Sweeps terms glossary
AMOE
AMOE means Alternate Method of Entry. It is a casino's non-purchase entry route, often described in its sweepstakes rules. Follow the casino's current instructions exactly; timing, eligibility, and reward terms are set by that casino.
Daily Bonus
A daily bonus is SC, GC, or another reward a casino makes available on a repeating schedule. Collecting a bonus does not necessarily make it redeemable; it may first be counted as unplayed SC and require playthrough.
Expiration
Expiration is the date or inactivity rule after which a casino may remove coins or a promotional reward. Rules differ by casino and may apply to coins, eligibility, or a particular promotion. Record the casino's current rule and act before its stated deadline. There are three predominant models:
- Coins expire within a period after your last login, usually 60 days.
- Coins expire within a period after your last SC play, usually 60 days.
- Coins expire within a period after your acquired them, usually 60 days. You will have to play through and redeem these coins in this period or you will lose them.
SweepsOwl knows the expiration dates and models for all of our vetted casinos and will warn you 14 days before it's going to happen. This warning will also tell you what you need to do to save your coins. Some casinos have strict expiration policies on paper that they do not seem to enforce. For example, Cashoomo or Coinsback have strict 60-day expiration policies that haven't been strictly enforced, as far as we have observed.
Freebie
A freebie is a limited promotion, reward, or code that adds value without a purchase. Read the casino's terms before relying on it: its availability, expiry, playthrough requirement, and coin type can all differ.
GC
GC means Gold Coins. They are typically free-play coins with no redemption value. Use GC to learn a game, test its controls, and make sure you understand its pace before using SC.
Go-to Game
Go-to Game is the game or strategy kept with a casino as the practical choice for clearing playthrough. We have recorded Go-to Games for many casinos based on the recommendations from other players. That said, it is a starting point, not a promise, and it isn't statistically proven to be the best-performing game. You can change your Go-to game to a game that you have observed to work best, or whichever game you prefer. The more play-through information we collect from the wagers logged by our players, the less important this initial recommendation will become, because we'll be able to work with recommendations backed by real data.
House Edge
House edge is the long-run share of wagering a game is expected to keep. It is the inverse of RTP: a 99% RTP corresponds to a 1% house edge. Neither number says what will happen to a particular balance today.
Minimum Redemption
Minimum Redemption is the smallest redeemable SC balance a casino will accept for a redemption request. It matters because playing through too early can leave a balance below the threshold. Track it alongside the redeemable and unplayed portions of the balance. The minimum redemption values SweepsOwl shows always refer to cash redemptions. Many casinos also offer redemptions for gift cards, usually at lower values - and sometimes with a bonus. Some casinos also offer redemptions to various crypto currencies. We may include this information at some point.
Observed Return
Observed Return is the return calculated from the all wagers recorded by our players. In plain English: It's what we have measured that we actually keep from a wager, from data collected across all players. The observed return is our way to check how well a game really performs, and whether it meets its stated "return to player" (RTP). It is useful evidence about your own sessions or community data, but it is not a provider-published RTP and does not guarantee the next result.
Playthrough
Playthrough, sometimes called wash, is using unplayed SC in eligible games so any required wagering condition is met. For a discounted coin package, it is the step that turns eligible SC into redeemable SC. The aim is to preserve as much of the balance's value as reasonably possible.
Redeemable SC
Redeemable SC is the portion of a tracked balance that has cleared the applicable playthrough requirement and may meet the casino's redemption rules. It is still subject to that casino's minimum redemption, identity checks, and current terms.
Redemption
Redemption is asking the casino to exchange eligible SC for its available reward or cash equivalent. A balance must normally be redeemable and meet the minimum amount first. Casinos can also require verification and apply their own processing rules.
ROI
ROI means "return on investment." We use it to describes the value of a purchase. For example, getting 1.3 SC for $1 will have an ROI of 130%. Or, in other words, this is the same as saying that you got 30% extra. It's easier and more accurate than using the concept of a discount, because the discount on the same purchase would be about 23%. This is consistent with the language most casinos use to describe their deal values - they usually mention that you get 30% extra. When you evaluate whether a purchase is worthwhile, remember to factor in the time you'll spend playing through those coins, as well as the RTP you'll get. For example, getting 5% extra may look good to you at first, but it's probably not worthwhile in most situations. Once you think about the time it will take to play through and redeem that entire balance, as well as the few percent you can statistically expect to lose at play-through, you may only just about break even, besides not getting paid very well for your time. Our recommendation is to purchase only deals with an ROI of at least 120% or more. Some even recommend only to purchase deals that return 130%+.
RTP
RTP means "return to player." In plain English, it's what you can expect to keep after play-through. It is not a prediction for one session. A higher published RTP is generally better for playthrough, but look out for a games volatility and minimum stakes. Our recommendation is to find games that predictably return 96% or more. Blackjack (using basic strategy) and a few others can usually return 97-99%. Don't settle for returns below 94% if you don't have to. SweepsOwl measures the real RTP of all the wagers we have logged and calls it "observed return."
SC
SC means Sweeps Coins or Sweepstakes Coins, depending on the casino. They are the coins that can usually be played and, subject to that casino's rules, redeemed. Track SC separately from GC because a balance that looks large in the game may not be redeemable.
Slots
Slots are reel games whose RTP and volatility are set by the specific title and paytable. They are usually easy to run, but their returns vary far more by game than table-game rules do. Check the game's information screen rather than assuming all slots have the same rate.
Unplayed SC
Unplayed SC is the part of a tracked SC balance that still needs eligible play before it can be treated as redeemable. In SweepsOwl, it is kept separate so you can see how much balance remains exposed to playthrough.
Volatility
Volatility is how widely results can swing around a game's long-run return. A game with high volatility will be less predictable - you may lose a larger amount that you might only earn back at some point if and when you hit a large prize. A game with low volatility will have steady, predictable returns. For churners, lower volatility is usually better, because it leads to more predictable returns on your wagers.
Wager
A wager is one recorded period of play: the game, bet size, number of rounds or hands, and starting and ending SC balances. Logging it makes the result measurable, but a single wager is too small a sample to prove a game's RTP.