Chumba Casino - Social Casino Scam or Legit? Full Review

Chumba presents itself as an online social casino where players can play games for free without wagering money, or to win real money prizes. You can play Chumba Casino games either with earned or free sweeps coins. You can also buy gold coins or get some as a bonus to increase your jackpot winning chances.

This Chumba Casino review will show that it has been running for many years online and on social media platforms like Facebook and boasts over 1 million players. Both are normally good signs in any online casinos, right?

But is the sweepstakes model one to be trusted? And if you win money are you going to be able to get it out of your account and into your bank?

Throughout this in-depth review, we'll explore how the sweeps coins and gold coins currency models work, whether you really can win real cash prizes, the types of gambling games you can play from video slots or video poker through to table games like blackjack and roulette, if you can expect good quality social gaming, and generally answer any type of FAQ you may have about the platform.

We'll also see how we and other real player reviewers believe the platform performs, taking into account a broad range of performance indicators that will make up the key decision-making factors in whether to sign up for an account and play.

Real Player Personal Opinions Of Chumba Casino

If you’re new to Chumba and want a quick hit view of the good and bad points, here are the brags and beats as experienced by a real player. They’re followed by a performance breakdown in the areas that will matter most to any players of Chumba games.

We'll examine the individual pros and cons of Chumba in more detail further on, but these are the most important positives and negatives we noticed while using the site and playing the games.

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What Other Real Casino Players Are Saying About Chumba

If you have been searching for player opinions about Chumba Casino, you have probably come across a good mixture of positive and negative reports. While the operation looks legit on its face, there are doubts on how they will continue to offer their services to U.S. players given the shaky legal rationalizations involved.

Here are some opinions on Chumba Casino gathered from around the internet. These reviewers are real players who have clearly spent time on the platform playing the games:

You’ll notice here that these comments are mainly negative, although Chumba does attract positive comments too. It’s always worth remembering that you’re likely to see far more negative user reviews on any service or product than positive ones simply because it’s human nature to want to make a big point of telling everyone when something doesn’t work in the way you hoped for.

In the case of Chumba Casino, some poor reviews are actually caused by incorrect expectations of users or misoperation on their part. It’s wise to take note of comments from both positive and negative reviewers to enable any player to make a truly accurate judgment, but it's also likely that the most accurate opinion on anything being reviewed will come from personal experience.

If you are thinking of playing, it will be highly advisable to take note of the terms and conditions of use which are clearly displayed on the site.

Key Performance Indicators

Here we'll take a look at the main performance indicators that matter most to players, and their likely effects on you as a player and Customer.

What Is Chumba Casino? - Detailed Review

Chumba Casino promotes itself as a social gaming hangout that uses, together with its sister site Global Poker, a novel way of letting people from all over the world, including the USA and Canada, play online casino games like slots, Blackjack, and Poker.

This method of operating is reason enough for first-time players to take a closer look at their Sweepstakes model. Specifically to find out how they use sweeps coin games and ascertain whether this is a legit online casino or a scheme to get unsuspecting players to part with their money without any chance of winning any real prizes.

A quick inspection tells us that, just like Global Poker, Chumba Casino is owned and operated by Virtual Gaming Worlds Limited, or VGW Holdings, duly licensed by none other than the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which is a respected jurisdiction in iGaming. In fact, there is a VGW Malta office registered on the island.

Usually, casinos operating under the umbrella of the MGA are not allowed to accept US players, but because Chumba’s sweepstakes model does not make it a straight-up casino in the normal sense, it looks like the MGA has given the operator the nod. We will take a closer look at that later in the review as the casino has a small caveat in its terms that every player outside the US or Canada should take note of before signing up.

How To Register an Account

Signing up at Chumba Casino is done in seconds as they do not ask for full address or verification until you submit your first withdrawal. They accept players from the USA, except Washington and Idaho, and Canada, except Quebec.

Once you have registered an account, there is a very simple process to login.

The front page of the casino naturally shows happy winners alongside the news that they have over 1 million U.S. players enjoying their 60+ slots and table games with a total of $90 million in cash prizes redeemed.

Sweepstakes Model

If you have tried Global Poker, then you will have a good idea of how Chumba Casino’s business model works for US players. If not, make sure to read through our detailed Global Poker review to fully understand how the casino is working around the online gaming ban in the United States yet still offers what they claim is a legal product. Please note though that “legal” does not necessarily mean “recommended.”

The founders of VWG and probably a whole host of lawyers found not-insignificant loopholes in U.S. anti-gambling laws for sweepstakes contests, which explains why the casino promotes itself as a social gaming destination. Sweepstakes are legal in 50 U.S. states and are thus the core part of how Chumba Casino operates. It is in essence an online casino hiding in plain sight but counts legally (or so the company hopes) as a sweepstakes operation.

Starting to play in any other online casino normally works in a few simple steps – create and verify the account, deposit funds, play, and withdraw if you have been lucky. It is totally different at Chumba Casino.

After opening an account, you can purchase set amounts of Gold Coins starting as low as $1. These can be used to play the games in fun mode and even compete against fellow punters to win Gold Coin prizes as in a more traditional sweepstakes contest.

Packages of Gold Coins + Sweeps Coins Available at Chumba

However, up to this moment, you are still not playing real money games. That is done using Sweeps Coins. You will get them as a free bonus on top of your Gold Coins when you deposit at least $5. An equal amount plus a small percentage on top will be credited to your Sweeps Coins balance, e.g., 20.50 in Sweeps Coins for a $20 deposit.

Once your transaction is completed, you can load a game and switch between Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins before every spin, hand, or round. Please note: Spending $1 or $10 won’t get you any Sweeps Coins, basically giving you fun money that you will never be able to convert back to cash.

Read This Notice Carefully If You Reside Outside the United States and Canada

Chumba Casino Website Design

The layout of the front page is quite simple, which makes the UI generally positive. At the top of the page, you can see your account balance and easily switch between Gold Coins and Sweeps. This is also where you can buy more Gold Coins or redeem your Sweeps Coins for cash prizes.

You will see a list of your recently played games along with “Top Games” and several other categories of titles. If you would instead like to browse by game type, you can do so by selecting one of the categories near the top of the page.

Website of Chumba Casino

Games at Chumba Casino

Chumba Casino offers a combined 90+ slots, Blackjack, roulette, and video poker games. The total amount of games in all sections is sub-par compared to other online casinos, which typically carry hundreds of gaming titles. The majority of Chumba’s games are proprietary VGW creations, but there are also a few from 2BY2 Gaming and Pear Fiction Studios.

Chumba Casino Game Lobby

There is little information available about their in-house games other than the RNG (Random Number Generator) was certified by iTechLabs and Gaming Associates, respected entities for certification. However, the RNG is not exclusive to Chumba Casino or VGW and is used by other companies who need an RNG for their products. It is in no way a clear sign that the games are fair, only that the RNG is to a general standard.

Blackjack

We could find only three Blackjack titles in the entire casino lobby, of which two of them were developed by Golden Rock Studios and are identical but for the presence of an optional side bet in one of them. The other is a proprietary game developed by VGW themselves.

The two copy-cat versions of blackjack use a relatively normal rule set with a six-deck shoe, dealer standing on soft 17, splitting permitted only once, and double after split allowed. The house edge of these two games is 0.57%: about average for online Blackjack.

The other Blackjack title employs a fairly odd set of rules: six decks; dealer stands on S17; doubling allowed only on 9, 10, or 11; splitting allowed up to four hands; resplitting aces allowed; drawing to split aces allowed; dealer doesn't peek for blackjack. This version of the game has a house advantage of just 0.39% with the proper basic strategy, but this strategy is a bit obscure because of the rare combination of rules in effect.

Chumba Casino Blackjack

Video Poker

Poker fans can play Jacks or Better with either Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. Simply switch between hands whenever you like. Unfortunately, it is also the only video poker game available at Chumba Casino.

Even if we credit Chumba with dealing honest cards and following a fair distribution, the paytable listed contains several downgrades from normal Jacks or Better VP. For instance, a full house is worth only 7 times the bet, and a flush only pays 5x: quite a reduction from the 9x and 6x respectively for these hands awarded by full-pay Jacks or Better machines.

We've done the math to calculate that this game has an RTP of just 96.15%: much worse than the 99.54% returns possible with a full-pay game and basically in the same ballpark as your run-of-the-mill slots.

Jacks or Better Video Poker

Roulette

There are two types of roulette present at Chumba. They are identical except that one of them rolls four dice after every win, and if they come up four of a kind, the win is doubled. This makes it slightly superior to the standard roulette even though the win will be doubled only about once every 216 spins.

Both of Chumba's roulette wheels are American in nature. That is, they have spots marked “0” and ”00.” This is worse than the European roulette wheels sometimes present at competing establishments, which have only a single zero.

Video Slots

Having played at online casinos for over two decades, we have never come across any of the proprietary slots from Chumba Casino. They do look well-designed though, showing that some effort has been made in creating them.

There is a good selection available with different layouts, bonus features, and even some offering progressive jackpots. Most genres are represented, from fruit machines through to adventure and mystery. Plus, the casino has added a few titles from 2BY2 Gaming, such as Medusa’s Golden Gaze, Pear Fiction Studios, with Gustavo El Luchador, and several other outside software houses.

Stampede Fury – Proprietary VGW Slot

While we couldn’t see anything inherently wrong or dodgy when trying the proprietary games, it always makes us suspicious when a studio does not display return to player (RTP) or other information. We tested a few slots, and they seem to run normally although that might have been just a simple coincidence.

Overall, we recommend playing with some caution should you ever want to give these slots a spin as there is no way whatsoever to find out if they run as advertised. Basically, play at your own peril.

Bonuses

There are none of the typical bonus offers at Chumba Casino that you would normally see at an internet casino since it is not your usual casino but an online platform that offers you the chance to play games for entertainment. The sweepstakes entry part is done by giving you Sweeps Coins which you can use for playing the slots and games in the casino.

Welcome Bonus/No Deposit Bonus

All new players will be welcomed with 2,000,000 Gold Coins and $2 in Sweeps Coins. No deposit is needed to receive both amounts, and you can instantly start playing any game with either. We'll explain more on the difference between the two casino currencies in a short while. U.S. and Canadian players can get more free Sweeps Coins by writing a letter to the registered address of Chumba Casino.

Promotions

Promotions are often limited to offers for Sweeps Coins. Via their Facebook page, Chumba regularly holds Sweeps Coins no-cost giveaway contests where a small number of winners are picked to receive Sweeps generally ranging from 10 to 50. Additionally, there are sometimes special pop-up deals extended to particular individuals, like the chance to get 10 in Sweeps for just $5.

Perhaps the most reliable way to get a steady trickle of free Sweeps and Gold Coins is by logging into your account every day. You will receive a small amount of both currencies every day that you do so.

How to get free Sweeps coins

Another option – one that is critical to Chumba's claims to be merely operating sweepstakes – is to send a post card or piece of white paper enclosed within a stamped #10 envelope handwritten to Chumba's US or Canada address to receive free Sweeps Coins. There is no limit to the number of letters you can send.

USA Address:

VGW GAMES LIMITED,
CHUMBA CASINO SWEEPSTAKES DEPARTMENT
PO BOX #8486
PORTSMOUTH, NH 03801

Canada Address:

VGW GAMES LIMITED
CHUMBA CASINO SWEEPSTAKES DEPARTMENT
PO BOX #990
135 WEST BEAVER CREEK ROAD
RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO L4B 4R7

Each envelope is good for $5 worth of Sweeps Coins. There are a set of rules and restrictions that apply to requests by post in particular certain words that must be handwritten on the envelope and post card. Please consult the Chumba Casino website for a full list of regulations.

Chumba Casino Deposit & Withdrawal Options

The main choice to fund your account is via purchasing Gold Coins to officially take part in the sweepstakes. Sweeps Coins are then given as a free bonus and credited alongside the Gold Coins. While at the start in 2017 they were using PayPal as their main channel for payments, that has stopped in 2018, leaving you only with credit cards and a few other options.

Deposits

Deposit Options at Chumba Casino

• MasterCard, Visa, Discover, Amex – minimum $1, no maximum limit noted
• Skrill Digital Wallet – minimum $1, no maximum limit noted
• Paysafecard – minimum $1, no maximum noted. This option is linked and processed via Skrill
• Online Banking - minimum $1, no maximum noted.

None of the methods lists a maximum amount, however, the most you can spend in one transaction is $300 which will get you a huge haul of 120 million Gold Coins and 315 Sweeps Coins. Only the latter can be exchanged for so-called cash prizes should you wish to withdraw your balance.

Skrill has language in its terms of service that explicitly prohibits U.S. users from using its e-wallet for the purposes of sweepstakes. We're uncertain how Chumba was able to legitimately bypass this restriction, and indeed it's possible that the company has not come up with a workaround and is just taking chances with its customers' money. It's conceivable that Skrill will eventually put an end to this, and when that happens, we have no clue what will happen with players' funds, but it probably won't be pretty.

Withdrawals

Submitting a cashout is called redeeming Sweeps Coins at Chumba Casino. You will convert your coins into a cash prize, which is then paid through the method of your choosing. Available are Bank Wire and Skrill, the latter again in doubt as regards U.S. residents.

Redeeming your coins will be done at a rate of 1 Sweeps Coin = $1. Your first request will require account verification before you can proceed with the redemption. This is a multi-step process where you can upload the respective documents, which are: government-issued photo ID, proof of residential address, and bank statement in your name.

Account Verification Instructions at Chumba Casino

The minimum you need to start redeeming your sweepstake prizes is $100 worth of Sweeps Coins – a pretty steep minimum in our opinion – while the maximum for New York and Florida stands at $5,000 per day and $10,000 per day for all others. Please note that these limits are what you can redeem from all wins on the games. Anything above will stay in your account.

Fees apply to all redemptions; however, there are no published details as to the exact amounts or percentages applied. Processing times are between 5 and 10 business days according to the terms shown although Skrill is supposedly completed faster.

We had no means to test the speed of cashouts and reports in forums are rather sketchy. While some posters confirmed that they have received timely payments, others have not.

For a rundown of other internet gaming firms that are known for the timeliness of their payouts, you can browse over our monthly online casino, poker, and sportsbook cashout report.

Does Chumba Casino have a Mobile App?

Chumba Casino is available on mobile, although it is basically just a squeezed version of the desktop site. The slots and games use HTML5 via your mobile web browser; hence, they can be played on virtually all tablet or mobile devices including iPhone, iPad, or Android. You'll get a fully mobile responsive experience on all of these types of devices or operating systems, plus they do offer a Facebook app that you can access through your FB account.

Anyone with an Android device can get to play games for free on the Chumba Lite - Fun & Free Slots Casino app that you'll find in the Google Play Store. This app offers the chance of big jackpot wins along with a one million gold coin bonus just for downloading and getting started. There are free rewards for reaching levels, playing regularly, finishing on top of a leaderboard, or completing other achievements.

Chumba Casino Mobile Site

Other Gambling at Chumba Casino

Given that the game selection at Chumba barely qualifies as adequate for the casino vertical alone, it's not shocking to see that it has no poker room or sportsbook. Although sister site Global Poker does offer card games, it has a similarly troublesome history and business model, and so you may wish to take your business elsewhere.

For the ability to bet on sports, head over to our list of the best online sportsbooks USA residents can wager at. If poker is more your game, then our comprehensive USA internet poker guide where you can learn about the best online poker sites for US players ought to appeal to you.

Customer Support

Customer support is offered via onsite message form, email, or phone. However, they do not state whether these channels are open 24/7, and probably the best you could hope for as a response to a customer service request by email or form submission would be an answer within a few days.

• Live Chat: Only available when attempting to make a purchase
• Phone: +356 99088901
• Email: support@chumbacasino.com

Use This Contact Us Form to Get in Touch With Chumba Casino

You can also attempt to contact the company through its Social Media accounts. For example, according to its Facebook page, users should expect a response within a few hours.

• Chumba Casino on Facebook
• Chumba's Instagram account
• Chumba Casino's Twitter feed

Alternatives to Chumba Casino & Competitor Comparisons

The main competitors to Chumba are the other operators who deliver services in a similar way with the most well-known being Luckyland Slots, Funzpoints, and High5Casino.

It's worth noting that none of these are going to offer the excitement and money-winning potential of playing in a real money online casino.

Chumba Casino vs Competitors – How Do They Compare?

Here we'll break down the main differences between Chumba and other well-known casino operators. We’ll avoid comparison with those operating to a similar social gaming model that have been mentioned above, since Chumba has the longest operating history and is already well recognized as the leader in the sweepstakes model field.

So as to get the greatest benefit from any comparison exercise, it’s worth comparing against some of the leading real money online casinos. The two most valuable to compare with here are going to be Cafe Casino and Bovada Casino, so let's see how they stack up in comparison to Chumba across a number of different factors:

Trust

The question of trust can often be tied to that of licensing in the online gambling arena. Chumba is licensed to operate by the Malta Gaming Authority, a body often associated with sites that operate with a high level of trust.

But there’s no question that you can also trust Bovada and Cafe Casino. Bovada is licensed and Cafe Casino is also licensed. Both of these have been servicing online casino fans for a long time.

In reality – license or not – it really comes down to analyzing real player reviews to find out who you can trust, with both Bovada and Cafe receiving many positive reviews over a number of years.

Game Variety

While the game variety at Chumba is nothing special, you’ll still find enough games to play that will make signing up just about worthwhile. In comparison to our other two casinos though, there really is no contest. Both offer a suitably wide range of different games, from casino classics like roulette, blackjack, and video poker, through to slots, keno, and any number of other table games, including a very popular live dealer section.

Bonuses & Promotions

The area of promotions and bonuses is one in which you’ll notice some major differences, mainly because of the real money gambling nature of both Cafe and Bovada. Both these offer very high-value bonuses which you can find details on by navigating to either our Cafe Casino bonus codes page or our Bovada review.

Chumba does have occasional promotions and bonuses, but these are never going to be in the same league as those from a real money casino.

Payout Speed

It’s easy to find a good number of player complaints around withdrawal speeds at Chumba, something you’re unlikely to experience with any major issues at Bovada and Cafe Casino. With both also offering crypto withdrawal options, they boast a significant increase in payout speed and mostly pay out wins within two days.

Deposit & Withdrawal Options

All of our compared casinos offer a substantial range of deposit and withdrawal options, although both Bovada and Cafe Casino also offer the possibility of transactions in crypto-currencies alongside more traditional methods.

Speed, Software & User Experience

It’s hard now to find any online casino that doesn’t run on software and with a website where both offer speedy and trouble-free gaming. In the case of the three casinos we’re comparing, all perform well from this aspect.

How has Chumba Evolved?

With a fairly long history stretching back at least to 2013, it's obvious that the Chumba site will have evolved into what we see today via some cosmetic design changes and improvements to games. These changes will generally have improved the experience of players, and may in some instances be a deciding factor in whether to register an account or not.

Aside from that, the operating model on which the casino runs is still the same with no major changes other than the award of the Malta Gaming license in 2017. Clearly, possession of f this license has served to increase the trust factor, which in the early days will have been an issue.

Positives | Benefits | Pros

We've presented a summary of the pros and cons of playing at Chumba higher up on the page, but let's take a look at a few of these in a little more depth:

• There is a free $2 Gold Coin package just for registering
• You can redeem cash winnings for free directly to a bank account
• All games are designed to work effectively on mobile devices
• The gaming is legal for cash prizes to US and Canadian players
• Purchases can be made with a wide range of payment solutions
• It's affordable, with low minimum purchases
• You'll find significant-sized progressive jackpots on some of the game options

Other great features (aside from the gaming, of course) include the game guide and the popular Facebook sharing features.

Negatives | Cons | Drawbacks

It's not all good news, and there are a number of drawbacks that are worth noting before you take the plunge and sign up for an account:

It Will Most Likely Cost Money to Play

One of the major drawbacks of any type of casino is that they're designed to take your money. They're very good at that type of business. In that respect, Chumba is really no different. It's possible to get some big virtual money wins by playing free Gold Coin games, and occasionally you may win a sizable amount on Sweepstakes games. In the long run, you'll most likely end up with less cash than when you started.

No Payout Percentages?

One major benefit in playing at real money casinos is that payout percentage figures are normally listed against the games. This gives you some idea at least of potential returns from playing the games. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at Chumba and clearly can contribute to some question marks over the trust you can place in them.

High Cash-out Requirements

When you're playing with wagers of small amounts, $100 as a minimum cashout requirement does seem on the high side. Unless you hit a big win, it could take some time to build up a bank of over $100. Plus, it's well-known that the longer you play casino games, the more likely you are to lose your bankroll.

Limited Selection of Games

To say the game selection is limited may be a little unfair, but when comparing the library at Chumba to most real money casinos, you'd very quickly see the difference in the range of games.

These additional negatives speak for themselves and are worth considering if you're deciding whether to sign up:

• There are no live dealer game options
• No live chat to help with problems

Chumba Casino Review Summary

So as a final conclusion, what's the verdict now we've fully reviewed the platform? Can we honestly recommend Chumba Casino to our readers?

Considering the issues at sister company Global Poker and the failings of other sites offering such sweepstakes schemes in the US market, we cannot in good faith speak favorably about the Chumba Casino endeavor.

While they claim to be totally legal due to the sweepstakes twist, they could abruptly end their presence in the market simply because the U.S. authorities (or their payment processing partners) might start looking into their operation more closely. All the sweeps coins or gold coins in the world won't count for much if that happens!

Neither does the Malta Gaming Authority license give too much confidence as it is of little help to U.S. players. Just as worrisome is the lack of information and detail about their proprietary games as they do not provide any audit reports whatsoever.

Finally, although there are some positive comments from real player reviewers, it's not hard to find a significant number of reviews from players that report poor experiences. In some instances, that experience has been so negative that it has given rise to talk of a class action lawsuit.

In closing, we can only strongly recommend that you keep clear of Chumba Casino and instead choose an operator from our list of trusted U.S.A.-friendly online casinos should you be looking for an internet gaming destination.

FAQ

Even after reading our review, you might still have some questions about Chumba Casino. That's why we've gathered together below a collection of common questions along with their answers.