Social casino, sweepstakes, virtual currency

A payment gateway for social casinos and sweepstakes, built for the two-currency model.

OpenGate is a payment gateway for social casino and sweepstakes operators that need payment processing for coin purchases and prize redemptions. We underwrite the structure an acquirer reads line by line: the virtual currencies, the free play path and the redemption rules. Where the structure holds, the file boards as a sweepstakes promotion; where it does not, no gateway can help.

Apply to start processing How it works

At a glance

Social Casino & Sweepstakes

Sector: Gambling & gaming
Payment methods: Cards (Visa/Mastercard) · Digital wallets · Pay-by-link
Documents in the file: 5
First answer: Within 1 business day

Why processors refuse

Why mainstream PSPs refuse social casinos and sweepstakes

A social casino looks like a casino to a risk model. The purchase flow, the coin balances and the redemption mechanics read as gambling at first glance, and generic processors decline rather than read the terms. Sweepstakes compliance is the difference between a boardable file and a gambling account, and that difference lives in the documents.

It looks like gambling to a card brand
Sweepstakes casinos sell coin packages, run casino-style games and redeem prizes, which trips gambling pattern filters. A processor that cannot tell a sweepstakes structure from a wager declines the whole file.
How OpenGate handles it
We read the structure before we submit it: the free play path, the no-purchase-necessary entry and the redemption terms. The file is presented with that structure documented, so the acquirer sees a sweepstakes promotion, not a casino.
Dual-currency models confuse risk teams
Gold coins for entertainment, sweeps coins for prizes, both purchasable and redeemable on the same site. A risk team that cannot separate the two rails refuses the file.
How OpenGate handles it
The underwriting review maps both currencies: what is purchased, what is earned free, what is redeemable and where real money actually moves. The acquirer gets a model description, not a guess.
Prize redemptions create payout exposure
Sweeps coin redemptions are real money out. A processor that boards the purchases without understanding the redemptions has boarded half the business.
How OpenGate handles it
The offer covers both directions: coin purchases on the acquiring side and prize redemptions on the payout side, with the redemption rules checked against the published promotion terms.
State-level scrutiny is rising
A growing number of US states have banned or restricted sweepstakes casino models, and more are drafting rules. Acquirers watch the map closely and drop files whose operators are not tracking it.
How OpenGate handles it
We review the state map at onboarding and at each review, and the placement matches the markets the file supports. You own the legal tracking; we check the file against the acquirer's view.

The file

How we underwrite social casino and sweepstakes merchant accounts

The file must prove the model is a sweepstakes, not a wager: a genuine free play path, clear redemption rules and coin accounting that keeps the two currencies separate. These are the documents the underwriter will ask for.

Official rules and legal opinion

The sweepstakes rules in full: eligibility, entry methods, the no-purchase-necessary path and prize redemption. Required at onboarding and reviewed against the live site. Acquirers commonly expect a legal opinion on the model from gaming counsel alongside them.

Dual-currency mechanics

A written description of the coin system: what gold coins buy, how sweeps coins are earned free and received with purchases, and how redemption works. The underwriter reads it before any bank sees the file.

Corporate and UBO documents

Registration, the ownership structure and identity documents for directors and ultimate beneficial owners, as with any acquiring file.

Processing history

Purchase volume, chargebacks and refunds from the last three to six months. History from a previous processor is read carefully, especially if it closed the account.

Prize fulfillment records

Evidence that redemptions are actually paid: fulfillment logs or payout statements. An acquirer wants to see that the promotion pays what it promises.

Payment methods

Payment methods for social casinos and sweepstakes

Coin purchases are small and frequent, redemptions are larger and scheduled. The rails are tuned for that pattern.

See every capability

Cards (Visa/Mastercard)
Coin package purchases with 3DS2 on first purchases, so fraud-coded disputes from an impulse-heavy checkout shift to the issuer.
Digital wallets
Wallet payments for the repeat buyer who tops up coin balances from a phone, where the wallet's own rules and the acquirer accept the model.
Pay-by-link
Coin package offers delivered as links, useful for promotions and re-engagement campaigns.
Prize payouts
Redemption payouts to players through the payout API, with the rails, the schedule and the limits written into the offer.

The process

Describe the rules, the coin mechanics and your processing history in the application at /apply. An underwriter reads the sweepstakes structure within 1 business day and replies with an offer, a document list or an honest no. The four-step process is described on /how-it-works.

See the 4-step process

FAQ

Social casino and sweepstakes payment processing FAQ

Can I use Stripe or PayPal for a social casino or sweepstakes site?

Not as a rule. Stripe's published policy prohibits sweepstakes and casino-style games, and PayPal requires pre-approval for sweepstakes and gaming. Accounts opened without that approval tend to be closed at review. Describe the model in the application at /apply, and an underwriter tells you which acquirer type fits, or why none does.

Is a sweepstakes casino gambling?

That depends on the state. The model rests on sweepstakes law: free play open to all players, a no-purchase-necessary entry path and prizes awarded under published rules. Some states accept that structure and others have banned it outright, so the underwriter checks the structure and the state list before the file goes to a bank.

What documents do I need for a sweepstakes merchant account?

The official rules, a legal opinion on the model where you hold one, a written description of the dual-currency mechanics, corporate and UBO documents, three to six months of processing history and prize fulfillment records. Gaps are flagged within 1 business day.

How do gold coins and sweeps coins work in payments?

Gold coin purchases are card sales of a virtual good, processed under the merchant category the acquirer assigns to the model. Sweeps coins are earned free or received as a purchase bonus, and redemptions move through the payout rail. The accounting keeps the two rails separate.

Why do I need a rolling reserve?

Chargebacks on coin purchases and the payout exposure on redemptions point the same way. The acquirer holds a percentage of volume and releases it on the schedule in your offer. The mechanics are in /guides/rolling-reserves-explained.

Which states can I operate in?

That is a legal question for your counsel. Several states ban or restrict sweepstakes casino models, and more are drafting rules. The acquirer boards the states your file supports, with geo-controls for the rest. We review the map; we do not write it.

How long does onboarding take?

A complete file can go from first review to go-live in as little as two weeks. Gaps in the rules or the coin description add days to the review, because the underwriter asks before the bank does.

What happens when a player disputes a coin purchase?

The dispute arrives with a reason code and a deadline. Alert feeds let you refund early, and representment files the purchase record and the terms acceptance when the dispute is baseless.

Can I run a social casino with no real-money payouts?

Yes. A pure virtual currency model with no redemption path is simpler to underwrite than a sweepstakes model, because no money flows back to players. Send the rules and the coin description, and the review will reflect that structure.

Related guides

Read all guides

Guide10 min read

iGaming Payment Processing Guide

What an acquirer checks before it boards a casino or sportsbook: the license-to-market match, player KYC, the deposit and payout rails, and the dispute ratio.

Casino & Sportsbook How-to11 min read

How to Reduce Your Chargeback Ratio: The Full Prevention Playbook

The arithmetic of chargeback ratios, why Visa and Mastercard watch them, and the operational playbook that keeps your account below the line.

Chargebacks Explainer10 min read

How High-Risk Merchant Underwriting Works

What an underwriter reads in your file, how the four steps of high-risk underwriting run, why files get declined and how to prepare a file that gets placed.

Getting approved

Related industries

All industries

Open your social casino gate.

Send the rules and the coin mechanics. An underwriter reads the structure within 1 business day and replies with a written offer, a document list, or an honest no.

Apply to start processing Talk to an underwriter

Free to apply. A human answer within 1 business day.