
The US has comparatively strict gambling laws and regulations compared to other countries like the UK and the lack of sports betting sites means that alternatives like social sportsbooks are becoming popular.
That begs the question, is social gambling legal? This is a complex question and it’s not just a yes or no answer - you have to understand what we mean by this term, and the legal implications. I discuss this below for the US, and I also look at some of the top social sportsbooks to see what they offer.
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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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| Legendz | 500 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins |
| Onyx Odds | Spend $10 get 25 Onyx Cash |
| Sports Millions | 1000 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins |
| Fliff | 1000 Fliff Coins and 1 Fliff Cash |
| Kickr | 4 Free Bucks + 150,000 Bits |
| Sportzino | 10 SC FREE + 220,000 Gold Coins |
| Thrillzz | 3000 Thrillzz Coins and 3 Thrillzz Sweeps |
| Rebet | 100 Rebet Coins and 1 Rebet Cash |
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.
Onyx Odds delivers a streamlined social sports betting experience built around the major US leagues. The platform focuses on a pick’em-style game mode where you can wager on over/under stats and other prop bets for NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL contests. With its clean, mobile-optimized interface, Onyx Odds makes it effortless to track real-time odds and compare your picks against the competition. New users are greeted with a bonus of 1,000 Onyx Coins along with an additional 25 Onyx Cash when you make a qualifying $10 deposit—kickstarting your journey in this data-driven social sportsbook.
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.
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.
Kickr combines the fun of free-to-play sweepstakes gaming with elements of social sports betting. The platform lets you engage in games using Bits and Bucks, where Bits fuel everyday gameplay and Bucks count toward redeemable prizes. The experience is laid-back yet rewarding, thanks to daily login bonuses and an active referral program that helps boost your rewards. As a new customer, you receive 4 Free Bucks and 150,000 Bits—providing plenty of headroom to explore the diverse offerings. With a focus on simplicity and consistent rewards, Kickr is ideal for players who enjoy a casual, social gaming environment on the go.
Sportzino stands out by seamlessly merging a sweepstakes casino with a robust social sports betting section. You can choose between traditional pick’em bets and fantasy-style Blitz’em challenges—ideal for wagering on over/under stats across a broad range of markets, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, and more. The platform’s diverse sports options and high jackpot pools make every game feel like an event. New users are rewarded generously with 220,000 Gold Coins and 10 Sweeps Coins upon signup, supplemented by daily bonuses to keep the momentum going. With its versatile features and vibrant game modes, Sportzino offers a rich, all-in-one social gaming experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.