Why We Have a Written Policy
The sweepstakes casino review industry has a structural conflict of interest: the sites that evaluate casinos are financially dependent on those same casinos referring players. Most sites resolve this tension by simply not acknowledging it exists.
We resolve it differently. Our editorial process is designed so that the people making commercial decisions (partnerships, featured placements, affiliate agreements) cannot influence the people making editorial decisions (scores, rankings, review findings). This page documents the specific mechanisms we use to maintain that separation — not because we expect you to take our word for it, but because a documented policy can be scrutinized in a way that a vague claim of "independence" cannot.
If you believe we've violated our own standards, the correction process at the bottom of this page is how you tell us.
Our Seven-Step Review Process
Every casino listed on SweepRadar has passed through this process. The sequence is fixed — we don't publish scores before all seven steps are complete.
01
Initial eligibility screen
Before any review begins, we verify the platform operates under US promotional sweepstakes law and is accessible in at least 10 states. Platforms that restrict redemptions to gift cards only, require mandatory purchases, or use deceptive bonus structures are disqualified at this stage.
02
Account creation and onboarding audit
We create a real player account using a legitimate US identity, document every step of the registration flow, and record the exact welcome bonus received — not the advertised version. Discrepancies between marketing copy and actual credits received are flagged in the review.
03
Gameplay testing across multiple sessions
We play a minimum of five sessions across different game categories — slots, table games, and any specialty formats the platform offers. We track session times, game loading performance, and whether the advertised RTP figures are credibly sourced.
04
Redemption test
This is the part most review sites skip. We initiate a real Sweeps Coin redemption request and document the actual time from submission to receipt of funds or gift card. Advertised payout speeds and real payout speeds frequently differ — we report both.
05
Customer support evaluation
We contact support through every available channel (live chat, email, in-app) with a standardized set of test questions. We measure response time, accuracy of information, and escalation behavior when the first-tier response is incorrect.
06
Terms and conditions analysis
A member of our editorial team reads the full terms of service, bonus terms, and privacy policy. We document wagering requirements, expiration windows, withdrawal caps, game restrictions, and any clauses that materially affect the stated bonus value.
07
Score calculation and peer review
Scores are calculated algorithmically from the five dimensions in our methodology. A second editor reviews the score output against the raw notes to catch calculation errors or inconsistencies before publication. No casino sees its score before it goes live.
How Scores Are Calculated
The SweepRadar Score is a composite of five weighted dimensions. Weights were set before any casino was scored and have not been changed to favor or penalize any specific platform. The full technical breakdown is documented on our Methodology page.
Based on our redemption test — measured in hours from request submission to funds received
Calculated from effective value after wagering requirements, not the headline bonus figure
Number, diversity, and provider quality — verified directly, not taken from the casino's own marketing
Aggregated from Trustpilot, Reddit, app stores, and SweepRadar user submissions — not casino-supplied testimonials
Terms clarity, responsible gaming tools, support quality, corporate disclosure, and editorial firewall strength
Scores are recalculated — not re-estimated — whenever we have materially new data. A casino cannot request a re-score. Re-scores are triggered by our update schedule or by credible third-party reports of significant changes.
Our Independence Standards
SweepRadar earns revenue through affiliate commissions. We are transparent about this. The question that matters isn't whether commercial relationships exist — they do — but whether those relationships affect what we publish. Here are the specific rules we follow:
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The firewall is structural, not a policy
Our scoring algorithm doesn't accept commercial inputs. A casino's commission rate, advertising spend, or partnership status with SweepRadar is not a variable in the SweepRadar Score formula. This isn't enforced through self-discipline — it's enforced through architecture. The algorithm runs on data we collect, not data casinos provide.
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Paid placements are labeled, always
When a casino pays for a "Featured" position — a spot above the organic ranking order — that placement carries a visible indicator. There is no exception to this rule. A "Featured" label means the casino paid for that specific position. It does not mean we endorse that casino above others, and it does not affect the underlying SweepRadar Score.
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We don't accept data from casinos at face value
Casinos routinely self-report payout speeds, game counts, and redemption timelines. We verify these claims through our own testing. When a casino tells us their average payout is 48 hours and our test takes 11 days, we report 11 days. The self-reported figure appears as context, not as fact.
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Negative findings stay published
If we publish a review noting a casino's payout speed is slow, that finding doesn't disappear because the casino becomes an affiliate partner six months later. Existing negative findings are re-evaluated only when we have fresh data suggesting they've changed — not in response to commercial pressure.
How We Keep Information Current
Outdated review information is one of the primary ways casino review sites fail their readers. A payout speed that was accurate in January may be dramatically wrong by September. We use a tiered update system:
Weekly
Bonus & promo data
Welcome bonuses, ongoing promotions, and promo code availability are checked and updated every week. Bonus structures change frequently and stale bonus information is one of the most common reader complaints we receive.
Monthly
Full re-scoring
Every listed casino undergoes a complete data refresh and score recalculation at least once per month. This includes a new payout test, fresh user review aggregation, and a terms-of-service check for material changes.
Annually
Methodology review
The scoring weights and evaluation criteria are reviewed once per year. Changes to the methodology are published here and on the Methodology page, with an explanation of why the change was made and how it affects existing scores.
Our Correction Policy
We make mistakes. When we do, our correction process is straightforward:
Factual errors
Corrected within 24 hours of verification. The correction is noted inline on the affected page with the date it was made. We do not quietly edit and pretend the error didn't happen.
Score disputes
If a casino believes a score dimension contains a factual error (e.g., we documented their payout time incorrectly), they can submit evidence to our editorial team. If the evidence is verified, the affected dimension is re-scored. The dispute and outcome are noted on the casino's review page.
Reader reports
If you've had an experience that materially contradicts something in one of our reviews — a payout that took far longer than we documented, a bonus that wasn't honored — we want to know. Contact us with specifics, and your report goes directly to the editorial team for investigation.
What we won't do
We will not remove or soften negative findings in exchange for advertising spend, partnership agreements, or any other commercial consideration. If a casino's score is low because their payout speed is poor, that score changes when their payout speed changes — not when their marketing budget increases.