without a separate app required
Clear published guidance on managing your account
Purchase and redemption steps explained up front

How Often We Re-Check

  • Roughly weekly: bonus and welcome-offer terms
  • Roughly monthly: redemption rules, game counts, and state availability / legal status
  • On document change: a full review refresh whenever an operator's published documents change

The full schedule and what triggers an off-cycle update are in our updates policy. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy. Our sourcing rules live in the editorial standards, and how AI assists the team is covered in the AI disclosure.

Our Review Process

1

Research

We research the casino's background, legal standing, and reputation.

2

Verification

We verify bonus rules, redemption terms, and availability against the operator's published documents.

3

Evaluation

We score the casino across all criteria using our methodology.

4

Monitoring

We re-verify on schedule and update reviews when operator documents change.