Best Online Baccarat Platforms in Australia: Social and Sweepstakes Baccarat Options

What is the difference between a traditional casino and a sweepstakes casino?

A traditional casino is a real-money site. You deposit cash, you wager with real cash, and you withdraw cash. Unfortunately, this sort of real-money gambling online is illegal in Australia, which is why you can’t find baccarat casinos online in Australia.

The legal alternative is the sweepstakes casino. Instead of playing the games with real money, you play these games with two types of virtual currency. The first currency is often referred to as a Gold Coin (GC), and you use this currency to play the games purely for fun and entertainment. The second type of currency is often called a Sweeps Coins (SC), which you use to play the same casino-style games in promotional mode. Playing with Sweeps Coins gives you the chance to have redeemable SC that can be exchanged for real prizes, such as cash or gift cards.

And that brings us to this next question…

How do players get Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins at a sweepstakes casino?

At a traditional baccarat casino online, you make a deposit and start playing. At a sweepstakes casino, you’re usually given a package of Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins as a welcome bonus, so you’ll have plenty of virtual currency to start playing baccarat, as well as the pokies, card games, and other table games. Most of these sweepstakes casinos then offer other ways to pick up additional virtual currencies, including:

• Daily login bonuses or wheel spins to collect GC and SC.
• Missions to complete in exchange for GC and SC.
• Sending mail-in requests for Sweeps Coins.
• Purchasing Gold Coins and getting Sweeps Coins as a free bonus.
• Getting virtual currency as a reward for referring friends to the site.
• Collecting XP in a rewards/VIP program, which enables you to get additional bonuses and rewards.

Here’s an overview of the similarities and differences between these types of casinos:

Now the important question you may have been wondering about…

Can you play live baccarat at a sweepstakes casino?

Yes. As mentioned, you won’t be betting real money, but you can play baccarat at sweepstakes casinos, and in many cases you can play the game with a live dealer. Whether the game includes a live dealer or is run by a fair RNG (random number generator), the game is played exactly the same at sweepstakes casinos as you play it anywhere else.

Here’s an overview of the game…

How to play baccarat

First, you determine upfront if you think the Player’s hand or the Banker’s hand will win the next round, or if it will be a tie. The winning hand will be the one whose card values add up closest to nine. Once you’ve made your decision, then you place your GC or SC down on your predicted outcome. Unlike other card games, baccarat doesn’t require any particular skills or to play, as you don’t need to make any decisions other than deciding who will win the hand.

The dealer then deals two cards each to the Banker and the Player. If either hand adds up to an eight or nine, the round ends, and the hand closest to nine wins. If neither hand adds up to an eight or nine, then a third card may be drawn according to a set of predetermined rules. You don’t need to memorize these rules, as the dealer takes care of these calculations.

Here are how the points are added up for each hand:

• Ten, Jacks, Queens, and Kings = 0 points
• Aces = 1 point
• Cards 2-9 = face value of the card

If the total of the cards is a double-digit number, then you drop the first digit, and the remaining digit becomes the total for that hand. For example, if a hand pulls a 7 and 8, then the point total for that hand is 15. However, you drop the first digit (1), so the actual point total becomes five.

Here are the probabilities and payouts for each outcome:

Mathematically, the Banker has a slight edge due to the card-drawing rules, and even with a 5% commission it’s still a better choice than putting your virtual currency down on the Player’s hand winning or a Tie.

Now that you know that this game is available at sweepstakes casinos, let’s figure out where to play…

The leading social casino platform in Australia

What are the best baccarat online casinos for Australians?

Since real-money gambling isn’t legal at online casinos in Australia, the question is which sweepstakes casinos offer baccarat? The answer is right in front of you. All you have to do is check the banners on this page, as we’ve researched these gaming sites thoroughly, and we only include the sweepstakes casinos that meet our high standards.

Here’s what we look for:

So, now that you know what we look for, let’s take a closer look at a brand that meets all our requirements:

RooVegas: Generous welcome bonus with large gaming catalog

Roo Vegas: Pros and Cons

• 1,000+ high-quality casino-style games
• Easy-to-use and intuitive platform design
• Responsive and reliable customer support

• No dedicated mobile app
• Cash prize redemptions take time

As of the moment, this sweepstakes casino welcomes new players in the door with a generous 500,000 Roo Coins (which are the same as Gold Coins) and 3 Spin Coins (which are the same as Sweeps Coins). Players on this site get multiple opportunities to top off their virtual currency balances through daily login bonuses, completing missions, taking part in various leaderboard challenges, and various other bonus drops and opportunities. There’s also a seven-level “Roowards” program, where frequent players can collect daily, weekly, and monthly rewards. If you’re interested in an online casino with free spins in Australia, this sweepstakes casino runs a regular promo where you can get 40 free spins on the pokies.

The site hosts a gaming catalog of nearly 3,000 pokies and table games, including baccarat. You can also play blackjack, roulette, instant-win games, and more with either Roo Coins or Spin Coins. Spin Coins come with a player-friendly 1x playthrough, and any Spin Coins that become redeemable are converted to Spin Cash. You can then redeem your Spin Cash for real cash, or even use Spin Cash to purchase additional virtual currencies. Redemptions start at 45 Spin Cash to get gift cards, or 100 Spin Cash to redeem cash.

To get started playing baccarat at this sweepstakes casino, just tap the RooVegas banner on this page to get started or to learn more.

Now let’s wrap up our discussion…

Pros and cons of playing baccarat at sweepstakes casinos

Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons of playing baccarat at sweepstakes casinos:

Pros and Cons

• Many of these sites offer baccarat or even live baccarat.
• You can get free virtual currency to play the games.
• You have the chance to redeem your winnings for real prizes.

• Sweepstakes casinos aren’t available in all regions of Australia.

Final thoughts on baccarat online casinos in Australia

If you’re looking for a live casino online in Australia, you won’t find one that offers real-money gambling. However, a great alternative is to play at a sweepstakes casino. These gaming sites let you play Vegas-style games, including baccarat, using virtual currency. When you play the games with Sweeps Coins, you can win redeemable SC, which can be redeemed for real prizes. These gaming sites provide plenty of entertainment, and they are the next best thing to traditional online casinos!

To find a sweepstakes casino where you can play baccarat, just check the banners on this page to learn about the welcome offers available to you. Tap the banners that interest you, and you could be sitting at the virtual baccarat table in just a few minutes from now!

Our top bonus pick for social casino players in Australia

Baccarat casinos online FAQs