Game Vault is a relatively new iGaming site that advertises sweepstakes-style games. Right now, there’s a Game Vault online log in bonus up-for-grabs offering $20 worth of “Free Play Credits”. But can the brand (and their bonus) be trusted?
From where I’m standing, it’s a no due to the various red flags encountered when writing today’s bonus review. Nevertheless, throughout this guide, I’ll discuss the ins and outs of the offer and explore some popular FAQs about it. Along the way, I’ll also touch upon why competitor site Stake.us’ latest bonus makes for a great alternative.
Game Vault markets itself as a sweepstakes casino. If you’ve read any of my other guides to these kinds of sites before, you’ll be aware that sweeps sites are free-to-play-at gaming platforms that offer Vegas-inspired games powered by virtual coins only. Said games usually come with no purchase requirement, and real money gaming is not outright offered.
Sweepstakes platforms rely on their bonuses, which usually offer-up generous helpings of free gaming tokens, to bring in new players – an approach that’s sort-of shared by Game Vault.
Right now, Game Vault is currently advertising a new customer bonus good for $20 worth of “Free Play Credits”. However, a look at the brand’s T&Cs reveal that this operator also offers real money games – leading me to doubt whether this is really the sweepstakes gaming platform it claims to be; red flag number one. Nevertheless, let’s look at the steps involved in claiming the offer.
Unconventionally, Game Vault isn’t a platform you can access or register with directly. Their “$20 in Free Play Credits” sign up bonus is an offer that needs to be claimed via BitBetWin – an overarching gaming website that seems to oversee several different iGaming brands.
On BitBetWin’s landing page, you’ll see an Orion Stars bonus code advertised, as well as games and bonuses associated with Vegas X and Ultra Panda, among other platforms. To claim the Game Vault bonus I’m talking about here, you’ll need to register via BitBetWin first, then select Game Vault from a drop-down menu to use your bonus on their games.
Here’s how it works step-by-step:
Most sweepstakes casinos tend to carry out ID verification checks on players before bonus offers are disbursed. Such checks are a sign of legitimacy, as they are used by operators to ensure you’re based in a legal state or region before you’re granted access to their games.
That said, I didn’t encounter any Know Your Customer (KYC) checks when registering here. What’s more, despite the fact sweepstakes games ought to always be accessible without any deposit or purchase requirement, I was immediately prompted to make a minimum $10 deposit on Game Vault’s homepage before I could browse the brand’s game selection and start playing. This is not at all in alignment with conventional sweepstakes rules in the US.
As you can see, I ran into a fair few red flags with this bonus’ claims process, and I’m sad to inform you the bonus’ T&Cs were incredibly unclear here, too.
Unlike the Global Poker bonus code I recently reviewed, or Stake.us’ latest bonus, which I’ll be talking more about in the next section, the T&Cs page for Game Vault’s offer made no mention of green or red-lit US states. There wasn’t any mention of playthrough requirements or time limits either - which didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.
As mentioned in the intro above, I wouldn’t recommend this brand’s bonus, and that’s largely due to uncertainties around the offer’s state-level availability and T&Cs. From the site’s “About Us” page and bonus terms, it’s unclear whether this is really a free-to-play-at sweepstakes casino at all – and this really sets alarm bells ringing.
All things considered, then, this section will now focus on general tips you might want to consider before claiming any other sweepstakes bonuses out there that offer a bit more certainty. One such bonus is Stake.us’ latest, which offers 260,000 Gold Coins (GC) and 55 Stake Cash (SC) on top of 5% rakeback. This offer can be activated using my exclusive code “DIMERS”.
Though whether you’re claiming the Stake.us bonus or any other sweepstakes offers you’ve seen advertised elsewhere, it’s important to:
While Game Vault offers a slightly confusing mix of “Free Play Credits” and real money games, which may very well be deemed unlawful in your state, most legit sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us, McLuck or Chumba Casino run on a two-tier virtual coin system.
The way it works is relatively simple. “GC” or “Gold Coins” are just-for-fun coins that have no cash or prize-redeemable value whatsoever. Meanwhile, “SC”, which is an abbreviation for “Stake Cash” at Stake.us, or “Sweepstakes Coins” at other sites, are upper-tier virtual coins that can be entered into competitive, sweepstakes-style game tournaments and redeemed for real-world prizes.
The two-tier coin system used by most legitimate sweeps sites offers players like you and I the potential to “trial-run” games using free-to-play GC before we play our prize-redeemable SC – a unique opportunity that should be embraced.
Bonus-wise, whether you’re claiming a new customer exclusive with Stake.us or free bonus codes for Chumba Casino with no deposit for existing players, you’ll usually be granted more free GC than SC. This, of course, can be used to your advantage, helping you to test-out all the games available using GC to pin-down potential favorites for SC play later down the line.
Shopping around is super-important when trying to find the best sweepstakes bonus for you. Even if you’re dead-set on registering with one particular operator – such as Stake.us, for example – you should still compare said brand’s different bonuses alongside each other via their “Promotions” page rather than simply claiming their standard sign-up bonus. Who knows? What you find might just surprise you.
As an example, Stake.us’ latest sign up offer will grant you 260,000 GC and 55 SC playable on any games you like; including tables. But if you’re more into, say, slots games, then perhaps slots, which offer random big-value prizes on selected fruit machines, might be a better fit.
One of the most glaring red flags I spotted with Game Vault’s online log in bonus was the offer’s hazy T&Cs. A trustworthy sweepstakes bonus should be transparent about which US states it can legally be claimed and enjoyed in.
Likewise, a legit offer should clearly stipulate any playthrough requirements or time limits you’ll need to abide by when using your bonus GC or SC. Naturally, you should read-through the T&Cs associated with any good bonus carefully to fully understand the offer’s limitations before playing.
Following on from that last point, you’ll find that most sweepstakes bonuses have playthrough requirements. These are rules that will require you to literally “play through” your SC a set number of times before you’ll be allowed to request an SC prize redemption – and it’s easy to lose track of your gameplay if you don’t keep some kind of written record about what you’re playing, and when.
The lack of any clear playthrough terms was another aspect of Game Vault’s online log in bonus that left me feeling doubtful about the offer’s legitimacy or fairness. But with the Stake.us signup bonus, your 55 SC have very reasonable playthrough requirements of just 1x, while the brand’s GC aren’t subject to any playthrough restrictions whatsoever.
So, there are a few uncertainties surrounding Game Vault’s status as a sweepstakes casino, and the legitimacy, fairness and state-level availability of this bonus.
With T&Cs that are a little on the opaque side, I receive a lot of queries from confused sweepstakes gamers about Game Vault’s bonuses. Some of the most common questions to hit my inbox, include:
No, Game Vault’s “$50 Free Play Credits” bonus doesn’t currently require a promo code at the point of activation - though I still wouldn’t recommend claiming it.
When looking at alternatives, you should note that welcome bonuses at a lot of other sweepstakes casinos, like Stake.us, will often require promo codes. Some operators, such as Global Poker, might require you to punch-in a Global Poker bonus code for existing players when activating future bonuses later down the line, too. So, always be aware of this – and remember that any codes required should be clearly displayed in the ad for the bonus you’re most interested in. Oftentimes clear and obvious T&Cs are a hallmark of a trustworthy bonus offer.
Some US reviews I’ve seen have mentioned another Game Vault sign-up bonus advertising “$5 in Free Play Credits and a 100% deposit match worth up to $1,000”. This offer wasn’t displayed on Game Vault’s site at the time of writing my review, but if you see it advertised in your state, please proceed with caution, paying special attention to the T&Cs. This kind of wording implies real money gameplay and a deposit requirement, which would support my view that Game Vault isn’t a rule-abiding sweepstakes casino that offers “no purchase necessary” games.
Right now, it’s really difficult to say. I struggled to verify Game Vault’s claim on its homepage that the site “is legal” and “has all the necessary licenses”. What’s more, after digging around their T&Cs, I ultimately found they weren’t 100% clear about where you can and can’t register new customer accounts from.
Generally speaking, it’s important to note that sweepstakes gaming is strictly prohibited in a select few US states, including Washington, Nevada and Idaho. Meanwhile, individual sweepstakes sites set their own rules regarding state-level availability – with competitor Stake.us also being off-limits in New York and Kentucky, for example. It’s important to only ever play with brands that you can fully verify as being green-lit in your state.
Much like Stake.us, Global Poker and other popular sweepstakes sites, Game Vault offers a mixed bag of different bonuses targeted at existing players, on top of their sign-up offers.
That said, I found that these offers come with similarly unclear and uncertain T&Cs, or worse – imply that purchases or deposits are required to use them, adding further weight to my suspicion that Game Vault is not a legit sweepstakes site.
In addition to the Game Vault online log in bonus, some of the other promotions advertised by the brand right now, include:
Game Vault offers existing players a $10 bonus for referring friends to the platform, with no cap on how many friends you can refer. This one raised red flags for me instantly: the bonus is advertised in cash, for starters, while legitimate sweepstakes casinos should always be virtual-coin-based.
Game Vault’s “Quest Achievement” promos seem to revolve around mini-challenges that can be completed on the site to unlock “points”, which can later be swapped-out for Free Play Credits.
On the surface, all sounds well and good, but actually, a video guide to the promotion found on Game Vault’s site implies that some “challenges” involve making cash deposits above a certain amount if you want to participate. For those of you not aware, legitimate sweepstakes casinos ought to let you access their games for free, and any purchase requirements associated with their bonuses should always be optional.
Game Vault offers an APK app which is offered for download on various (sometimes dubious looking) websites. Some sites make mention of a bonus-packed VIP club, though I struggled to locate any details about the program myself anywhere on the operator’s website.
What’s more, I spotted that the official Google Play description for Game Vault’s app – which features reviews where some users warn that Game Vault are “scammers” – doesn’t mention the program either. Do VIP promotions exist here? Who knows. But one thing I can categorically tell you is that competitor site Stake.us definitely offers a tier-driven loyalty program, known as the Stake.us VIP Club, that has received rave reviews far and wide.
Several Game Vault users have taken to Reddit, Google Play and other platforms to warn that this operator isn’t reliable and safe – and from what I’ve seen of Game Vault, I’m afraid I must agree. If you’re looking for a trusted sweepstakes platform, you might want to start shopping around elsewhere…
Game Vault doesn’t currently offer a guide on how prize redemptions work on their sweepstakes platform. In fact, they advertise both Free Play Token and real money-powered games, which to me implies Game Vault might not be a legitimate sweepstakes platform at all…
Stake.us is worth a look, on account of their three-for-one welcome offer that bundles together 260,000 GC, 55 SC and 5% rakeback. That said, Global Poker might be a better fit for sweepstakes poker fans, while McLuck offers a very competitive sign-up offer, too.
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Right now, there’s a “$20 Free Play Credits” bonus advertised by Game Vault – though I’d recommend steering clear. You see, this site isn’t your conventional sweepstakes casino. It’s a platform that advertises a dubious mix of just-for-fun and real money games which, at the time of writing, goes completely against US sweepstakes rules. Instead, I’d suggest checking out bonuses offered by alternative brands like Stake.us, that run on a classic GC and SC-based coin system.
As mentioned previously, Game Vault offers no real indication as to where its games (and its bonuses) can and can’t be legally enjoyed in the US. This bonus also requires you to register an account through a separate site called BitBetWin before you can play, which I’m afraid to say is equally vague regarding US eligibility. I was also concerned by the lack of clarity offered in terms of things like playthrough requirements with this bonus, too.
Frustratingly, it’s equally unclear whether or not the online tokens Game Vault refers to as “Free Play Credits” are prize-redeemable here.
I couldn’t locate any information about SC prize redemptions on the site – and the ads for real money games left me with the impression that Game Vault is actually an offshore “real money” gaming site rather than the free-play sweepstakes casino it’s marketed as.
I’d advise extreme caution before you play at Game Vault 777 with an online login no deposit bonus. It’s abundantly clear this isn’t a sweepstakes brand that does what it says on the tin. What’s more, further research soon revealed to me that a fair few past players have had bad experiences with this operator and its bonuses.
Several Google Play and TrustPilot reviews have described the brand as “a scam”, and as you’ll no doubt know from reading my own review here, there are a lot of red flags surrounding Game Vault’s latest bonus and US availability.
At the time of writing, all signs point to “no”, I’m afraid. Right here, you’re looking at a bonus with uncertain T&Cs advertised by a brand that doesn’t seem to follow the conventional, GC and SC-based sweepstakes setup that’s generally deemed legal in most parts of the US.
As such, I’d suggest you steer clear and check out alternative bonuses advertised by tried-and-tested brands like Stake.us, instead.