Funrize Sweepstakes Casino Review

By Marcus Lawrence on
Social casinos have enjoyed a remarkable rise in the US over the past few years, with many operators adopting the successful dual-currency concept used by industry frontrunner Chumba Casino. Funrize Casino is one of the newest kids on the block, offering players a comprehensive gaming catalog alongside regular promotions and other incentives. But how does the platform compare to industry leaders like Pulsz Casino and BetRivers.net? Keep reading for a detailed Funrize review touching on everything from the dual-currency system to its games selection.
Overview

Funrize Casino Overview

Funrize Casino is one of the latest sweepstakes sites to enter the market, launching in April 2022. Players across all US states other than Idaho, Washington DC, and Wisconsin can enjoy just under 100 free casino games using the popular sweepstakes mechanic. 

Funrize uses two currencies: Tournament Coins and Promotional Entries. Before going any further, we’ll clear up the distinction below: 

  • Tournament Coins: Funrize Tournament Coins don’t have any inherent value and cannot be redeemed for cash prizes. This is the sweepstake casino’s primary currency, allowing players to enjoy slots, keno, fish games and more without spending any real money. Funrize runs regular free Tournament Coins promotions and giveaways, but you can also purchase coin packages if you run out; 
  • Promotional Entries: Players at Funrize Casino can choose whether to play with Tournament Coins or Promotional Entries. The latter can be redeemed for cash prizes but cannot be purchased separately. All Promotional Entries must be acquired via purchasing a Tournament Coin package, through select promotions, or by winning games in the promotional mode. 

Funrize Casino treats new players to 775,000 Tournament Coins and 700 Promotional Entries after completing all the introductory tasks. These include email and phone number verification alongside a few other profile completion steps. The Funrize welcome bonus is one of the industry’s most generous when you claim the full amount, an encouraging sign right from the outset. 

Elsewhere, I was also happy to find almost 100 gaming options helpfully separated into “New”, “Popular”, “Hot”, “Fishing”, “Favorites”, and “Jackpot” categories. While there weren’t any games from established software providers, NetGame provides emulations of many famous titles like Big Catch Bonanza (modeled on Big Bass Bonanza). Unfortunately, there are very few options other than online slots — an area where Funrize can certainly improve. 

My other main gripe was the limited banking options, with players only able to make purchases or claim redemptions using their bank cards or Open Banking. The operator is still relatively young, so hopefully it can add to its gaming catalog and payment methods in the future. I’ll go into more detail on various Funrize aspects throughout this page. Read on for the lowdown on its gaming catalog, software providers, general design, promotions, and more. 

Funrize Casino Basics 

Launch date:

April 2022

Owner:

A1 Development LLC 

Games available:

89

Payment Options:

Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Open Banking 

App available:

Y

Customer Service Options:

Live Chat, Telephone, Email 

24/7 customer service?

Y

Payout time:

Within 48 Hours 

Pros & Cons

Pros and Cons of Funrize

Before delving deeper into specific Funrize characteristics, here are a few pros and cons to kick things off: 

pros-icon

Pros

  • Varied and responsive customer support options;
  • Very generous 775,000 Tournament Coins and 700 Promotional Entries welcome bonus;
  • Exciting daily Funrize races with a 2,000,000 Tournament Coin prize pool;
  • Other regular ongoing promotions and a bountiful referral scheme;
  • Real money prize redemptions available;
  • Official iOS and Android apps on the App Store and Google Play marketplaces;
  • Rarer fish table games on offer.
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Cons

  • NetGame is the only slots software provider and doesn’t offer many original titles;
  • No table games;
  • Banking options are limited to debit cards and Open Banking;
  • Lacks a VIP programme.

Funrize Casino has several standout features, with the iOS and Android apps being some of the most significant. Only genuine industry-leading sweepstakes sites can offer mobile sweepstakes apps on the official marketplaces, so I was happy to find Funrize joining the club. Elsewhere, I was impressed by the generous promotions and bonuses. Nevertheless, the operator does have areas to improve, notably its banking method and gaming range. 

Games

Games Available

While Funrize Casino cannot compete with stacked sweepstakes casinos like Pulsz Casino or Rush Games, a decent number of games are available. Players can enjoy 89 individual titles, although some remain locked until you make a Tournament Coin purchase. This unlocks the Promotional Mode, where you can access more games and compete for redeemable cash prizes. 

By and large, I was relatively happy with the options available. There is a notable omission of any table games, with keno and a few fish titles being the only real alternatives to online slots. As such, if you’re after things like live dealer games, it might be worth checking out BetRivers.net or Rush Games instead. 

One thing Funrize Casino does really well is organize the gaming library into helpful categories. The games homepage has “New”, “Popular”, “Hot”, “Fishing”, “Favorites”, and “Jackpot” options along the top of the screen, helping me navigate to the right type of games. I’ll go into more detail regarding the library below: 

Slots 

Don’t expect to find any sweepstakes slots from established industry leaders like Big Time Gaming or NetEnt at Funrize Casino. I was a little disappointed not to be able to play bona fide classics like Starburst or Wolf Gold, although not many sweepstakes casinos other than Pulsz can offer these official games. 

Funrize works exclusively with NetGame to provide a decent but unspectacular slots library. The catalog includes several obvious emulations of famous games, with Big Catch Bonanza and Wild Buffalo: Hold ‘n’ Link being the most obvious. These titles will do the job for beginners, but if you’re a more experienced slots fan, you might find them lacking after a while. 

While there aren’t any Megaways titles currently available, Funrize offers various slots with unique gameplay mechanics. For example, the Netgame Hold ‘n’ Link series regularly offers up to 1024 ways to win and powerful bonus rounds. 

You can find a brief description of my favorite three online slots at Funrize below: 

  • Wolf Reels Rapid Link: A collaboration between NetGame and Stakelogic, Wolf Reels Rapid Link offers players up to 1024 ways to win, a maximum 4368x multiplier, and medium volatility. My favorite was the Rapid Reels feature, expanding the grid to 5×8 from 5×4 and delivering enhanced win potential;
  • African King Hold ‘n’ Link: A NetGame slot inspired by popular titles like Safari King by Pragmatic Play, African King Hold ‘n’ Link uses the same safari-fuelled theme. I enjoyed the colorful graphics and symbols, with the medium variance leading to plenty of winning spins. I was also a big fan of the bonus rounds, including expanding symbols, free spins, and the Hold ‘n’ Link feature;
  • Mystery Dragons: This is arguably one of NetGame’s best-looking online slots, inviting players into a vibrant and compelling dragon-inspired environment. Mystery Dragons also has very high variance and a 96.2% RTP score. It’s a great choice for beginners, with the relatively simple 5×3 reel grid and 20 paylines being easy to understand. 

Keno 

Funrize Casino has one keno game in its library: Dragon Keno. This is locked at first, with players needing to purchase a Tournament Coin package before playing. While having a keno option at the sweepstakes casino is nice, I wish there were more choices. 

Fish 

Funrize has a dedicated “Fishing” category, where you can enjoy Fishing Kingdom and Thunder Fishing. I enjoyed playing this cartoon-esque game, especially considering the maximum 500,000 Tournament Coin prizes. This is one area where Funrize beats the established players in the sweepstakes industry, like Pulsz or Chumba Casino, as these sites don’t have any fish games to choose from. 

Software Developers

Software Developers

Unfortunately, Funrize Casino doesn’t have a particularly impressive spread of software developers. The sweepstakes casino works exclusively with NetGame, a lesser-known provider that mainly emulates popular slots from better-respected studios. It launched in 2012 and has steadily gained popularity over the past decade, although top players in the industry tend to look elsewhere for their games. 

I’d like to see Funrize gain more partnerships with more authoritative software providers if the site wants to take the next step. For now, I ultimately prefer playing on sites like Pulsz Casino or BetRivers.net featuring games from Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and other top-level developers. 

Design & User Experience

Design and User Experience

The Funrize Casino design is definitely one of its standout features. The sweepstakes site has a slick layout providing easy access to the game library, promotions, account features, and more. I also enjoyed the “How it works” section, giving a concise overview of the sweepstakes mechanic and how to use Tournament Coins and Promotional Entries. 

I didn’t encounter any glitches while playing at Funrize, with the smooth user interface being a joy to use. The operator has handy shortcuts to buy coin packages, making toggling between Tournament and Promotional modes easy with the button in the top right-hand corner of the page. Elsewhere, the rolling carousel on the homepage grants one-click access to new promotions and games, which was another highlight. 

Funrize Casino also makes great use of game subcategories, significantly enhancing the navigational aspect. The only thing I would have liked to see is a dedicated search bar, as it can be time-consuming searching for a specific slot. 

I was also pleasantly surprised by the Funrize mobile interface. The HTML5 website alters to fit smaller smartphone screens and offers the same intuitive and streamlined design. But the cherry on top was the native iOS and Android apps. Only a handful of other sweepstakes sites have such high-rated apps on the App Store and Google Play marketplaces (4 out of 5 on both), so this is a definite highlight. 

Bonuses

Promotions and Offers

Funrize kicks off the experience with up to 775,000 Tournament Coins and 700 Promotional Entries for new players. I received 75,000 Tournament Coins immediately after signing up, with the rest of the bonus becoming available after I completed a few extra steps: 

  • Email Verification 
  • Mobile Verification 
  • Complete Personal Information 
  • Make First Coin Package Purchase 

Although there are a few more hurdles to jump through to claim the full welcome bonus compared to competitors, it’s easily one of the most generous welcome bonuses. This trend continues with Funrize Casino’s other regular ongoing promotions: 

  • Coin Package Offers: Funrize offers 200% and 250% extra coins when purchasing the $11.99 and $19.99 coin packages. This can deliver up to 700,000 Tournament Coins, with 3,000 Promotional Entries thrown in for good measure;
  • Referral Scheme: Invite friends using your unique referral link and claim a 900,000 Tournament Coin and 2,500 Promotional Entry reward;
  • Funrize Races: The Funrize Races bonus was my favorite. The operator runs several daily races where players can compete against each other by playing games and earning multipliers. The leaderboard updates in real-time and pays a share of the 1,000,000 Tournament Coin prize pool to the highest-placed users;
  • Prize Wheel: I was also granted regular spins on the Funrize prize wheel, where varying amounts of Tournament Coins and Promotional Entries were available.
Banking

Payment Options Available

Funrize Casino currently only offers debit card and Open Banking payments, so you’ll have to look elsewhere to use other options like e-wallets. Despite this limited selection, I was happy to find a Trustly payment method. 

The operator aims to process all cash prize redemptions within 48 hours – one of the industry’s fastest turnarounds.

Our Verdict

Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I was relatively happy with the Funrize Casino platform. The operator offers a brilliantly designed website and mobile app, offering glitch-free access to over 80 online casino games. I enjoyed the helpful layout and straightforward sweepstakes gaming mechanic, putting the site among the higher echelons of social casinos. 

Nevertheless, I would like to see Funrize iron out a few significant gripes. My main negative was the limited selection of games, with NetGame slots making up the vast majority of options. It’s slightly disappointing compared to alternatives like BetRivers.net or Pulsz Casino where games from established software developers are readily available. 

Even still, I would recommend Funrize Casino to sweeps fans looking for a well-designed website with a decent variety of games, especially considering the exciting fish options. The platform also has a comprehensive array of promotions, so you should be able to keep playing with minimum expense. The cherry on top is the real money redemption availability, which isn’t possible at many other social casinos.  

The people behind this page

Compare.bet's online gambling content experts helped write, edit and check the content on this page:

Marcus is a Deputy Editor at Compare.bet US and contributes to content across the site. He holds a BA (Hons) in English and American Literatures, and has been featured in The Times, Business Chief, and music site Audioxide among others.