Social sportsbooks and casinos are causing a rave currently, and more sites keep launching. If you intend to join one, you may want to ask, is social gambling legal in the US? I also had the same question at first.
Indeed, social gambling sites are legal in the US. The reason is that they don’t use real money, and you bet on sports and play games for free using virtual currencies. However, there’s more to know about the legality of social sportsbooks and casinos. Continue reading as I break it all down and also uncover the best sites to join.
Without beating around the bush, social betting is legal. Unlike traditional sportsbooks and casinos, these sites don’t require an initial payment to place social bets or play. Instead, social sportsbooks like Fliff are free to access using Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC).
I must state that GC and SC are fundamentally different. Both work for free social betting, but Gold Coins are only for fun and entertainment. On the other hand, Sweepstakes Coins work as promotional entries, so they can be redeemed for real prizes once the relevant requirements are met.
The other difference is that SCs are never for sale. On the other hand, you will be able to make optional GC purchases using a variety of GC purchase methods.
Keep in mind that there are no real money social casinos. You can't make deposits or withdrawals at these platforms. All gameplay and social betting happens using virtual currencies.
Sweeps casinos are legal in the US according to federal law. However, local regulations vary from state to state. From my experience reviewing several social sportsbooks and sweepstakes casinos, I’ve concluded that no site is active in all 50 states.
Some regions simply do not permit sweepstakes betting, so there’ll always be some restrictions. In some states, social casinos are only allowed to operate if they don't allow SC redemptions. These social-only casinos often still sell optional Gold Coins packages.
For the above reason, you must verify that a social gambling site is legal in your state before you sign up. Here’s a rundown of where my top five social sportsbooks and casinos are inactive:
| Social gambling site | Restricted states |
|---|---|
| Sportzino | Washington, Idaho, Michigan, and Georgia |
| Legendz | Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North, Dakota, Ohio, and Washington |
| Thrillzz | Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington |
| Skillzz | Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, and South Dakota |
| Stackr | Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington |
Now, is social gambling legal in your state? You can answer from the above table and sign up accordingly.
At social gambling sites, you place social bets and play for free, but you get the same sports and games on traditional alternatives. That’s the major advantage, in my opinion. The option to redeem real prizes is another notable benefit, as it means you get something out at the end. I only find it unfortunate that not all US bettors and players can access the sites. In summary, here are my pros and cons of social gambling:
The large number of social sportsbooks and casinos right now may make it difficult for you to select one. Not to worry, I’ve done the job. From my firsthand reviews of several sweepstakes gambling sites, these are the best ones online:
Number one is Sportzino, my overall favorite social betting site. This sweepstakes sportsbook gave me 170,000 Gold Coins and 7 Sweepstakes Coins for free after signing up. I made no initial GC purchase and didn’t even enter a promo code. It’s the best welcome offer I’ve received so far. I also got access to a 20,000 GC and 1 SC daily login bonus.
With my bonus, I was set to place social bets on 40+ sports on Sportzino. I found football, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, and many others. Interestingly, the social sportsbook also covered eSports titles like Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and Valorant. I placed moneylines, spreads, totals, and props social bets across many sports during my review. The fact that Sportzino supports live social betting further made things interesting.
At Legendz, I was able to place social bets on 33+ sports for free using Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. The site gave me a welcome bonus of 500 GC and 3 SC after registration. Indeed, it’s not the biggest offer, but it still went a long way for my NFL, NBA, and NHL social bets. And it meant I didn't need to look for any free SC hacks to top up my balance.
Legendz impressed me more in terms of SC redemption. After using my bonus SC and completing a 1x playthrough, I was set to redeem real prizes. The minimum threshold is 50 eligible SC for gift cards and 100 for cash, which is quite accommodating. I also appreciate the relatively fast turnaround — 24 to 48 hours for gift cards and 1 to 5 working days for cash.
Is social gambling legal? If you were asked the question, we’re sure you can now give a comprehensive answer. The bottom line is that sweepstakes sportsbooks and sweepstakes casinos are legal in the US, although they’re unavailable in a few states.
I recommend signing up with any of my top five sites that are active in your state. Whether you’re a fan of sports or casino-style games, you’ll find a quality option. Plus, there are regular free bonuses with opportunities to redeem eligible SC winnings for real prizes.
Ready to get started? You can click the banners on this page to visit any of the social gambling platforms I've recommended. Creating your account only takes a few minutes.
Open Sportzino
Sports betting apps usually need social security to verify your identity. This is also the case with social sportsbooks in the US. The sites must confirm that you’re up to legal age and in a supported state for regulatory reasons.
The best social gambling sites are Sportzino, Legendz, Thrillzz, and Stackr. I signed up and tested these sites firsthand, and you can read about my findings via the reviews on this page.
Social gambling involves sports betting and casino-style gaming using virtual currencies instead of real money. The virtual currencies in question are usually Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC). While GC are for fun and entertainment, SC allow you to redeem real prizes after meeting specific requirements.
Yes, social sportsbooks are legal in the US under sweepstakes laws. They’re different from traditional betting sites because they use virtual currencies and not real money. That said, note that some social sportsbooks are unavailable in certain states.
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