SweepGrind Methodology

How we rank 110 sweepstakes casinos.

Every casino on SweepGrind is graded using the same five-component rubric. No gut calls, no affiliate payola, no "featured partner" bumps. Here's exactly how the tier list gets built.

◆ Version 2.4 ◆ Last updated: April 2026 ◆ Applies to all 110 casinos

01The scoring rubric

Each casino receives a 0–10 score in five components. Those five scores are weighted and averaged to produce the overall SweepGrind Score. Overall score maps directly to a letter tier.

Component
Weight
What it measures
Payout Integrity
30%
Did we actually cash out? KYC friction, minimum thresholds, payment methods (bank, crypto, gift card), speed from request to funds in hand, and whether support responds when something snags. The single most important factor. A site that won't pay is worth nothing regardless of anything else.
Daily Value
25%
The blended daily SC you can earn for free across the daily bonus, wheel spins, streak multipliers, mail-in requests, and social promos. We also track how long it takes a pure free-to-play grinder to reach the minimum redemption threshold.
Game Library
15%
Total game count, number of studios (variety vs. recycled engines), live dealer availability, unique formats (crash, scratch, arcade, tournaments), and whether the RTP feels fair when you actually play.
Bonus Stack
15%
Welcome offer, first-purchase bonus, VIP program (XP mechanics, tier rewards, retention bonuses), referral program, and ongoing promotions. Does the math actually work out, or is it optics?
Trust Signals
15%
KYC process, RNG/fairness testing credentials, licensing, company registration, operating history, support response time, and community sentiment. The newer the site, the more this matters.
Why Payout Integrity gets 30%. Every other category only matters if the site actually pays out. We've seen casinos with 2,000+ games, huge welcome bonuses, and beautiful UIs refuse redemptions for arbitrary reasons. Gaming variety without a clean cashout is theatre, so the weighting reflects reality.

02Tier thresholds

The weighted average maps to one of four tiers. Tier is the headline; the overall score is the detail.

E
8.5–10.0
Elite. High daily value, fast cashouts, verified payout history.
P
7.0–8.4
Prime. Strong site, worth your time. Minor friction somewhere.
C
5.5–6.9
Core. Playable but compromised. Read the review before committing.
V
< 5.5
Value. The bottom of our list: lower daily or more friction. Read the review first.

03How the data gets collected

Facts from primary sources

Every hard number (minimum redemption, playthrough, bonus amounts, game counts, restricted states, company registration) comes directly from the casino's own terms of service, promotions pages, or FAQ. We cite the source and verification date on every review's data tables.

Daily Value tracking

The daily SC number isn't marketing copy. It's what we actually earned. SweepGrind runs a 30-day grinding session on every casino: daily login, claim all free bonuses, execute the mail-in flow, complete any streak requirements. We log the total SC earned, divide by 30, and that's the Daily Value number you see.

Payout verification

A site doesn't earn a Payout Integrity score until we've completed at least one full cashout cycle: purchase (when applicable), play through, request redemption, clear KYC, receive funds. The "Payout Verified" stamp you see on a review means we personally have money from that site.

Re-grading cadence

Every casino is re-scored quarterly. Sites that ship major bonus changes, change payment processors, get acquired, or have a spike in user complaints get re-scored immediately outside the cadence. If a tier changes, the review gets a "Tier Updated" banner with the date.

04What we don't do

05Found an error?

If a fact is wrong, a bonus has changed, or a casino's tier no longer reflects reality, tell us. We fix things fast. sweepgrind@gmail.com gets a response within 24 hours.