Is social gambling legal?
Social gambling or
sweepstakes sports betting
is legal. However, there are caveats to that. First, it is NOT gambling or betting as no real money is involved. This is a core concept and component of social sportsbooks - they cannot allow real money deposits, real money gambling, or real money withdrawals. Instead, social “gambling” involves using virtual currencies like Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins to make social picks on sports events.
Secondly, there are minimum age limits. For most
free betting sites, you have to be over 18 and depending on the state, the minimum age may be 21. The sites protect against this by performing KYC checks where you have to provide ID documentation and verify your photo by taking a selfie.
Thirdly,
social sportsbooks
are NOT available nationwide. Some states, notably Idaho, Michigan, and Montana do not allow social sportsbooks to operate - even if they comply with regulations - it’s just not part of current state legislation. This is similar to real money sportsbooks which are currently only available in 38/50 states.
So, is social gambling legal? Yes, provided the three criteria are met:
- No real money gambling.
- Minimum age requirement.
- State requirement.
How to use social sportsbooks and casinos responsibly
Although there is no real money directly involved, you can usually purchase coins at social sportsbooks. With this in mind, it’s still important to use these apps responsibly and control your social picks as best you can. To do that, I typically adhere to 4 strategies:
🎯 Making Educated Social Picks
I know how fun it can be to make social picks on your favorite team or using your gut feeling, but oftentimes this is a surefire way to empty your coin balance! Instead, I always try to use stats, logic, and research to make educated social picks. I look at things like injury reports, current form, H2H matchups, and playing schedules.
💰 Set Yourself a Weekly Coin Limit
It’s incredibly easy to just place social picks on loads of matches and use heaps of coins. This can mean that you purchase more GC than you want to. To avoid this, I set myself a weekly coin limit for what I want to purchase and use. Some social sportsbooks have limits you can set, but oftentimes you just have to exercise self-control.
🔒 Keep a Minimum Coin Buffer
Building on the above point, I also set a minimum coin buffer that I don’t let my account go below. For example, at Fliff, I always keep between 1,000-2,000 Fliff Coins and 5-10 Fliff Cash as a buffer. By doing this you remain disciplined and control your coin balance more effectively.
⚖️ Balance Low and High-Risk Social Picks
Lastly, to use your coins effectively, try to mix low and high-risk social picks. I try to do a 5:1 ratio where I do 5 low-risk social picks with shorter odds, and 1 higher-risk social pick with longer odds, such as a social parlay for example. The idea here is that the low-risk social picks have a greater chance of getting you prizes and thus should offset the lower chance of the high-risk pick coming in.
5 recommended social sportsbooks to try
Now that you understand the legality of social sportsbooks, we can look at some recommendations. With these sites, you use virtual currencies that you can get for free to make social picks on sports markets like the NBA and NFL. Some of these sites also have sweepstakes casino games. Below, you can see the welcome bonuses, and I’ve then given a mini review for each site.
| Social sportsbook | Welcome bonus |
| Rebet | 100 Rebet Coins and 1 Rebet Cash |
| Fliff | 1000 Fliff Coins and 1 Fliff Cash |
| Thrillzz | 3000 Thrillzz Coins and 3 Thrillzz Sweeps |
| Sports Millions | 1000 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins |
| Legendz | 500 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins |
Rebet
Rebet: Pros & Cons
- Unique Peer-to-Peer betting function
- Innovative social sports betting
- Bet against your friends
- Exchange your Rebet Cash for cash prizes
Our first social sportsbook is Rebet which is legally available in all states except Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, and Louisiana. When you register an account here you get 100 Rebet Coins and 1 Rebet Cash. There’s also a daily login bonus of 100 Rebet Coins and 1 Rebet Cash. This site has one of the most extensive arrays of social sports markets and covers 60+ sports including all US major leagues, plus soccer, tennis, golf, and MMA. Make sure you allow email notification as you’ll get personalized promos with free coins too.
Fliff
Fliff: Pros & Cons
- Cash prizes available
- Picks for major sports
- Free to play
- Available in most states
- Exclusive promo code:
FLIFFSTRAFE
- Minor sports not featured
Visit Fliff
Fliff is one of my favorite
sweepstakes sports betting apps
and it is only not available in Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, or Tennessee. When you register here, you’ll get a welcome bonus of 1,000 Fliff Coins and 1 Fliff Cash. If your balance reaches 0, you can also get a reload bonus of 1,000 Fliff Coins and 1 Fliff Cash so you’ve always got coins to make social picks with. For social sports, Fliff concentrates on US markets and this app has some of the best coverage for the NBA and NFL.
Thrillzz
Thrillzz Social Casino
- 3 Thrillzz Sweeps free
- 100% first-purchase promo
- Sweepstakes sportsbook
- Redeem Tickets for prizes
Visit Thrillzz
Thrillzz is one of the more restricted social sportsbooks as you cannot register here if you live in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, or Washington. Regardless, this app has plenty to offer including a chunky welcome bonus of 3,000 Thrillzz Coins and 3 Thrillzz Sweeps. I like that you can make cash prize redemptions from 50 Thrillzz Sweeps, and this is another app that has amazing coverage and range of social picks for US markets.
SportsMillions
SportsMillions has both social sports and sweepstakes casino games and its social sports section is unique in that it offers two game modes - Pick’em and Blitz’em. These offer social sports mechanisms where you make picks on over/under stats on a range of different markets including the NBA, MLB, and NFL. Currently, the site is only NOT legal in Alabama, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, and Washington. As a new customer, you’ll get 1,000 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins, plus a daily login bonus of 6,000 Gold Coins and 0.25 Sweeps Coins.
Legendz
Legendz: Pros & Cons
- Social media giveaways
- Original games
- Generous promotions
- Extensive sportsbook
- Available in 43 States
- Daily Rewards & VIP Program
- No live chat function yet
Visit Legendz Casino
Legendz is only restricted in Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Washington, and new customers can get a fantastic welcome bonus of 500 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins just for registering an account. Aside from its excellent range of social sports markets, Legendz also has a decent sweepstakes casino with slots and live dealer games. For the social sportsbook, you can make social picks including moneylines, lines, spread, and parlays.
Social sportsbooks are legal in specific US states - always check availability
So, is social gambling legal? Technically yes, but not for real money. Social picks using virtual currencies are legal to make at sites like Rebet, Fliff, Thrillzz, and Sports Millions. You also have to remember that the minimum legal age range is between 18 and 21, and that different social sportsbooks have different state availability.
Provided that you meet the minimum age requirement, and live in one of the legal states, you can register an account at a social sportsbook and make social picks on your favorite sporting events like the NBA, NFL, European soccer, and tennis.
Our favorite social sports betting bonuses for 2025
1.
Sign up for 3 SC + 500 Gold Coins FREE and 50% extra on your First Purchase!
Virginia Players Eligible
2.
Spend $10 get 25 Onyx Cash
Virginia Players Eligible
3.
Spend $50, Get up to $100 in Fliff Coins
+ Get up to $5 Per Day
Virginia Players Eligible
4.
Spend $10 Get $50 in Coins
Virginia Players Eligible
5.
4 Free Bucks + 150,000 Bits
Virginia Players Eligible
Social sportsbook FAQs
🏦 Is social betting legal?
Making social picks on sports games using virtual currencies is legal. Where it is legal depends on the individual social sportsbook and where it can legally offer its website.
🔍 Why do sports betting apps need social security details?
This can be requested as part of the KYC (Know Your Customer) check. KYC checks are put in place to protect you against fraud and make sure people outside of the legal jurisdiction of the social sportsbook aren’t creating accounts.
📍 Where can I use social sportsbooks?
This depends on the social sportsbook - different sites are legal in a different number of US states. Always check accessibility requirements before attempting to register at a social sportsbook.
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